Expanded Function Allied Dental Personnel and Dental Practice Productivity and Efficiency
| Autor: | Lei Chen, Howard L. Bailit, Vickie Lazar, Rob Berg, Tryfon Beazoglou, Subhash C. Ray, L. Jackson Brown, Dennis Heffley |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2012 |
| Předmět: |
medicine.medical_specialty
business.industry Dental auxiliary Dental Assistant education.educational_degree General Medicine Financial management Dental personnel stomatognathic diseases Dental Offices stomatognathic system Net income Private practice Family medicine Pedagogy medicine education business Productivity |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Dental Education. 76:1054-1060 |
| ISSN: | 0022-0337 |
| DOI: | 10.1002/j.0022-0337.2012.76.8.tb05358.x |
| Popis: | This study examined the impact of expanded function allied dental personnel on the productivity and efficiency of general dental practices. Detailed practice financial and clinical data were obtained from a convenience sample of 154 general dental practices in Colorado. In this state, expanded function dental assistants can provide a wide range of reversible dental services/procedures, and dental hygienists can give local anesthesia. The survey identified practices that currently use expanded function allied dental personnel and the specific services/procedures delegated. Practice productivity was measured using patient visits, gross billings, and net income. Practice efficiency was assessed using a multivariate linear program, Data Envelopment Analysis. Sixty-four percent of the practices were found to use expanded function allied dental personnel, and on average they delegated 31.4 percent of delegatable services/procedures. Practices that used expanded function allied dental personnel treated more patients and had higher gross billings and net incomes than those practices that did not; the more services they delegated, the higher was the practice's productivity and efficiency. The effective use of expanded function allied dental personnel has the potential to substantially expand the capacity of general dental practices to treat more patients and to generate higher incomes for dental practices. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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