Seventh Edition Marquis Who’s Who INSIGHT 15 INSIGHT MARQUIS WHO′S WHO SEVENTH EDITION FALL 2025 our reputation as a facility that handles patients’ emergencies. Of course, recruiting doctors willing to work under those conditions was difficult; however, people suffering from odontogenic infectious pain still came to our clinic instead of a hospital. Now, the pandemic is over, but the emergency pain remains. Patients can visit my practice on Sundays for a root canal, an extraction or whatever they may need. Additionally, I devised the Integrated Practice Administrator (IPA) concept when I struggled to find reliable dental assistants willing to work long hours, which has always been a challenge in medical staffing. IPAs take care of the patient from the moment they enter the office to when they leave, and typically, are not only dental assistants but have some sort of academic background in dentistry themselves, which gives them a superb understanding of the practice. The IPA concept also helps to circumvent recruitment disruptions in health care. Globally, I strive to adapt. I turn any disruption or obstacle into an opportunity. That's the art of surviving and living – to transform obstacles into opportunities. What is the most important issue/challenge you are dealing with in your industry? My biggest challenges are the insurance companies and patients' lack of understanding of this overly complicated system. Patients often don't know what policy they have, what it covers and what it doesn't. They struggle to grasp it because there are so many dental procedures and ADA codes. For example, one insurance might cover bone grafts, but not bone membranes, and these two procedures often need to go together for full treatment. It’s almost impossible for patients to know those details, and understandably so; we should not expect patients to be medical professionals. Ultimately, we end up bearing the blame when their insurance company bills them for an unexpected amount of money. My main challenge is that the insurance companies too often don't make these policies easy to understand and appear to prioritize their own profit over facilitating an honest process for patients and providers alike. What innovations or technologies do you feel will shape the future of your industry? Artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, like anywhere else. It's just amazing what we can do with our milling machine and digital software in our laboratory. I used to have 16 lab technicians at one point; I now have four or five, but the production is three or four times higher than it was back in 2018. Now, the profit margin is also much higher, as is our ability to deliver prosthesis; we can now deliver same-day dentures, for example. By applying robotics, our production increases, and the need to send the product overseas is eliminated. That has been the most exciting thing I’ve seen in the last 25 years. What excites you the most about your industry? What excites me is innovation. In my current role as the owner of the practice, it gives the freedom to develop innovative ideas. That's why I love my job. Always something new, always a new development that keeps me busy.
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