From legislative changes to emerging risks for patients and staffing challenges, this past year has been a whirlwind for dental professionals. If you blinked, you might have missed some pretty big events. Here’s a quick recap.
At Practice-Web in 2022…
- 7 million automated reminders, confirmations, promotions, and other text messages were sent by Practice-Web dentists to their patients via pwConnect, the Practice-Web patient texting Smart Tool, effectively saving 27 years of labor.
- 60,000 patient relationships were made stronger through e-newsletters, promotions, and other emails using pwNewsletter, the Practice-Web mass email marketing Smart Tool.
- 700 trees were saved by Practice-Web dentists using paperless patient forms, charts, and communication tools.
- Practice-Web dentists and their teams have registered for nearly 300 hours of free continuing education since we were approved for the AGD PACE program this year. That’s roughly $36,000 in FREE CE!
- 100+ feature enhancements were made in Practice-Web.
- Around 8,000 dental pros attended live and on-demand webinars or viewed other video content like tutorials. In case you missed them, some of the most popular webinars include:
In the Dental Industry in 2022…
- A Pennsylvania appellate court ruled that an insurance company was required to pay out on a dentist’s claim related to income lost from COVID-19. (This was big because most other cases favored the insurance company.)
- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finally agreed to cover certain “medically necessary” dental services.
- The CDC put out a health advisory related to dental waterlines.
- 79% of people who vape, compared to 60% of the general population, are considered high risk for dental caries, a new study revealed.
- 52% of dentists said they’ve had patients come to appointments high per an ADA survey.
- Dental pros, however, remain out of luck if they want medical marijuana as part of their workers compensation packages. The Supreme Court declined to hear a hygienist’s case.
- 71% of dentists reported feelings of burnout.
- 40% of practices that wanted to see more patients said they were limited due to staffing shortages.
- Approximately one-third of assistants and one-third of hygienists said they plan to retire within the next five years.
- Dentists reported widespread reductions in insurance reimbursements. Insurance companies stayed quiet on the topic.
- The OCR cracked down on dental offices for “right of access” violations.
- The No Surprises Act reinforced the need for accurate treatment plans and clear billing.
- More than half the country now requires at least some prescriptions to be sent electronically. A growing number expects all prescriptions to be sent electronically.
Thrive with Practice-Web in 2023 and Beyond
Whether you’re trying to boost efficiency to cope with reduced reimbursements and staffing shortages or want to go paperless, we can help.
- New to Practice-Web? Request a demo.
- Using Practice-Web and want to set up Smart Tools or need help? Get in touch.
We also encourage you to check out the Practice-Web events calendar. It’s packed with virtual and in-person conferences, CE courses, workshops, and more, so it’s easy to keep a pulse on the industry and trends in the coming year.