Closer to a Tipping Point As we close out 2015, we reflect on events that occurred in the DSO/group practice dental market to try to best forecast 2016. There never seems to be a lack of dental meetings, and 2015 proved to be no different. However, most of the traditional dental meetings offer very little, if any, dental support organization focused education and content. These traditional dental trade shows serve mostly as recruiting and acquisition opportunities for DSOs, and not much else. Furthermore, traditional tradeshow attendance is noticeably lower given the CE opportunities available online and at smaller, niche events. Several of these smaller, niche events focus solely on DSOs, multi-location practices, and small groups. The Association of Dental Support Organizations presents one of those niche meetings. Ive attended this meeting for several years and the growth of attendees is noteworthy. That growth is not strictly limited to DSOs, but also includes a growing list of industry partners. As you work on your calendars for 2016, make sure you reserve April 21 and 22 to attend this meeting in Las Vegas. Efficiency in Group Practice is also happy to announce that the ADSO will be contributing to our publication with a column in each issue. Their first contribution is in this issue, an article titled, Needed: More DSO-supported dentists on state dental boards. Another notable meeting is The Summit, which was held this past summer in Scottsdale, Ariz. Organized by the Mastery Group, The Summit caters to smaller dental group practices and emerging groups. Steve Bilt, former CEO and Co-founder of Smile Brands, presented at TheSummit. Bilt, who is now the CEO of OneSmile LLC, had much to say about DSOs, the Smile Brands philosophy, and starting a new DSO. Bilt said, Weve gone from violent opposition to, Yeah, this is where the industry is headed. I personally dont think we are quite there yet, as I still hear much opposition and also a lot of denial. However, I have seen in 2015 that we are getting much closer to that tipping point and quite possibly it could occur in the next year or two. 2015 has been a pivotal year for dental support organizations and 2016 will be equally, if not more important and positive for groups! Have a successful 2015 holiday season, Bill Neumann Publisher EGP wneumann@mdsi.org
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