1
00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,560
Hello. This is Arianna Portelaaten with the Becker's

2
00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:04,799
Dental and DSO review podcast. I'm thrilled to

3
00:00:04,799 --> 00:00:06,960
be joined today by doctor Hilary Abel, a

4
00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:09,839
doctor development advisor at SALT Dental Partners and

5
00:00:09,839 --> 00:00:12,339
president of the District of Columbia Dental Society.

6
00:00:12,714 --> 00:00:14,235
Doctor Abel, thank you so much for being

7
00:00:14,235 --> 00:00:15,355
here today. It is great to have you

8
00:00:15,355 --> 00:00:17,274
on our podcast. To start us off, can

9
00:00:17,274 --> 00:00:19,434
you introduce yourself for our listeners and tell

10
00:00:19,434 --> 00:00:20,894
us a little bit about your background?

11
00:00:22,234 --> 00:00:24,714
Sure. As you said, I am doctor Hilary

12
00:00:24,714 --> 00:00:28,769
Rasa Abel. I graduated from Tufts in 02/2009,

13
00:00:28,910 --> 00:00:31,230
and I've been a private practice general dentist

14
00:00:31,230 --> 00:00:31,969
since then.

15
00:00:32,270 --> 00:00:34,189
Right now, I'm the president of the DC

16
00:00:34,189 --> 00:00:36,350
Dental Society, and I also work with Salt

17
00:00:36,350 --> 00:00:37,170
Dental Partners,

18
00:00:37,629 --> 00:00:39,869
in their doctor development team. So I've been

19
00:00:39,869 --> 00:00:42,674
able to stay connected in clinical dentistry, but

20
00:00:42,755 --> 00:00:44,614
also supporting other doctors and,

21
00:00:44,994 --> 00:00:47,234
helping practices grow, which has been really exciting

22
00:00:47,234 --> 00:00:47,895
for me.

23
00:00:48,434 --> 00:00:50,515
And I've you know, obviously, I've now worn

24
00:00:50,515 --> 00:00:52,695
a a few different hats over the years.

25
00:00:53,475 --> 00:00:55,234
And what really ties it all together for

26
00:00:55,234 --> 00:00:57,475
me is being able to help strengthen the

27
00:00:57,475 --> 00:00:57,750
profession

28
00:01:09,189 --> 00:01:10,569
dental industry this year?

29
00:01:11,605 --> 00:01:13,284
So one of the biggest ones for me

30
00:01:13,284 --> 00:01:16,245
this year has been discussing current and future

31
00:01:16,245 --> 00:01:17,224
Medicaid cuts.

32
00:01:17,844 --> 00:01:20,724
In DC in particular, a really large percentage

33
00:01:20,724 --> 00:01:23,219
of our our population relies on Medicaid,

34
00:01:23,700 --> 00:01:26,340
and our federal match is also very high.

35
00:01:26,340 --> 00:01:29,079
So any cuts have a major impact.

36
00:01:29,620 --> 00:01:32,120
So that really doesn't just affect our patients'

37
00:01:32,180 --> 00:01:33,239
access to care,

38
00:01:33,620 --> 00:01:36,500
but also how hospitals and providers are able

39
00:01:36,500 --> 00:01:37,640
to deliver care,

40
00:01:38,194 --> 00:01:40,454
how our city runs. And

41
00:01:41,234 --> 00:01:44,155
on another hand of that, on another note,

42
00:01:44,594 --> 00:01:46,354
all of us know that dental coverage can

43
00:01:46,354 --> 00:01:48,435
very, very easily go on the chopping block.

44
00:01:48,435 --> 00:01:50,914
So that's been heavy on our on our

45
00:01:50,914 --> 00:01:53,769
minds this year. Also, we had previously gone

46
00:01:53,769 --> 00:01:55,950
for more than fifteen years without a meaningful

47
00:01:56,010 --> 00:01:59,370
fee schedule update, so that obviously created financial

48
00:01:59,370 --> 00:02:01,629
strain for participating doctors.

49
00:02:02,650 --> 00:02:04,729
We're finally able to secure one this year,

50
00:02:04,729 --> 00:02:07,484
so our advocacy in that area has been

51
00:02:07,484 --> 00:02:08,385
incredibly important.

52
00:02:09,165 --> 00:02:09,985
So I think

53
00:02:10,365 --> 00:02:12,465
besides the Medicaid the Medicaid,

54
00:02:12,764 --> 00:02:13,264
issues,

55
00:02:13,805 --> 00:02:16,604
another big challenge that is always on everyone's

56
00:02:16,604 --> 00:02:18,705
mind is obviously workforce turnover.

57
00:02:19,289 --> 00:02:20,810
You know, it's harder to find and keep

58
00:02:20,810 --> 00:02:21,789
great team members,

59
00:02:22,329 --> 00:02:24,489
and that just has an impact on how

60
00:02:24,489 --> 00:02:25,949
well we can serve our patients.

61
00:02:26,329 --> 00:02:28,009
So I believe that really believe that making

62
00:02:28,009 --> 00:02:30,889
sure dental assistants are trained and supported to

63
00:02:30,889 --> 00:02:32,269
the top of their certifications

64
00:02:32,729 --> 00:02:34,264
is a great step.

65
00:02:34,645 --> 00:02:36,724
But there's a little hinge point in this,

66
00:02:36,724 --> 00:02:38,965
and the tricky part is that every state

67
00:02:38,965 --> 00:02:39,465
has

68
00:02:39,764 --> 00:02:42,084
different rules about what they can do, which

69
00:02:42,084 --> 00:02:44,985
makes this, like, really hard to manage. Right?

70
00:02:45,219 --> 00:02:47,939
And this is consistently a problem in DC

71
00:02:47,939 --> 00:02:49,699
where people live in one state and work

72
00:02:49,699 --> 00:02:50,360
in another.

73
00:02:50,900 --> 00:02:53,860
Maryland, Virginia, DC all have different roles. They

74
00:02:53,860 --> 00:02:55,639
have different levels, different certifications,

75
00:02:56,419 --> 00:02:58,759
for dental assistants, and sometimes even hygienists.

76
00:02:59,594 --> 00:03:00,974
So these inconsistencies

77
00:03:01,435 --> 00:03:04,094
make things less efficient and more expensive.

78
00:03:05,034 --> 00:03:06,414
So I really believe that

79
00:03:06,794 --> 00:03:07,534
more alignment

80
00:03:07,995 --> 00:03:10,174
and investing in trainings and certification

81
00:03:10,474 --> 00:03:11,370
through that alignment

82
00:03:11,849 --> 00:03:14,569
would go a long way towards stabilizing those

83
00:03:14,569 --> 00:03:17,629
teams and ultimately improving patient care.

84
00:03:18,330 --> 00:03:20,009
What are you most excited about when it

85
00:03:20,009 --> 00:03:22,009
comes to dentistry right now, and what makes

86
00:03:22,009 --> 00:03:23,389
you nervous about the industry?

87
00:03:24,544 --> 00:03:27,125
So I'm really excited about the technology,

88
00:03:27,584 --> 00:03:28,084
especially

89
00:03:28,544 --> 00:03:29,044
AI.

90
00:03:29,664 --> 00:03:31,924
We've seen radiologists use AI

91
00:03:32,305 --> 00:03:34,705
successfully. And I think in dentistry, it can

92
00:03:34,705 --> 00:03:36,805
just really help with with diagnosis

93
00:03:37,104 --> 00:03:38,164
and treatment planning

94
00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:40,219
and execution of that treatment.

95
00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:43,159
So it's not about replacing the doctor. It's

96
00:03:43,159 --> 00:03:45,159
really just another tool to help give us,

97
00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:47,719
give us and our patients more clarity and

98
00:03:47,719 --> 00:03:49,259
confidence in their care,

99
00:03:49,639 --> 00:03:51,659
and also to just ensure the best outcomes.

100
00:03:52,185 --> 00:03:54,264
I'm also very excited about how DSOs are

101
00:03:54,264 --> 00:03:57,305
evolving. We're moving away from old models of

102
00:03:57,305 --> 00:03:57,805
pure

103
00:03:58,104 --> 00:03:59,724
just cost cutting and rebranding

104
00:04:00,104 --> 00:04:02,664
and moving towards preserving what's special about a

105
00:04:02,664 --> 00:04:05,384
doctor's practice while giving them the the support

106
00:04:05,384 --> 00:04:06,120
that they need.

107
00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:08,439
And so at Salt, for example, we've worked

108
00:04:08,439 --> 00:04:10,299
hard to build a culture that protects

109
00:04:10,599 --> 00:04:11,659
doctors' autonomy,

110
00:04:11,959 --> 00:04:14,039
but just adds efficiency where it's needed. And

111
00:04:14,039 --> 00:04:16,300
to me, that's the future of DSOs. So

112
00:04:16,439 --> 00:04:19,160
not changing a practice's ethos, but just about

113
00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:22,084
strengthening it. So on the flip side, though,

114
00:04:22,384 --> 00:04:23,444
I'm feeling,

115
00:04:24,225 --> 00:04:26,884
nervous, and I do worry about the declining

116
00:04:26,944 --> 00:04:28,485
engagement in dental societies.

117
00:04:29,024 --> 00:04:30,305
These are the groups that are the ones

118
00:04:30,305 --> 00:04:31,985
fighting for our ability to practice the way

119
00:04:31,985 --> 00:04:33,845
that we want and hire who we need

120
00:04:34,144 --> 00:04:36,370
and push forward on the issues that really

121
00:04:36,370 --> 00:04:37,509
matter to us. So

122
00:04:37,810 --> 00:04:39,569
these are the ones people on the ground

123
00:04:39,569 --> 00:04:42,689
that are, reinforcing the legislation that's really important

124
00:04:42,689 --> 00:04:44,769
for how we practice. So if fewer dentists

125
00:04:44,769 --> 00:04:47,509
get involved, the collective voice really gets weaker,

126
00:04:47,649 --> 00:04:50,149
and that has real consequences for the profession.

127
00:04:50,845 --> 00:04:53,725
Okay. And by fewer engagement, do you mean,

128
00:04:54,125 --> 00:04:55,904
like, fewer dentists becoming members?

129
00:04:56,524 --> 00:04:57,024
Exactly.

130
00:04:57,564 --> 00:04:59,645
Oh, okay. Yeah. That's super interesting. Thank you

131
00:04:59,645 --> 00:05:00,545
for sharing that.

132
00:05:01,085 --> 00:05:03,085
And last question for you here. What will

133
00:05:03,085 --> 00:05:05,270
the most effective health care leaders need to

134
00:05:05,270 --> 00:05:07,110
be successful in the next two to three

135
00:05:07,110 --> 00:05:07,610
years?

136
00:05:08,389 --> 00:05:09,990
So I think that the best leaders will

137
00:05:09,990 --> 00:05:12,710
be the ones who embrace the technology, but

138
00:05:12,710 --> 00:05:14,310
don't lose sight of the personal side of

139
00:05:14,310 --> 00:05:14,810
dentistry.

140
00:05:15,270 --> 00:05:18,555
Patients still want really great experiences, and team

141
00:05:18,555 --> 00:05:20,894
members want to feel supported. So

142
00:05:21,435 --> 00:05:24,235
right now, most practices are using seven, eight,

143
00:05:24,235 --> 00:05:26,574
nine, ten different platforms just to manage

144
00:05:27,274 --> 00:05:30,894
communication, scheduling, billing, HR, all of it. So

145
00:05:31,229 --> 00:05:33,569
leaders really need to simplify that without losing

146
00:05:33,629 --> 00:05:36,110
what makes the patient experience and team so

147
00:05:36,110 --> 00:05:36,610
great.

148
00:05:36,990 --> 00:05:38,829
And the other thing that I that I

149
00:05:38,829 --> 00:05:41,229
really passionately care about is I think that

150
00:05:41,229 --> 00:05:41,993
DSOs and organized dentistry really need to evolve

151
00:05:41,993 --> 00:05:42,930
together. I believe it's really shortsighted for a

152
00:05:46,125 --> 00:05:48,524
shortsighted for societies to ignore the role that

153
00:05:48,524 --> 00:05:49,745
DSOs play now,

154
00:05:50,045 --> 00:05:52,045
and it's just as shortsighted for DSOs to

155
00:05:52,045 --> 00:05:54,305
not encourage their doctors to be engaged locally.

156
00:05:54,764 --> 00:05:56,365
So if we get that right, we'll have

157
00:05:56,365 --> 00:05:58,705
the advocacy, the business support, and

158
00:05:59,069 --> 00:06:01,389
the clinical excellence all working in tandem, and

159
00:06:01,389 --> 00:06:03,169
that's what keeps the practices strong.

160
00:06:03,949 --> 00:06:05,470
Great. Well, that is all I have for

161
00:06:05,470 --> 00:06:07,149
you today, doctor Awol. Thank you so much

162
00:06:07,149 --> 00:06:08,909
for joining us. It's been a pleasure speaking

163
00:06:08,909 --> 00:06:11,069
with you. Great discussion today, and I'm looking

164
00:06:11,069 --> 00:06:12,669
forward to connecting with you again hopefully in

165
00:06:12,669 --> 00:06:13,250
the future.

166
00:06:13,608 --> 00:06:15,548
Thank you so much. Thanks for having me.