The American Dental Association's council on dental benefit programs is requesting dental insurance payers to consider rising costs when negotiating fees with practices, the organization said Dec. 1.
In a letter to payers, council Chair Kevin Dens, DDS, referenced increased costs for personal protective equipment because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also shared research from the ADA's Health Policy Institute that details challenges dentists are having with staff recruitment and low patient volumes.
As of Oct. 11, more than a third of dental practices are experiencing low patient volumes compared to pre-pandemic levels, the ADA said. The organization also found that 1 in 3dental practice owners said they need more staff to see the same number of patients they saw before the pandemic.
“What is now becoming evident is that the data is bearing out what we feared would occur — dental offices have seen a dramatic increase in the cost of doing business while patient volumes have yet to fully recover,” Dr. Dens said in the letter.