I am writing regarding Dr. Michael Glick’s March JADA editorial, "One-Stop Shopping" (JADA 2007;138[3]:282–3). The one-stop dental office has already existed for approximately 20 years. Ten years ago, I was a sole owner of a fee-for-service only, multispecialty office in San Diego. It was the most advanced concept in of its time. All specialists were board-certified or -qualified. I had an oral surgeon (who was also an orthodontist), an orthodontist (who was also a pediatric dentist), an endodontist and a periodontist (who was one of the first to complete a two-year implantology course under Dr. Carl Misch in Detroit). We were able to accommodate the most complicated procedure with multidoctor input and treatment in one visit. Patients came from all over the world.
Dr. Glick’s insight as to a referral from outside sources is partially true. Yes, some practitioners were hesitant to refer patients to such a talented group of dentists. It was our ethical position not to steal someone else’s patient. The referred patient was treated and referred back to the original dentist. Even if the patient would like to transfer, the patient would not be accepted without the referring dentist’s approval. In today’s world, where dentists are not as conscious of the special position we dentists have in society and only look to do the next veneer case, there is more hesitancy to refer to such a group.
Sad to say, after I sold the practice, the new owner could not fulfill the capacity to lead such a group and ended up closing the practice. To have such a practice takes a highly talented general dentist who can manage not just the practice and the patients, but also the specialists’ egos (in a positive sense of the word) and their needs.
