Thank you for your editorial "Thinking Outside the Box," January JADA). I would agree that different ideas are necessary to maintain or increase the ADA’s membership.
Unfortunately, expansion of a bureaucracy will never improve the downward spiral of diminishing membership. The blurred importance of ADA representation and the mere appearance of excessive cost vs. benefit have contributed greatly to the lower percentage of participating dentists. The singular issue involving ADA membership that seems to permeate any collection of dentists is the cost of belonging.
Reducing the cost of belonging must be addressed by focusing and sharpening the mission of the ADA. That primary mission is to represent and be the "Voice of Dentistry." My proposal would be for a graduated or a la carte–type of participation membership. A basic level would pay for the representation only. Other programs may be entered according to a rated fee structure.
Thus, the ADA could be responsive to the needs of the profession of dentistry. Those who are interested in the ADA’s supplemental benefits could pay for them as a "fee for service." The ability to choose which programs to participate in would serve the additional purpose of educating the members to the real value of membership. It also would ameliorate the concern over continued escalating cost of dues and membership.
It is my belief that an innovative dues structure will increase membership and maximize benefits. This could be considered as truly applying "thinking outside the box."
