Nearly Half of Dentists Offer Staff Health Insurance

Nearly half of dental professionals polled were offering health insurance to staff in order as practices work to meet recruitment needs.

As dental team recruitment remains a priority for many practices, poll results find nearly half of dental practices (47%) offer health insurance, according to the latest data from the American Dental Association Health Policy Institute’s Economic Outlook and Emerging Issues in Dentistry poll conducted July 12-17, 2022.

Nearly half of dentists offer staff health insurance to their employees. The vast majority of dentists not offering that benefit indicate that cost is the primary deterrent.

The poll also probed deeper into what’s driving appointment availability.

Dental practice schedules have been steady the past few months. Schedules were 85% full on average in July, compared to 86% the in June. Patient no-shows and late cancellations are largely to blame for unfulfilled appointment slots.

Dental team recruitment needs remained steady in July. Dental assistants are the most in-demand member of the dental team, while recruiting dental hygienists continues to present the most difficulty for dentists.

With the looming possibility of a recession, dentists’ confidence in economic recovery did not worsen in July, but it remained low.

The HPI’s Economic Outlook and Emerging Issues in Dentistry monthly poll began in January to measure the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and to gather dentists’ opinions on other current and emerging issues impacting their practices.

The revamped panel is a continuation and expansion of the previous poll that HPI conducted between the onset of the pandemic and December 2021.

The July poll garnered 1,162 respondents and covered a variety of economic issues.

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