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More … on Sleazy Defenseless Companies
By Darrell K. Pruitt; DDS
I just came across a deceptive advertisement for a discount dentistry broker.
Yea, I know! What’s new?
Why do we as healthcare providers silently allow naïve consumers to be so brazenly misled by sleazy businesses like Universal Benefit Plans and Universal Dental Plan, when we know they cheat their clients out of healthcare dollars?
Massachusetts Non-Profits
In a press release that announces their joint outreach initiative to aid Massachusetts nonprofits, it says Universal Dental Plan provides “… guaranteed rate discounts of 20-50% on all procedures.”
Off the Top
Just think – 20-50% off what – a super-inflated “retail” price? Dentists’ overhead easily tops 60%. If a dentist is losing 10% of his or her retirement just to do an intricate procedure for a gullible and trusting consumer who has no idea what is happening, how well do you think that work of art will chew?
A Madoff Investment
Universal Dental Plan sounds almost as good as a Bernard L Madoff Investment, except that Ponzi tycoon Madoff accidentally promised quality before the wheels fell off. Universal Benefit Plans and Universal Dental Plan are sleazy companies who will never attempt to defend themselves on the Internet. They know better.
Assessment
This has been fun. Let’s do it again. And, if sleazy attorneys don’t like what I have to say about these two sleazy clients, come and get me. But you better bring a ladder and a sack lunch. I’m not worried. I’ve said the same thing about Delta Dental, and they haven’t the guts to face me either [“Such a ‘Sleazy’ Company” on this Medical Executive-Post].
https://healthcarefinancials.wordpress.com/2008/09/19/%E2%80%9Csuch-a-sleazy-company%E2%80%9D/
Note: Dr. Pruitt blogs at PenWell and other dental sites, where this post first appeared.
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Filed under: "Doctors Only", Career Development, Ethics, Insurance Matters, Managed Care, Marketing & Advertising, Op-Editorials | Tagged: ADA, dentistry, dentists |
The Leading Business Education Network for Doctors, Financial Advisors and Health Industry Consultants 
Progress Report on Delta Dental,
My thread, “Delta I will hurt you,” posted elsewhere, including this civil version being simul-post on this Medical Executive-Post, are gaining significant popular momentum on the Internet according to a couple of indicators I follow. Believe it when I tell you that a crowd is gathering regardless if one invites friends to witness the public lynching of sleazy businesses.
At the risk of causing a riot against calculated tyranny that has been kept hidden up until now, I must say that this thread could prove to be the tipping point to the introduction of accountability in the managed dental care industry. It has already been shown in this thread that Delta Dental deceives its clients as business policy. The lies that Delta tells in order to expand its network hurt their clients by breaking up dental homes. Let me allow a Delta representative to help me explain the harm:
Common sense tells us that if patients are comfortable with the dental teams of their choice, they are not only more likely to have cleanings and check-ups regularly, but they are also more likely to keep better care of their teeth at home. That seems so logical, doesn’t it? So what does this mean for patients who are limited to dentists on preferred provider lists which run for only 12 month periods? Someone with access to vast sources of longitudinal dental claims data could confirm the benefit of a dental home very quickly and easily. I think someone should have done the simple study long, long ago. Well, finally the investigation has been accomplished. It is incredible that it was a Delta Dental representative who broke the news that will bring certain harm to Delta Dental – possibly by accident.
I was in the audience of about a hundred dentists and dental industry representatives on the morning of August 15, the first day of the 2008 National Dental Benefits Conference in ADA Headquarters in Chicago.
I heard Delta Dental Plans Association (DDPA) representative Maxwell H. Anderson DDS admit: “The greatest hazard to teeth is changing dentists.”
That quote was not reported in the ADA News article about the conference, so if you were not there, and you didn’t read “Managed Care or Dental Homes – You can’t have both” (September 30, 2008), you missed it.
http://community.pennwelldentalgroup.com/forum/topics/2013420:Topic:14014
Dr. Anderson said that by data mining their “proprietary” dental claims over 11 years, Delta uncovered evidence-based information revealing that clients who change dentists regularly are likely to receive more fillings than those who enjoy long-term consistent care from dental homes.
Note: It took Delta 11 years to mine this valuable information from their “proprietary” data. When challenged about their inaccessible information, a Delta rep replied that business pressure forces Delta to keep claims data secret from competitors. Forget about the dental patients.
By this point in the adventure, it should be obvious to everyone that Delta Dental not only lies to its clients about quality control, but Delta also disregards its own research that shows that their business model causes expensive harm to their clients.
That is why it is against the morals described in the Hippocratic Oath for dentists to enter into contracts with Delta Dental representatives.
Delta Dental, a traditionally sleazy company, will continue to cause harm regardless what I do. That is why it all depends on what you do with the information I provide … or not.
D. Kellus Pruitt; DDS
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Equal Time Offering,
We ask all dentists – satisfied with any of the companies mentioned above – to post, comment, opine or otherwise contact us for a special investigative report; named or anonymous.
Thank You
Ann Miller
Executive Director
770.448.0769
MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com
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Delta Dental suffers hits on the Internet
If you recall, on 7/2 DrBicuspid Associate Editor Rabia Mughal posted “Rhode Island bans fee capping for uncovered procedures,” in which he quotes DDPA vice president Tom Dolatowski saying some really stupid things about dentistry. That brought up a response from bobcain, who demanded that Dolatowski either provide data to back up his claims or to retract them. Then bobcain asked Mughal to let Delta Dental know that a few dentists have some outstanding questions for both Dolatowski and PR specialist Ari Adler.
http://www.drbicuspid.com/index.aspx?sec=sup&sub=pmt&pag=dis&ItemID=302230&wf=34
Within hours, Mughal responded: “Thank you for your comments. I will pass along your Qs to Delta.”
Darrell K. Pruitt; DDS
It is now five days later, and bobcain, who I may or may not know (wink, wink), posted his next response early this morning. Please enjoy.
D. Kellus Pruitt DDS
—————————————-
7/7/2009 5:37:23 AM
Delta Dental, where are you? I don’t know about anyone else on this forum, but I’m waiting for a response, Tom Dolatowski. Your silence is an insult to every dentist in the nation, yet you are vice president of marketing. I think you fear for your market. What do you say to that?
And how about you, Ari Adler? You’re the PR brains behind Delta, yet you are so silent. What gives? Are you like Tom? Do you think marketing is still one-way communication? You need to grow up. Have you ever heard of transparency?
Delta Dental’s marketing department is so 1990s.
Bob Cain
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Mike McCallister loses to D. Kellus Pruitt DDS
I posted this on the Wall Street Journal Personal Finance blog. WSJ reporter Anna Wilde Mathews’ old school etiquette lessons were wasted on me.
Empowered gripes
“Humana Inc. says its chief executive, Mike McCallister, ‘makes an effort’ to read emails sent to him by members.” – Wall Street Journal reporter Anna Wilde Mathews in her article “Taking Gripes Over Insurance to the Top Brass.” 8/19/09
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204044204574358630340569624.html#articleTabs%3Darticle
I am a dentist, and a few months ago, a dental consultant working on commission for Humana Dental delayed releasing my payment because he or she (an anonymous person with no accountability to me) claimed an x-ray was needed to determine if a Humana client’s tooth indeed needed the filling I placed. For those unfamiliar with dentistry, a request for a pre-operative x-ray might be justified for allowing payment for a crown that costs eight times the price of a filling. But to hold up payment of a patient’s bill to second guess a dentist on the need of a filling, without actually seeing the tooth, is beyond saving patients’ money. It is an expensive, authoritarian slap in the face of the profession it suckles. I find such behavior simply unacceptable and it will no longer be tolerated around here.
How to complain, by Anna Wilde Mathews: “First, make sure you’ve exhausted all the standard customer-service approaches and appeals.” So Ms. Mathews, do you think my question would have been honored if I were not so rude and pushy? I have to say that permanently hurting CEOs is much more fun than sucking up to them. What has Mr. McCallister ever done to deserve my respect?
If CEO Mike McCallister read my emails and numerous messages on Twitter describing my problem with Humana’s dental consultant, he elected not to respond. So he claims that he reads clients emails. Big deal. What difference does it make? It’s my opinion that to get their attention, you got to hit bureaucrats where they live, again and again, and ever harder.
Let me show you the damage to a CEO’s reputation an empowered consumer can cause. I never hesitate from proclaiming publicly that Delta Dental is a sleazy dental benefits company that cheats its clients as policy. Here is a fact: Delta Dental is dentistry by the lowest bidder with no quality control. I have even explained my concerns to Delta CEO Kim E. Volk. Like CEO Mike McCallister, Ms. Volk still chooses to ignore me. That is regrettable. This morning, when Ms. Volk googled her own name while eating corn flakes, she was again reminded that her first hit is “Kim E. Volk and dentists to discuss Delta – sooner or later.” This means that those in Congress she is courting for unfair advantage also recognize my unanswered challenges. My criticism of her leadership skills has been her first hit for two months. Whether she acknowledges it or not, negotiations are well under way, and Delta Dental Plans Association is defenseless and getting mugged.
Hey, Mike McCallister. I’d love to snuggle up beside you as well. I even promised to do so a few weeks ago. This comment which will be simulposted on other sites could be the start of your domestication. I’ll proudly help you to recognize your bad manners.
Anna Wilde Mathews, you can piddle around with Humana’s suggested way to settle problems with insurers if you want to give leaders like Mike McCallister the upper hand. I prefer to publicly show bureaucrats who’s boss.
D. Kellus Pruitt; DDS
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Will Delta Dental Survive?
If Delta Dental doesn’t start respecting Americans, the cold-blooded dinosaur won’t survive transparency.
As anyone can see, Dr. William Kohn failed to respond to my letter. I clearly addressed it to the Delta Dental Vice President in a comment following Allison Bell’s one-sided article in which she described Dr. Kohn’s testimony to HHS on behalf of Delta Dental (without interviewing a single patient or practicing dentist!).
http://www.lifehealthpro.com/2011/11/19/ppaca-dental-plans-weigh-in-on-essential-benefits
For decades, ambitious Delta Dental officials have been known to sacrifice friendships, professional credibility and even their Constitutional Right to free speech for the benefit of the huge discount dentistry broker. I assume Delta must reward them well for such blind loyalty. Even so, Delta’s frequent ads for new PR staff suggests a high turnover rate for those who attract the attention of dentists prowling the internet – for what that’s worth.
I ask LifeHealthPro.com readers and others: What does it say about the ethics of business executives who ignore questions about how they monitor the quality of the dentistry they sell to naïve consumers lured by “discount”? And why are Delta officers who testify to federal officials so rude to the dentists their policies directly affect? You have to admit. Sending lobbyists to appeal to lawmakers while insulting both dentists and clients is no way for Delta to win friends in the land of the free. Americans find that behavior a disgusting embodiment of everything that is wrong in Washington DC.
In spite of his continued silence, I’m certain the new Delta VP has read the comment I posted yesterday, as well as this one. However, even if Dr. Kohn wanted to again be transparent with this dentist who actually treats dental patients, it could damage his career with Delta by responding to me. These days, Dr. Kohn is forbidden to discuss topics like Delta’s advertised quality control measures even as he goes over dentists’ heads to carve out a profitable spot in Obamacare for his employer.
Delta’s newest “lobbyist” seemed like a nice guy when I met him three years ago at the ADA Dental Benefits Conference while he was still with the CDC. I can only imagine that Bill feels trapped between this dentist’s reasonable questions and Delta’s unreasonable policy. Nevertheless, I bet Delta officials receive generous vacation time and other benefits in exchange for the loss of professional friendships.
If Delta’s clients are limited to choosing their dentists from a list of low-bidding strangers, and Delta has no way to even monitor the quality of care they sell, how is discount dentistry not a cruel, unethical business?
D. Kellus Pruitt DDS
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