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Blindsiding Delta Dental

17 Responses

1. Darrell, on April 3, 2009 at 12:56 AM said:

   Hey, Delta Dental,
   Send out the next one. I think Oshensky is used-up.
   D. Kellus Pruitt

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2. Darrell, on April 3, 2009 at 10:41 PM said:

   Sending PR types on down the road

   Delta Dental PR expert Janis Oshensky, who likes the NPI number, has no place to hide. I only hope Oshensky is a pen-name she chose … Yea. I see what you mean. Probably not very likely. I found Oshensky today in a PR piece from a few days ago where she served up committee-approved talking points about Delta Dental. I submitted the following comment, but it might not be posted on the Life & Health Website because of Delta’s advertising dollars.

   It is my passion to keep ME-P readers as informed, and as entertained as I keep myself. We’re at the edge of healthcare history, friends. Our hope is transparency. But most importantly, let’s have some fun!

   Darrell

   http://www.lifeandhealthinsurancenews.com/News/2009/3/Pages/Association-Lobbies-For-Dental-Benefits.aspx

   Truth about Delta Dental

   When I hear Delta Dental PR specialist Janis Oshensky brag about their lobbying efforts to decrease regulation of discount dentistry brokers, the Hippocratic Oath compels me to expose her deception to protect my patients from harm.

   As I look at the prominent and expensive ad space which Delta Dental Plans Association (DDPA) rents on this insurance industry Website, I can easily understand why leaders of Life & Health National Underwriter might decide not to post the comment I offer in response to their PR piece (no byline) titled, “Association Lobbies For Dental Benefits” – which was also paid for by DDPA. The Website’s inescapable conflict of interest due to significant ad revenue is why I also submitted this to the Medical-Executive Post as a follow-up to a comment titled “Blindsiding Delta Dental” – where DDPA vice president Janis Oshensky, who is featured in the Life & Health article, collided with me less than a day ago. She lost.

   https://healthcarefinancials.wordpress.com/2009/04/03/blindsiding-delta-dental/

   To show your readers, and perhaps your executives, how fast traditional PR careers can vanish these days, if one searches “Janis Oshensky” on Google, “Blindsiding Delta Dental” is her number 4 hit. It looks like it will be on her first page for a long time because sports fans seem to enjoy it.

   Janis Oshensky’s career in dental insurance PR is over because she carelessly trusted her reputation to a sleazy company that will not come to her defense. Oshensky should hold her boss accountable. They used her up, and the leaders could not care less.

   Let me ask you, Life & Health editor, whatever your name is. Do you occasionally like life on the edge? Are you a sporting type? Here is a challenge in transparency if you have the confidence to step out into the open with me: You will tell me how much Delta Dental pays you for ad space each year, and I will tell you how many children’s dental check-ups that would purchase at a price that is fair to both the dentist and patient. You can’t get better than that in the land of the free.

   When you posted the DDPA article, did you realize that the link you were provided for an “educational Website” uses the tragic story of the 12 year old Maryland child who died from an infected tooth to convince lawmakers to increase their “flexibility”? (“Flexibility” is a fresh euphemism for “Tyranny.”) I’m sure that most editors who are not anonymous find Delta’s consistent lack of compassion repugnant. I assure you that dentists do.

   The “MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST” Information Portal 2024

   How important are happy dental homes anyway?

   I am a dentist, and over the last couple of decades, thousands of my patients have been lured away from my practice by Delta Dental discount dentistry plans that were not their choice. Does it cause harm to force a patient from the provider they prefer? Of course it does. What’s more, if the patient’s boss pays premiums to Delta, and the insured cannot find anyone they like on a preferred provider list, who profits the most from the healthcare dollars when the patient never goes to the dentist? Delta Dental clearly has a disincentive to hire popular dentists. How good is that?

   In “Who Killed Health Care?” by Regina Herzlinger, a widely-respected authority on the healthcare industry and Harvard Business School professor, she said that for prevention to have a chance in healthcare, medical homes are so important that annual limits to contracts should be eliminated for multi-year contracts only. I assure you that in dentistry, continuity of care is especially important to whole-body health. Sometimes it can take a couple of years of regular cleanings for a patient to finally grasp the habits he or she needs to prevent diseases of the teeth and gums. Talk about a money-saver! The vast majority of dental work is to correct damage caused by poor oral hygiene. Not the absence of a preferred provider list – as Janis Oshensky would like lawmakers to believe.

   I think most people would suspect that when a dental patient has to leave the provider of their choice, there is a good chance that “new cavities” will be unexpectedly discovered by the new dentist – especially if it is a discount provider who cannot raise fees to cover increasing overhead. Here is a fact: Ethics are not free.

   I know it is also a fact that Delta Dental has known for at least 8 months that their business model causes damage to their clients. I was in the audience on the morning of August 15, when I heard DDPA representative Maxwell H. Anderson DDS admit to over a hundred attendees: “The greatest hazard to teeth is changing dentists.” It was the first day of the 2008 National Dental Benefits Conference in ADA Headquarters in Chicago. Dr. Anderson was describing the results of an-house and still unpublished study of Delta’s claims information accumulated over the last 11 years. Shortly afterwards, he was asked to share his data with research institutions. Maxwell replied that Delta could not share their data because it is proprietary. He explained that if such information were released, it could give BCBS an unfair advantage in a very competitive dental benefits market. Did I mention that Delta Dental has no compassion for its own employees either?

   Here is the scariest line in the PR piece: “The Delta Dental Plans Association is promoting the importance of including dental benefits in health reform efforts.”

   If you don’t drop it, Delta, I’ll drop you, – one hack at a time.
   Please send out another’n.

   D. Kellus Pruitt DDS

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3. Dr. Pruitt, on April 7, 2009 at 9:00 PM said:

   Opening up Delta Dental

   Attention sports fans! I cornered another huge dinosaur. Sit back and watch me carve off chunks of credibility, live, and whenever it pleases me (wear old shoes).

   Today I discovered that Delta Dental Plans Association has launched a Web site “to educate the public, regulators, lawmakers and policymakers about the importance of including dental benefits in health care reform.”

   Nothing is mentioned about discussing their reform plans with dentists, because Delta’s leaders think they are so huge in the marketplace that they don’t have to talk to dentists at all. It’s called “command-and-control” and is obsolete in dentistry. Nevertheless, unrealistic Delta leaders continue to underestimate the marketplace penetration of healthcare free forums like this, as well as the power of sports fans’ social networks. We are the viciously ubiquitous.

   I pledge to be merciless as I show readers that DDPA is easy prey – precisely because of its size. Delta is a fat, slow-moving dinosaur with a committee for a central nervous system. Committees haven’t a chance against me, or others who are sure to follow when they see how easy this is – as well as fun. Old school is so lame.

   I posted this letter on Delta Dental’s new “Advance Oral Health” Web site.
   http://www.advanceoralhealth.com/

   I can do this for years.
   Darrell

   Dear Delta Dental Supervisor:

   You should probably get your boss.

   My name is D. Kellus Pruitt DDS, and it is my opinion that Delta Dental’s business model is harmful to dental patients. As public service to my neighborhood, I intend to stand in your way, Delta. And, I am the special bastard who can do it. Look what Jeff Jarvis did to Dell Computers a few years ago, when he brought transparency to Dell’s poor business ethics. They call it “Dell Hell.” Jarvis, who is much more profane than I am, made Dell Computer clean up their act. Now Dell is more consumer-friendly. If the leaders of Dell had accepted the trainloads of clues sooner, it Dell Hell would not have harmed the company at all.

   I learned a lot from Jarvis, and several others who have caused incredible change using social network platforms. Who have you got? PR geniuses, like Ari Adler and Janis Oshensky? You’ve got nobody.

   You, Delta Dental Plans Association, are defenseless. Your position in the market is so untenable that I can silence your crew simply by publicly picking you apart (between checking hygiene patients) with straightforward questions about dentistry that you cannot answer without sounding absurd. Let me show you what I mean:

   Question 1: I have noticed on several Internet venues that Janis Oshensky, vice president of dental relations and public policy for Delta, encourages dentists to sign up for the NPI number. But I have yet to hear a good reason to do so. On the contrary, I have watched physicians’ payments delayed for months because of crosswalk problems with NPPES. Who needs that? Why should I volunteer for an NPI number?

   See what I mean? If Janis Oshensky or the next in line would like to take a shot at answering my questions, this letter to you is simulposted on the PennWell forum as part of a long thread titled “I will hurt you, Delta Dental.” And I will.
   http://community.pennwelldentalgroup.com/forum/topics/i-will-hurt-you-delta-dental

   Got guts?

   Question 2: I have noticed your efforts to lobby for lawmakers to lessen the regulation of your company so that you can more effectively and economically regulate dentists. In the last couple of weeks your PR department has been very busy justifying your discount dentistry brokerage service to Congress – bragging about your plan being accepted in 75% of dentists’ offices. It sounds to me like you have too much power already. Why do you talk with lawmakers, but refuse to talk to dentists on the PennWell forum?

   I assume that PennWell sports fans will never hear squat from you. Prove me wrong; I dare you. More questions to follow. I know for a fact that lawmakers, as well as employers, consumers and dentists, are watching. You have a large audience now.

   D. Kellus Pruitt; DDS

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4. Darrell, on April 26, 2009 at 8:56 PM said:

   Hey, Ari Adler … Tweet this

   Good afternoon, sports fans. Remember Ari Adler, the Delta Dental PR specialist and adjunct marketing professor who made fantastic promises about Delta Dental’s quality control in an article on DrBicuspid?

   To refresh your memory, starting on January 31, I covered his alleged deception in this PennWell thread, “I will hurt you, Delta Dental.”

   Months ago in the DrBicuspid piece titled, “Dentists or patients: Who should get the insurance check?” assistant editor Rabia Mughal quotes Adler: “We [Delta Dental] put our dentists through a credentialing process and provide quality assurance. That means if a dentist does a filling that should last a certain amount of time and it doesn’t, they have to fix it without charging the network or the patients.”

   When I failed to receive a clarification from Mr. Adler about what appears to be an unprecedented guarantee of dentists work by an insurance company, I asked Kate Gerlesits of DDPA and Angela Feig of the Meyocks Group the obvious and important legal question: “Did Delta Dental authorize Ari Adler to roll out the news of Delta’s guarantee, or was the sales pitch a product of Adler’s own initiative to attract new clients for Delta?” It’s been six weeks now, and nobody from Delta Dental has answered my question. This morning, however, I discovered that selectively silent Ari Adler is actually a well-recognized songbird on Twitter, begging for dissection.

   For a special bastard like me, Twitter opens a vast new arena of opportunities. Let’s explore one of them together today.

   Ari Adler became popular on Twitter quickly. He already has attracted over a thousand followers, in fact, according to his latest Tweet, he found an application to help him manage his popularity. That’s impressive. In comparison to Adler’s posse, I have two, and I think one of them is a nosy cousin who follows everyone.

   Adler is arguably one of the best bloggers around. And I’m arguably no slouch, but from my encounters with him, Adler has proven to be a formidable player for a part-time good ol’ boy. I’m not ashamed to admit that I have tried again and again – using my best Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tricks, to push any one of several challenging comments onto Adler’s first page in a search, and each time I have failed … so far. Adler continues to be out of my reach because of the googlejuice he’s justifiably amassed. Too bad the Dark Side has him in its cold-blooded clutches. As is often the case in the decision to lower one’s standards, I have to think money is at the bottom of Adler’s need to compromise his reputation, and probably his career by doing work for Delta Dental.

   As a sporting salute to Ari Adler, I should point out that as far back as October of 2006; I successfully nailed a harsh comment to HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt’s first page that stayed a week. It is an article posted on WTN about electronic health records titled, “Careful with that electronic health record, Mr. Leavitt.”

   Here’s more: Even though I could not come close to helping Adler expose his true brand, a couple of months ago, I was able to overcome Allscripts CEO Glen Tullman’s googlejuice and nail two unflattering comments on his first page, even though they also remained for only a short time.

   Finally, allow me to point out that even more recently, and closer to home for Ari Adler, I overwhelmed a weak PR specialist named Janis Oshensky. Today, “I will hurt you Delta Dental” is her number one hit, and Delta Dental refuses to publicly defend the reputation of their faithful employee. They’ll let her bleed out. They don’t care about what happens to Ari Adler’s reputation either, even though he easily out-classes Oshensky. That is the employees’ side of tragedy in this real-time drama.

   Wear old shoes. This could splatter.

   This morning, Ari Adler tweeted: “Lots of new followers in past 2 days. Hello; and good morning everyone, except for the spammer who has tried to follow me with 6 accounts: (“

   My question is, why has Ari Adler attracted the attention of a spammer with even more energy than I have? I smell the stench of Delta.

   Too bad Adler is associated with such a sleazy discount dental business. To illustrate how the company one keeps can become a burden in a PR career quicker now than ever before, Let me show you how Twitter inadvertently offers special bastards a new dissection tool for leveraging that allows one to take advantage of weakly reinforced purchase points.

   Here is the tweet I sent Ari Adler about 5 hours ago from web in reply to aribadler.

   @aribadler “Does Delta dental guarantee fillings done by its preferred providers?”

   I’m a baaad boy.

   D. Kellus Pruitt; DDS

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5. Darrell, on May 17, 2009 at 6:55 PM said:

   A Grin for Ari Adler

   Anyone who goes to my Twitter page (Proots) can readily see that one of the 11 accounts I follow is Ari Adler’s, who I already described as possibly misrepresenting the business policy of his boss, Delta Dental. Adler says that Delta Dental guarantees its providers’ fillings. I don’t believe it, but I cannot get an explanation from either Adler or Kate Gerlesits of DDPA (kgerlesits@deltadental.com).

   I follow Gerlesits’ Twitter account as well, but she is not active at all. She also does not respond to emails. How good is that?

   I have said before that it is next to impossible to be half-way transparent on a social network like Twitter. These days, working for The Man makes one’s reputation especially vulnerable if The Man is a sleazy monster like Delta Dental.

   For example, Delta’s part-time PR rep, Ari Adler, is trapped, and his future as a credible PR professional hangs in the balance. By now I am certain that Adler knows that as part of his PR deal, he mortgaged his reputation to Delta. I think he also knows that now he cannot escape. To make matters worse for his career, Delta Dental has little concern about the reputations of their expendable PR employees.

   I am certain that Ari Adler will bounce back because he is sharp and writes good stuff. Today he posted a well-considered comment on Ari Herzog’s AriWriter blog – which provides “strategies and tips on: social media & online marketing.”

   I happen to agree with everything Adler said against having information-only sites on Twitter, and I posted the following article on Adler’s friend’s blog, which even looks friendly on the surface. For those who have been following me, this is a variation of the trick I pulled a few days ago when I posted a comment on David Politis’ blog after I discovered that he and Trajan King, the CEO of Intelligent Dental Marketing, are possibly buddies who live in the same town.. The difference is, I didn’t mention Trajan’s name to Politis. In today’s trick, on the other hand, I snuggled up right next to Delta employee Ari Adler with my complimentary comment. You can imagine that when I grinned at him, I showed him some teeth, and snarled just under my breath.

   Darrell

   http://ariwriter.com/2009/05/2-years-1-month-and-10-days-later/comment-page-1/#comment-9785

   I tend to agree with Ari Adler. As a read-only news source, I think Twitter makes for a poor information control tool which can possibly draw viewer ship away from one’s website – especially if it is successful. Otherwise, having more than one responsive Twitter account just does not make sense. In addition, unresponsive accounts sometimes attract unwanted, public responses which cannot be easily handled from the designated non-interactive account. It could create a PR mess, in my opinion.

   I also think that employing a simple news-flash page of some kind on one’s website is much more attractive because it can offer immediate content not limited to 140 characters, less a link – and a click. I think to improve one’s brand, one would do better to concentrate on providing good, first-hand and real-time content – with or without links – and strive to be responsive to one’s audience regardless of the size. Personally, I think finding a manageable niche on the “long-tail” rather than marketing to everyone makes more sense. But then, I’m an amateur.

   As Adler says, Twitter is conversational. Right now, the currency of “followers” reminds me of a CB radio fad from a few decades ago. I am optimistic. As Twitter settles into its useful place in social networking, more and more incredible, interactive tools will surely emerge – breaking down even more silo walls with implied transparency.

   D. Kellus Pruitt; DDS

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6. Darrell, on May 19, 2009 at 7:40 PM said:

   Let me share with you what I’ve done on Twitter just since this morning. You might find you also enjoy this on an earthly level. But to really absorb the humor in my tricks, one has to cast aside all contemporary notions of ethics in journalism. As you can see, I have. Why bother?

   As a little background information, a PR specialist named Ari Adler, who works for Delta Dental in addition to teaching college level PR theory to PR majors, posted a statement on DrBicuspid Website a few months ago stating that Delta Dental guarantees its providers’ dentistry. Since I am a dentist, I am very interested in acquiring more information about this unprecedented benefit, yet Ari Adler, has not responded to me following numerous attempts for an answer.

   Of course, one should understand that it is perhaps his Internet popularity which shields him from unwanted criticism. He has almost 1400 followers, while I have only 60. In addition, Ari Adler follows over 1100 Twitter sites. I only follow 11, and Adler’s is one of them. tee-he-he.

   Here is what I welcomed Ari with this morning on Twitter: “You prefer not to defend Delta Dental policy on Twitter, Ari? Please meet me on the PennWell forum. Le’s talk. Man to man.”

   Does he even know that I posted that on my little bitty Twitter account? Who cares? It’s a fire-and-forget missive. I have faith that it will eventually poke a hole in the target it’s locked onto.

   D. Kellus Pruitt; DDS

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7. Mike, on June 17, 2009 at 6:19 PM said:

   Darrell,
   Way to go, and give em hell.
   Mike

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8. Dr. Pruitt, on June 17, 2009 at 6:19 PM said:

   Kim E. Volk and dentists to discuss Delta – sooner or later

   This is a modern e-Invitation to Kim Volk, President and CEO of Delta Dental Plans Association. With complete disregard for traditional format and insincere etiquette, I am simply requesting that she join a dentist and possibly others in a ground-level public conversation about Delta policies that adversely affect the health of uninformed dental patients across the nation. The choice of venue is negotiable, but I suggest the Medical Executive-Post because we can start immediately if you desire. All it takes is your response to this post. Otherwise, I’ll begin without you, Kim Volk, and you can follow along in steamed silence until you suddenly realize that you cannot afford to stay quiet any longer.

   If Ms. Volk prefers Delta to be represented by a DDPA spokesperson of her choice, that is acceptable to me as well. I am already familiar with works by PR specialists Ari B. Adler and Janis Oshensky, and either one would be welcome. Whoever finally speaks up in defense of Delta Dental should be forewarned that canned talking points are discouraged and will remain regrettable for a long time.

   As the title of my invitation implies, I am confident that Ms. Volk will ultimately agree that two-way communication promises to be more effective in resolving Delta’s growing problems with angry Americans than one irate dentist tirelessly shouting louder and louder at a seemingly deaf insurance CEO.

   Part 1: “Delta Hell”?

   Anyone familiar with Jeff Jarvis’ “Dell Hell” probably just picked up on my hint that Kim E. Volk and Delta Dental are deep in modern PR trouble. As a salute to Jarvis, I announce that with the help of readers, I intend to bring the nation’s attention to Delta’s unfair business practices which not only cheat employees out of health care dollars, but physically harm happy and compliant dental patients by forcing them from dental homes of their choice. Prevention is more important than 12 month managed care contracts, and sometimes it demands more than one or two visits for even the best hygienists to improve patients’ skills at keeping their teeth clean and healthy. That is only one of many points that a Delta rep will find difficult to argue – especially since it was one of Delta’s own officers who provided evidence to an audience in ADA Headquarters that “changing dentists causes fillings.” I will share Dr. Maxwell H. Anderson’s information about an as yet unpublished Delta study he described when the time is right.

   For those who want to read ahead, see “Managed Care or Dental Homes – You can’t have both” on the PennWell forum.

   http://community.pennwelldentalgroup.com/forum/topics/2013420:Topic:14014

   Let’s be adults here. In spite of the risk of hurting feelings with honesty, I confidently point out that managed care dentistry is dentistry by the lowest bidder with no quality control. The low-bidder claim is self evident. After all, Delta Dental is a discount dentistry company (They prefer to be called “Payer” because it sounds benevolent).

   My assertion that Delta’s managed care dentistry is lower quality than free-market dentistry is easily confirmed by anyone with a list of preferred providers, using DR. Oogle’s rating platform (doctoroogle.com) that ranks dentists’ popularity in most major cities. Every comparison study I’ve done has shown that Delta’s providers are more likely to be ranked in the bottom half of local dentists. Preferred dentists are mostly preferred by Delta Dental, not discerning patients. To improve the quality of care, Delta must not only drastically increase payments allowed, but they must treat their preferred providers with respect. It is my goal to make that happen, with or without the cooperation of Delta. Kim E. Volk should prepare for cutbacks and compromises because recent news makes it clear that Delta is in a very poor bargaining position. She knows it and I know it. Now you know it as well.

   There now. I think I’ve provided enough challenging remarks for a start. Since I know from experience that it is still impossible for Americans to demand accountability from Delta Dental, I don’t expect anyone to come forward soon. So before long, I’ll return to describe how Richard Edelman’s 57 year old public relations firm is as modern as I have ever seen. Even though his ideas about transparency in business are scary to traditionally-trained Kellogg School of Management graduates like CEO Kim Volk, she could learn a thing or two from Delta’s brave new PR intern who provided the link on Twitter last week.

   Ultimately, the fortunate learn from their children. The unfortunate are cast aside with prejudice.

   D. Kellus Pruitt; DDS

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9. Darrell, on June 19, 2009 at 4:47 PM said:

   You’re going to love this.

   I can already tell that my blunt approach to Twitter is going to be a hit on this venue. I bet it draws silence. Because etiquette doesn’t mean squat to me, I’m a couple of steps ahead of most of you.

   Olivier Blanchard posted a sweet comment that reads “Being polite is good. Picking fights is bad.” I agree. But right or wrong, some of us feel an obligation to the community to pick fights and kick the butts of those who need it – many of whom just want everyone to get along in blissful politeness. A couple of centuries ago, the most traditional of these would have been called “loyalists.” And indeed, getting even for disrespect must be bad because it feels oh so good.

   As I read David Spinks’ article “True Transparency” and the rapidly growing list of comments which follow it, I can’t help but notice hints of envy for trouble makers whose goal is to be the first to point out bad ideas that would have been abandoned decades ago, except that until now, no one cared to notice. As a successful, impeccably transparent special bastard who goes by “Proots” on Twitter, I encourage anyone who is permitted to take initiative, to take a deep breath and grab a robust voice. The air is fine out here on the edge of civil. Besides, playing nice blows.

   Conversation trumps oppression. Twitter and other social network tools are not only saving lives this week in Iran, but Internet transparency in healthcare here in the US promises to aid patients through better prevention, lower costs and honesty. It sure stands a better chance of benevolence than traditional obscurity and preferred provider lists.

   Conversations mean decentralization, decentralization means liberation, and Twitter is pornography for libertarians.

   As one can imagine, to publicly demand transparency from stoic good ol’ boys (male and female) who silently hide beneath layers of traditional bureaucracy, is simply the nuts – even as a spectator sport. Anyone who is allowed to be transparent enough to participate has the obligation to their community to reach in and pull reticent business leaders smooth out into the brightness of the wide open spaces. Just how bad can that be? And now, just how fun can that be? Please, no wagering.

   I hold myself accountable, why shouldn’t people like Kim E. Volk, CEO of Delta Dental do the same. What makes her so damn special that she can dodge accountability from a disappointed dentist who treats the clients her business cheats?

   Wow! That felt… liberating.

   D. Kellus Pruitt; DDS

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10. Dr. Pruitt, on September 5, 2010 at 1:24 PM said:

    Stakeholder Accountability

    I hold stakeholders accountable to my patients as sport. After all, it’s our turf – not theirs.

    I like to think that just like any other American dentist who strives to keep his or her community safe for patients, I have the power and indeed the obligation to hold Delta Dental accountable for promoting harmful business practices both inside and outside ADA Headquarters in Chicago. Since Delta is arguably the sleaziest discount dentistry broker in the nation, it simply fascinates me that I’m apparently the only dentist kicking their butt on the Internet. It’s weird. And it certainly gets me in trouble with humorless good ol’ boys in the ADA. But it’s also huge fun, actually. If one doesn’t count the Delta expatriates in official positions in the ADA, nobody defends the honor of Delta Dental – not even Delta’s top PR expert, Ari B. Adler from Michigan.

    Other than having been officially accused of “unprofessional conduct” by anonymous officers in the ADA, I never meet resistance from my criticism of dental care stakeholders like Delta Dental and anonymous officers in the ADA. And since I always work alone, I have a hands-down advantage over ADA officials. I can publicly criticize Delta Dental without ever getting into trouble with the FTC. On the other hand, the ADA’s fear of FTC problems – strategically inspired by Delta’s attorneys I hear – prevents the leaders in my profession from speaking honestly about Delta’s unfairness to their clients. That’s just not right. When the varmints cheat their customers, they harm clueless dental patients in our community, Doc. Those are the people who pay our bills and trust us to watch out for their interests according to the Hippocratic Oath.

    The instant dentists become ADA officials they forfeit power each individual member is otherwise guaranteed by the 1st Amendment. That’s a lot to ask an American to sacrifice for his or her profession. More than one of this year’s ADA President-elect candidates proudly calls it “speaking in one voice.” I call it a desperate gag rule meant to prop up failing bureaucracy. The shallow committee-approved talking point is no more clever than bald tyranny dressed up as a cheap buzzword with whiskers.

    There is naturally a fear of decentralization of power for those inside dinosaur bureaucracies and their co-dependants. Downsizing won’t be painless, but we have no choice. Moral rot has spread unchecked for decades within the ADA as well as Delta because of lack of personal accountability. One day, I may just have to write a book about how the Internet modernized the dental industry next year – including Delta Dental’s transparency in advertising.

    DrBicuspid Associate Editor Rabia Mughal interviewed Delta Dental’s PR expert Ari Adler for his January 30, 2009 article “Dentists or patients: Who should get the insurance check?” According to Mughal, Adler is reported to have said “direct reimbursement to out-of-network dentists is a problem because it allows them to enjoy the benefits provided by the network without following cost guidelines and quality control measures of the network.”

    http://www.drbicuspid.com/index.aspx?sec=sup&sub=pmt&pag=dis&ItemID=301436

    Even though it’s low-hanging fruit, let’s skip Adler’s Soviet-style statement that their contract dentists “enjoy” the benefits of being preferred providers. When Adler suggested that Delta imposes cost controls as well as quality controls, wouldn’t that put Delta’s preferred providers in what could only be the most totalitarian business 5 year plan since Mao Zedong’s “Great leap forward” of the early ‘60s?

    Think about it. If Delta requires unrealistic levels of quality while at the same time limits what the dentist can charge on the increasingly time consuming INTRICATE procedures covered by Delta, who will suffer when corners are cut to pay the increase in rent? Delta? Of course not. Delta is making the rules. The dentist? … Up to a certain point, ethical dentists will lose money to provide their patients the best possible care. But, ethical dentists cannot stay in business without profit.

    Here’s some news: Ethics ain’t free.

    Ultimately, in Delta’s triangle of irresponsibility, it’s the Delta clients who are always uninformed and vulnerable. Delta clients will always be harmed when Delta executives squeeze providers for more profit, bigger bonuses and even more power. As anyone can see, Delta Dental is a cruel and unethical monster even before their recent push to limit fees dentists can charge on procedures not even covered by their plans. That’s beyond moral rot. That’s tyranny.

    I asked Mr. Adler about Delta’s ethics numerous times over the last 18 months starting with comments following Mughal’s article. My criticism of Delta is one of the reasons DrBicuspid’s editor Kathy Kincade kicked me off the Website. The other reason was a pending advertising deal between DrBicuspid and the ADA. The day after I was gone, the ADA welcomed DrBicuspid as a preferred ADA vendor. Probably a coincidence.

    Adler had even more careless promises to offer DrBicuspid readers: “We put our dentists thorough a credentialing process and provide quality assurance. That means if a dentist does a filling that should last a certain amount of time and it doesn’t, they have to fix it without charging the network or the patients.”

    Since reading Adler’s incredible guarantee, I’ve tried many times to coax the man out into the open to further explain the selling point. Two days ago, Adler, who is very active on Twitter with 4000 followers (to my 200), gave a generous tribute to Delta Dental (his boss) for philanthropy even as Delta’s unfair business practices cheat their clients. I told Adler that I think that’s dishonest.

    Regardless, he still hasn’t responded.
    Darrell K. Pruitt DDS

    ——–

    Delta’s PR expert @aribadler said, “I’m pleased to announce Delta Dental has won an award for its philanthropy! http://pitch.pe/85329

    Delta Dental is a sleazy discount dentistry broker that is attempting to unfairly limit fees on preferred providers’ non-covered procedures.

    Hey, @aribadler. Al Capone was charitable, but he was still a crook.

    Who are you trying to impress? Politicians?

    Did you know that I invited Delta CEO Kim Volk to be my Facebook Friend and she has ignored my invitation for over a year?

    In fact, I went on Delta’s “Advance Oral Health” Facebook and asked Ms. Volk several questions, yet she continues to ignore this dentist.

    Link: http://www.facebook.com/posted.php?id=116240205341#!/pages/Advance-Oral-Health/116240205341

    No, @aribadler, I’m hardly impressed with your boss. I think Delta Dental represents everything that is bad about dentistry.

    Proots

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11. D. Kellus Pruitt DDS, on December 3, 2010 at 2:31 PM said:

    Ari Adler says Good-Bye to Delta Dental
    [Public Relations-Renting out one’s name]

    I cannot think of a worse job in public relations than working for an unethical company like Delta Dental.

    Yesterday, I once again challenged Ari B. Adler, Delta Dental’s PR expert, on his baseless sales pitches of Delta’s non-existent quality control and guarantee of Delta’s preferred providers’ dentistry – which Ari Adler told DrBicuspid Associate Editor Rabia Mughal 2 years ago.

    http://www.drbicuspid.com/index.aspx?sec=sup&sub=pmt&pag=dis&ItemID=301436

    I’ve tried for years to persuade Adler accept accountability for misleading dentists and patients, but he continues to ignore me.

    Just minutes ago, here is what he posted on Twitter. “After 827 days of talkin’ teeth, today I bid farewell to Delta Dental. I wish everyone there the best as I head under the Capitol dome.”

    So now I’m left with an ethical dilemma: If the PR specialist changes jobs, does that absolve him of all responsibility for what he said while working for Delta Dental? And does that make his years of evading this dentist OK now that he works for Michigan politicians? Or should a person be accountable for what he or she says regardless of who pays their salary – even if their job is in public relations?

    D. Kellus Pruitt DDS

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12. Dr. Pruitt, on December 4, 2010 at 12:16 AM said:

    Unconventional PR – Blitzkrieg

    Three hours ago, Delta Dental PR specialist Ari Adler, who has evaded me for two years, announced that today is his last day at Delta, and that he is moving on to a new job “under the dome” – which I assume means that he will be saying things on behalf of Michigan politicians instead of discount dentistry brokers for a while.

    It looks to me like Mr. Adler could be carrying some Delta baggage to the dome with him. Maybe since he’s no longer employed by Delta, he can free himself of the burden and reveal to us which Delta official told him to tell the DrBicuspid associate editor that Delta Dental guarantees their dentists’ work. Surely Ari didn’t make up that deceptive sales pitch. Did he?

    A few minutes ago, my story behind Adler’s career move was picked up by the Medical Executive-Post. It has already risen to the 8th most popular article on the Website.

    Blindsiding Delta Dental

    Whether one likes my methods or not, the kind of nimble, lightning-quick response I showed you this morning will forever remain unavailable to ADA leadership in a crisis until they become part of the community. Our patients can no longer afford our leaders the comfort of isolating themselves behind layers of bureaucracy and certified letters as policy. That is an indisputable fact, friend.

    The ADA’s first step to regaining the relevancy the Hippocratic Oath demands of dentists is to open the ADA Facebook, which as of this morning has 8100 waiting fans. If ADA leaders will bravely step forward and accept the transparency that comes with being part of the community, it will empower grass roots advocacy our patients deserve to protect them from deceptive Delta Dental representatives.

    Our chance to be relevant is within easy reach for dentists to grab, and it doesn’t cost a thing. So what are you waiting on, Dr. Carter Brown? Registered mail?

    D. Kellus Pruitt DDS

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13. D. Kellus Pruitt DDS, on August 25, 2011 at 7:00 PM said:

    I found Delta Dental’s Facebook … It’s going to be a good day.

    After reading that Delta Dental puts its HMO dentists through a “comprehensive credentialing process” before allowing them the opportunity to participate in Delta’s (dirt-cheap) capitation plan, I posted the following on Delta Dental Facebook. For those who don’t know, dental HMO’s were rejected by consumers decades ago because regardless of the brokers promises, Delta’s contract dentists are paid whether they treat Delta’s clients or not. Inevitably, it is the vulnerable HMO patients whose care gets neglected and they are powerless to hold anyone accountable.

    ————————

    Dear Delta:

    Recently, Delta Dental posted a press release which says that your “popular” dental HMO plan relies on a “carefully selected network of more than 16,000 dental facilities nationwide.” Can you share with us the criteria on which these dental facilities were selected? (“Delta Dental rolls out enhancements to DeltaCare® USA plans in four states” – no byline).

    http://www.deltadentalins.com/about/pressroom/2011/delta-dental-rolls-out-enhancements-in-four-states.html

    It says that your “popular” dental HMO plan relies on a “carefully selected network of more than 16,000 dental facilities nationwide.” Can you share with us the criteria on which these dental facilities were selected?

    Later, Delta promises: “In addition, all DeltaCare USA dentists undergo a comprehensive credentialing process to ensure they meet Delta Dental’s quality standards.” Again, since you advertised the credentialing process to attract customers, could you please share the details of your quality standards?

    D. Kellus Pruitt DDS

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14. Darrell, on September 30, 2011 at 10:51 PM said:

    The poor business ethics of Delta Dental of Wisconsin – a discount dentistry broker which last week ignored this dentist’s questions about Delta’s advertised quality control – just got itself downgraded for paying dentists less instead of raising premiums like they should have.

    Now that’s justice! (See “A.M. Best Downgrades Issuer Credit Rating of Delta Dental of Wisconsin, Inc.”)

    http://www.marketwatch.com/story/am-best-downgrades-issuer-credit-rating-of-delta-dental-of-wisconsin-inc-2011-09-29

    Darrell

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15. By Darrell K. Pruitt; DDS, on January 4, 2012 at 10:36 PM said:

    Mangled Care and Delta

    “Managed health care systems to gain ground in 2012” was posted today by Amritha Alladi. Although she didn’t once mention dentistry, I gave her my opinion of Delta Dental.

    http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20120103/NEWS01/120103032/Managed-health-care-systems-gain-ground-2012

    Mangled care in dentistry

    Allow me to illustrate how corporate greed behind managed care quietly lowered the standard in dentistry through non-negotiable, unsustainable discounted fees for dentists’ intricate handwork in tender mouths. Were it not for the insurer-friendly McCarran-Ferguson Act of 1945 that prevents the FTC from interfering with Delta Dental’s unfair, monopolistic business practices, far fewer dental patients in Austin, Texas would become victims of rushed dental procedures in Castle Dental franchises.

    Delta’s ads state that their DeltaCare USA DHMO dentists in Austin are not only the “most reliable,” but that they provide “high quality” care. However, a quick investigation revealed that 4 of Delta’s top 10 DentalCare USA participants in Austin are Castle Dental franchises, and that Castle Dental has an F rating with the Austin Better Business Bureau. Delta Dental privately signs contracts with the lowest bidders in dentistry, and then lies to naïve and vulnerable consumers about reliability and quality. That’s fraud.

    Since Delta Dental disregards the importance of quality control over the increasingly cheaper dentistry they sell, their clients deserve to be warned when dentists on their lists are being paid too little to reasonably maintain acceptable standards in care. Castle Dental’s F proves that Delta doesn’t tell their clients a damn thing.

    D. Kellus Pruitt DDS

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16. D. Kellus Pruitt DDS, on February 5, 2012 at 8:33 PM said:

    For the second time in two weeks, transparency spanks Delta Dental.

    In a related story, Delta Dental’s ally, the ADA’s Greater St. Louis Dental Society, got dope-slapped as well when an anonymous, naive GSDS employee attempted to use censorship to shield rich Delta executives from accountability to local dentists – who pay the employee’s salary through membership dues. Oops!

    Who doesn’t find excitement in watching embarrassed, slow-moving good ol’ boys scramble to hide from accountability?

    Delta executives are still learning about transparency the hard way a little more than a week after their beat-down by Rhode Island’s Health Insurance Commissioner Christopher F. Koller, who fined Delta Dental $25,000 and ordered the discount dentistry broker to be more transparent by responding to complaints from dentists and patients, monitoring the quality of the dentistry they sell in Rhode Island and to better justify payment denials BEFORE almost all are successfully appealed. I’m certain dentists nationwide recognize all 3 aggravations as insurers’ favorite tricks. And this week, greed has gotten Delta into trouble again. This time in Missouri, the “show me state.”

    Craig Cheatham, investigative reporter for KMOV, Channel 4 News in St. Louis, posted an article last night exposing “Delta Dental’s extraordinary executive pay and perks.”

    http://www.kmov.com/community/blogs/news-4-investigates-daily-briefing/Delta-Dentals-extraordinary-executive-pay-and-perks-138584994.html

    Cheatham writes: “Our investigation found many Delta Dental executives and board members are paid like they work at massive for-profit corporations. In 2009, 5 Delta Dental executives received more than $3 million in pay and benefits. Steve Gaal III, the former CEO of Delta Dental of Missouri, received $3.4 million, making him the second highest paid Delta Dental executive in the country that year, much of it came from his 3 separate retirement accounts.”

    The author was told by Bart Naylor, a financial analyst with the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, that his findings are “disturbing,” adding that when non-profits behave like for-profits “we have a serious problem.”

    Since Delta Dental is registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(4) not-for-profit organization, it pays no federal or state income taxes, giving it an unfair market advantage over its for-profit competitors. The rot is tangible. That is why I believe that my relentless promotion of transparency concerning Delta Dental and other unaccountable not-for-profit dental stakeholders is critically important for the welfare of patients, dentists and all other tax-payers – especially since I’m the only dentist in the nation publicly challenging tyranny in my reclusive profession. So upon reading Bart Naylor’s assessment of Delta Dental executives’ greed, I shared the link and the following comment with the Greater St. Louis Dental Society Facebook for the benefit of vulnerable St. Louis dentists, patients and employers:

    “Even while Delta’s executives enjoy obscene compensation, and even while Delta donates $47 million to charity, they cut payments to their clients’ dentists in Idaho, Washington and California this year. Employers need to be aware that virtually all dentists hate Delta Dental. Be kind to your employees and hang up on Delta.”

    Within minutes, an anonymous St. Louis Dental Society moderator censored both my statement and the link to Cheatham’s article. So I returned to the GSDS Facebook wall and posted the following comment which the moderator has wisely chosen to leave in place for members to read:

    “Dentists in St. Louis deserve to see KMOV’s investigative report on Delta Dental executives’ compensation. Please don’t shield them from this local news. Censorship is aggression.”

    Even though the anonymous employee’s censorship of a Facebook comment was a rookie faux pas, it nevertheless demands a response to put a quick end to the rudeness. Aggression is only discouraged by a more powerful aggressor. So I posted a note to Craig Cheatham on KMOV’s Facebook. I hope to encourage an atmosphere of transparency between an unaccountable dental society employee and the local TV station’s investigative reporter:

    “Craig Cheatham, perhaps you might want to visit the Greater St. Louis Dental Society Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Greater-St-Louis-Dental-Society/77503298317?ref=ts&sk=wall

    When I pointed out Delta Dental executives’ obscene compensation and suggested to your local dental leaders that employers should be kind to employees and hang up on Delta, including a link to your article, it was censored. So why do you suppose local dental leaders protect Delta Dental executives from accountability to dentists?”

    I only hope that someday I’m given the opportunity to also introduce the reclusive Fort Worth District Dental Society to transparency in the local media. I would find it very exciting to publicly encourage the not-for-profit organization to become a relevant, responsive part of the community it serves.

    D. Kellus Pruitt DDS

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17. D. Kellus Pruitt DDS, on February 14, 2012 at 11:17 AM said:

    ADA Stops Protecting Delta Dental
    [The ADA, transparency and Delta Dental’s downfall]

    Good news for the nation: Anonymous ADA executives (including ex-Delta Dental executives) who have quietly favored the interests of Delta for years no longer have enough influence to shield Delta from accountability to the nation’s dentists who must negotiate their ever changing hoops – just to get paid what was owed them months earlier.

    In a Letter to the Editor of the Journal of the American Dental Association, Dr. Thomas Piazza, a dentist from Naperville, Illinois, is one of the few members who has ever been permitted to speak frankly about Delta Dental’s unfair business policies in the JADA, and he kicks them pretty hard. That’s a start.

    Delta Dental is dentistry by the lowest bidder with no quality control. What does that mean for clueless clients who pay premiums? Recently, it was revealed that in Austin, Texas, 4 of the top 10 listed DeltaCare USA dental practices are Castle Dental franchises. Castle Dental has an F rating with the Austin Better Business Bureau.

    Nothing beats the BBB for persuading Delta’s expatriates on the ADA payroll to lay low. Now if we could only get them to exit ADA Headquarters’ revolving doors and move on down the road.

    http://www.ada.org/6764.aspx

    Legal?
    By Thomas Piazza, D.D.S.

    Once again, Delta Dental punishes dentists and patients for going to an out of network provider (“Illinois Delays Dental Claims,” Nov. 7 ADA News). The questions are: (1) Is this legal? (2) Is Delta Dental a dental maintenance organization or preferred dentist program?

    This article clearly states that in order to save the state money, it delays payment to out of network providers by 200 days compared to in network providers at 91 days. Finally, a Delta spokesperson admits this discrimination!

    Also other Delta plans, possibly this one, refuse to send payment directly to the out of network dentist. I’m sure that this too is another way to “save” money for the state (or Delta Dental). This “is meant to steer dentists toward participating in the Delta Dental PPO and Delta Dental Premier networks,” as stated in the article.

    Clearly this article states Delta Dental’s stance on payment of claims and the relationship between doctor, patient and insurance company. Why is this legal? I believe that by using these tactics, Delta Dental is interfering with the patients’ right to choose their dentists. If given a choice, most patients will not sign up for a DMO plan.

    What if all other PDP insurance plans started acting like Delta Dental? I believe that this discrimination between who to pay and when to pay is unethical and illegal.

    Thomas Piazza, D.D.S.
    Naperville, Ill.

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