business

Data reveals 40% of claims costs relate to treatment started over 10 years ago

New data published by Dental Protection reveals that almost 40 per cent of its estimated annual claims costs in 2018 related to cases where treatment started ten or more years ago before the claim was made.

Claims that relate to treatment that started many years ago are also being made for larger amounts, sometimes up to £100k. Of the top 100 largest claims made against Dental Protection members in 2018, 60 related to where treatment started ten or more years ago before the claim was reported.

The majority of these late reported claims involve allegations relating to the management of periodontal disease, but also include allegations about management of caries over many years.

Patient care is now very different to that provided several decades ago. There is increased understanding of the importance of record keeping as well as much better education and training on the screening, diagnosis and management of periodontal disease and caries. However, the claims environment will continue to be challenging with increased public awareness of periodontal disease, changes in patient’s expectations about dental care and claimant law firms actively targeting periodontal claims and long-term care.

While predicting the future cost of claims can be difficult, it is an essential part of what Dental Protection does. It is vital to price accordingly in order to meet the possibility of future claims.

This data supports the importance for dentists to maintain their membership of a dental defence organisation that has a long-term understanding of risk and who will continue to support dentists in years to come.

Raj Rattan, Dental Director at Dental Protection, said: “We clearly live in an increasingly litigious environment and dentists need to be confident that they can request support from their indemnifier in 10, 20, or even 30 years time. Dentists can ask us for support in relation to claims brought against them even where they have since moved practice or retired, as can Executors/Personal Representatives where claims are brought against the estate of a dentist who has passed away.

“At Dental Protection we can confidently say we are here to stay. Our subscription rates reflect the cost of our long-term commitment to protecting you to the highest standard long into the future, not a short-term requirement to generate profits.

“Dental Protection membership provides excellence as standard; supporting not just when a claim or a complaint arises but through our education programmes, to prevent any issue from happening in the first place. To learn more about the nature of periodontal claims and what can be done to reduce the risk of a claim, Dental Protection members can take a free online e-module and also join a webinar on 17 September”.

Henry Schein and Internet Brands announce formation of Henry Schein One

Henry Schein and Internet Brands, a KKR portfolio company, have announced the completion of a joint venture to form Henry Schein One. The new company is designed to deliver integrated dental technology to help the profession improve practice management and marketing as well as patient communication. The transaction was announced on April 3, 2018.

Henry Schein One combines Henry Schein Practice Solutions’ products and services, such as Dentrix, Dentrix Ascend, Easy Dental, and TechCentral, as well as Henry Schein’s international dental practice management systems, including Software of Excellence, Logiciel Julie, InfoMed, Exan, and Labnet, with the dental businesses of Internet Brands, including web-based solutions such as Demandforce, Sesame Communications, Officite, and DentalPlans.com. The company will deliver advanced, cutting-edge technology and enhanced products to address the challenges created by the current lack of technology integration in dental practices.

“With the creation of Henry Schein One, we have advanced our dental business strategy by bringing together leaders in dental software and web-based applications to build a powerful new engine that will enable dental professionals to be more efficient and to enhance their ability to deliver high-quality care to patients,” said Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Henry Schein, Inc. “We firmly believe that the products, services, and solutions we will deliver through our combined expertise are fundamental to what practitioners value and essential to driving demand for their business success.”

The combined entity, which will serve markets globally, had pro-forma 2017 sales of approximately $400 million, of which approximately $100 million is from the Internet Brands dental businesses. Henry Schein One expects to realise between $20 million and $30 million in annual synergies by the end of year three. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Bob Brisco, CEO of Internet Brands, added: “With Henry Schein One, we intend to leverage Henry Schein’s strength in practice management software with our leading digital marketing applications to help each member of the dental team work smarter and faster to improve the practice and the entire patient experience. We are very excited about what we can do together to strengthen and expand our combined product offerings to enable dental teams to be better business managers, clinicians to be more efficient, and patients more loyal to the practice.”

Henry Schein will be the majority shareholder with a more than 70 per cent ownership position, with senior management from Henry Schein and Internet Brands serving on the board of Henry Schein One. The company’s Chief Executive Officer is James A. Harding, who formerly served as the Chief Technology Officer of Henry Schein.

“Henry Schein One’s vision is to deliver technology innovation to improve every aspect of practice management,” said Harding. “We plan to connect our existing and future portfolio of practice technology and products so it all works together as one integrated system to automate more tasks and simplify the digital workflow.”

Henry Schein One will be headquartered in American Fork, Utah, which is the current home of Henry Schein Practice Solutions. For more information, visit www.henryscheinone.com

The UK welcomes its first pan-European dental provider, Colosseum Dental

One year after taking ownership of the UK’s third largest dental group, Zurich-based Colosseum Dental Group unveils a £5 million comprehensive modernisation programme focused on clinical excellence and best practice

“We’re really excited to be part of a pan-European group which is in the vanguard of best practice. We’re looking forward to sharing knowledge and outcomes, enabling us to push dental boundaries and enrich the dental experience for our patients.” – Ravi Rattan, Clinical Director, Colosseum Dental UK Ltd

Southern Dental, one of the nation’s largest chains of dentists, is now known as Colosseum Dental UK Ltd. The name change coincides with the first anniversary of Zurich-based Colosseum Dental’s acquisition of Southern Dental, which made it not only Europe’s fastest growing dental group, but also the only one with a network spanning the continent.

With a patient base in excess of 500,000, the majority of Colosseum’s 80 practices in the UK will undergo an extensive refurbishment programme, introducing a new look and feel to waiting rooms with upgraded treatment areas and clinical facilities as part of a £5 million investment in the company.

Peter Keegans, CEO, explained: “Our new owners have a long-term, 20-year vision which is enabling us to invest in upgrading our clinics to be state-of-the-art practices offering the highest standards.”

Local practices serving their community

Keegans continued: “We want to break with convention from other dental chains. Each of our 80 practices will be known by the local name patients have always referred to it. If, for example, ‘Hollybush Dental’ is how a practice has always been known colloquially, we’ve no intention of simply re-badging it as ‘Colosseum Dental’. In this way, each practice will retain its connection as an integral part of its community.

“Our name change marks a new era: a renewed energy and focus, an opportunity for cultural change and to align ourselves with the values of our European colleagues. Armed with a long-term vision, we can now invest in our practices and staff with confidence, knowing our patients will be the ultimate beneficiaries. Everyone wins.”

European scope for professional development and patient care

Being part of a European group means dentists have the chance to provide best practice based on the ability to observe long-term clinical outcomes in a huge, European-wide patient base. Treatment protocols, guidelines and KPIs are currently being developed across the group to provide highly informed patient care, and present the best possible treatment options to patients.

Ravi Rattan, Clinical Director at Colosseum Dental UK, who joined in 2016, is excited to be part of these changes: “At Colosseum Dental, we’re committed to raising clinical standards and offering more advanced treatment options and procedures to our patients. Our new specialist referral centres in Kettering and Kingston offer private as well as NHS treatments such as orthodontics, implants and facial aesthetics. Patients there will benefit from 3D CBCT scanners to enable better, safer treatment planning. Having new investment means we can continue to set up such centres: Our European colleagues are highly experienced in managing large referral centres, and we are learning from their success.”

The group’s aim is for no differences to exist between treatments available at, say, a practice in Switzlerand, and those available at one in Southern England. Lars Armbäck is Chief Dentist at Colosseum Dental Group. Armed with 30 years’ general practice and a special interest in prosthetics, implants, quality and treatment strategy, his focus is on best practice, dentist development and quality assurance. He’s excited by the addition of the 80 English clinics, noting, “Patients everywhere should be able to benefit from digital technologies that enable them to make informed choices about their care. Hence, as a group, we recently chose to invest in intraoral scanners for all patients, and our size means we can negotiate to help keep diagnostic and treatment prices affordable.”

Committed to professional development

Career choices at various levels are being made more flexible, in line with changing lifestyle requirements such as increased female and part time dentists in post. Samaneh Nezamivand-Chegini, a dentist who practises in Central London, having joined in 2012, now sits on the Clinical Board. She says, “It’s great to see my suggestions have been noted, despite my being relatively newly qualified. Peter [Keegans] and his team have listened and acted, which is in turn inspiring my clinical colleagues. On a personal level, I’m being supported to further my career and income via training in implantology.”

New managing director for bredent subsidiary in the UK

bredent UK has appointed a new managing director, who comes from the dental industry.

Stephen Denman, an ex-dental technician who has spent the last 10 years leading sales teams across Europe, developing business strategies plus supporting country commercial organisations for Dentsply Sirona, will take up the position on 1 May 2018.

Stephen said: “I have always held bredent and its products in high regard, first as a customer then as a market peer and am very much looking forward to joining bredent UK. The bredent family is full of talented and enthusiastic individuals who will continue to deliver the excellent service and support customers have come to expect over the years, as well as providing some of the most innovative solutions in the dental field.”

Stephen will replace the current managing director of bredent UK Ltd, Maja Thompson, who co-founded the business in 2004. Maja Thompson has decided to explore new opportunities – a decision fully supported by the bredent family.

The company supplies the dental market with products from the German manufacturer bredent and bredent medical GmbH Co.KG located in Senden, south Germany. The bredent group is a family owned company and has been supplying the dental market for more than 40 years.

Financial solvency – tests fundamentally flawed

The Financial Capability & Capacity (FC&C) tests that are required when tendering or retendering for contracts with NHSE (NHS England) under the “Dynamic Purchasing System” are ‘fundamentally flawed’. That is according to NASDAL (The National Association of Specialist Dental Accountants and Lawyers) and Alan Suggett, specialist dental accountant and partner in UNW LLP.

“The solvency tests are flawed in their application to unincorporated businesses and most owner managed limited companies,” said Suggett. “NHSE don’t (want to?) understand this and their stance is that they are just standard accounting tests that are easily calculated so where is the problem? The problem is that from our initial testing, around 90 per cent of dental practices would fail the tests! As dental practices are regarded as one of the least risky sectors for business lending this is clearly ridiculous.

“The tests are appropriate for larger entities such as the larger corporate groups. However, it would be a cynic that might suggest this is by design rather than accident. As the tests are of a technical accounting nature, it seems that nobody involved (dentists and NHS employees including public sector accountants) understands the issues – they are only apparent to accountants who act for owner managed dental practices.”

Suggett continued: “NASDAL are working with the BDA to persuade NHSE that a cashflow forecast, supported if necessary by proof of deficit funding, is sufficient evidence of financial viability.”

Dental Directory appoints new Managing Director

Dental Directory, one of the largest full-service suppliers of dental materials and equipment in the country, has announced the appointment of Paul Adams as its new Managing Director.

Mark Stephenson, who has been Managing Director of Dental Directory since January 2015, has stepped down from his role to pursue other opportunities, and leaves the business this month. Paul Adams has been appointed as his replacement and will start in his role on 30 April.

Paul has more than 20 years’ experience in the consumer products, retail, technology, financial cash management and healthcare sectors, including the manufacture and supply of pharmaceutical and medical device products.

He has strong operations experience, having been Chief Operating Officer of Talaris Ltd, the cash management company, then owned by private equity house, Carlyle, the current co-owner of IDH Group. In 2012, he became CEO of Talaris, taking the business through a successful sale to Glory Ltd later that year, where he continued as Chief Executive. Most recently, Paul was CEO of Redeem Group Ltd.

Tom Riall, IDH Group CEO, said: “I would like to thank Mark Stephenson for all he has done at the helm of Dental Directory: the business today is unrecognisable from the one he took on three years ago with a great leadership team in place, a hugely increased scope of service offerings, and extended geographic reach. Paul has a strong operations background and will bring his extensive experience to help build on our past success and drive further high-performance across Dental Directory.”

Paul Adams, incoming Managing Director of Dental Directory, said: “I’m delighted to be joining IDH Group at such an exciting time. Dental Directory has a fantastic reputation as one of the largest full-service suppliers of dental materials and equipment in the country and I am looking forward to building on its past success, continuing to put our customers first and supporting UK dentistry.”

Prima Dental wins Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade

UK precision dental instrument manufacturer, Prima Dental, has won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade in recognition of its outstanding growth in overseas sales over the last three years.

A long-established market leader in carbide and steel dental burs in the UK, Prima Dental also exports precision dental products to 90 countries around the world. From its production facilities in Gloucester, Prima Dental engineers 30 million micron-accurate carbon, diamond and steel dental burs a year. It has also applied its dentistry expertise and invested £1m in the launch of a new trading division earlier this year called Prima Digital, capitalising on the rapidly-growing global digital dentistry market.

This is the second Queen’s Award for Prima Dental, as the company also won the accolade in 2014. Since then the company has continued to expand, building a permanent presence in key global markets including a subsidiary company in India and joint venture companies in Brazil and China.

Richard Muller, managing director at the 215-strong Gloucester manufacturer, commented: “We are thrilled and honoured to be recognised with another Queen’s Award for Enterprise. This is an amazing accolade and is testament to our dedicated and skilled team who are all instrumental in our growth and success.

“The Queen’s Award comes at a hugely exciting time for Prima as we are witnessing strong growth in overseas trade for our precision dental instruments, as well as new opportunities opening up in digital dentistry. Applying our precision engineering expertise and knowledge of materials, we have just launched the highest quality tool for the digital market and we believe our digital division will be a huge part of our future business.”

With 40 years’ continuous experience in dental engineering, UK manufacturing and export, Richard Muller, 61, has orchestrated the firm’s growth. Richard took the helm at Prima Dental in 1998 and under his stewardship the company has grown to become the world’s fastest-growing bur manufacturer. Last year Richard was awarded a coveted British Dental Industry Association Award in recognition of innovation in his field and his significant contribution to the dental sector.

Today Prima employs 215 staff at its production facility in Gloucester and is set to grow to 250 staff by 2020. It is currently on a recruitment drive to fulfil its planned expansion.

Prima Dental’s growth strategy is based entirely on growing international trade, which accounts for 88 per cent of its turnover. It has invested over £8.5m in the last five years in new plant and equipment in the UK in addition to a new £3m factory and Research and Innovation Centre, adjacent to its existing plant, which has doubled its manufacturing capacity. The company has also grown its talent base and created new strategic roles to facilitate growth including Head of Operations, Head of Research and Innovation, Supply Chain Manager and Continuous Improvement Manager.

The Queen’s Award is the UK’s most prestigious business award, designed to recognise outstanding achievement by UK businesses in the fields of international trade, innovation, sustainable development and promoting opportunity through social mobility. A Queen’s Award is valid for five years and winners are entitled to fly The Queen’s Award flag and use the emblem on packaging, stationary, advertising and websites.

Prima Dental can expect an invitation to attend a royal reception at Buckingham Palace, hosted by Her Majesty The Queen. An award presentation ceremony will also take place by the Lord-Lieutenant of the County, Dame Janet Trotter at Prima’s production facility at Waterwells Business Park.