Chapter 1, Additional Exercise 5: Evaluating Measures of Excellence in a Letter

Evaluate the following letter from a dentist to all his patients. In a 500-word memo to your instructor, explain the strengths and weaknesses of the letter by referring to the measures of excellence described in Chapter 1. (See Chapter 14 for a discussion of memos.)

May 5, 2015

Dear Friends & Patients;

Firstly, I want to take the opportunity to extend my most profound thanks to all of you for your support of my dental practice over these last 10 years. Serving you has been a privilege and I have always endeavored to provide excellent dentistry in an environment where you can feel comfortable.

With increasing busyness in the practice, I have reached a point where I must clarify my goals and define the direction I will be taking in the future. When I started almost 10 years ago, I made a commitment to a practice of excellence, with a special emphasis on quality not quantity. In other words, I wanted to take whatever time was needed to do outstanding dentistry, using the best in materials and techniques, and to put my patients at ease in a non-hurried, congenial environment.

As you may be aware, dentistry, as in other fields of health care, is becoming more and more subject to "management" and outside control. Managed care ensures you receive basic or "average" treatment for a negotiated or reduced fee. It therefore requires that dentists mold their dentistry and their style of practice to a norm dictated by the insurance industry. Unfortunately, this poses a problem for an increasing number of dentists. How can we continue to be a technically progressive practice and improve service to our patients while at the same time managed care is pushing us backwards? As already indicated, I am dedicated to continually improving my level of quality—not remaining stagnant.

With this in mind, I have made the choice to no longer be a "preferred provider" with Phoenix Dental, Blue Cross and Blue Shield as to do so would require I limit our standard of care to their arbitrary standard of payment. I can no longer do that in good conscience. To remain under their control would mean a continually increasing number of patients I see each day, which translates into longer waits for you, less personal attention and less time to spend on each procedure I perform. Most importantly, decreasing the time I spend with a patient directly effects the quality I can provide. I simply am not going to make that compromise.

How will this effect you? Phoenix Dental, Blue Cross and Blue Shield will still cover a portion of your dental treatment with me as they always have and I will continue to bill your insurance as I always have. None of that will change. In basic services (exams, cleanings) there should be little if any difference in the amounts that will be covered. In others areas of service there may well be some difference. Rest assured, if this is the case, I will work with you in order to obtain the maximum benefits to which you are entitled. Remember, you paid the premium, so you are entitled to the same benefit regardless of whether or not we contract.

In the meantime I will remain true to my original goal: to do my very best in every aspect of my service to you and provide great dentistry, not average. I feel I can best do that by not allowing insurance to influence my decision making process and my dentistry. If at any time you feel less than satisfied, please let me know personally. Should you have any additional concerns or questions regarding insurance, feel free to ask at any time.

Sincerely, Alan Remington, D.D.S.