The Poll:

Group Dentistry Now recently posted the following poll question on LinkedIn for seven days. The post had nearly 8,000 impressions and a total of 81 people voted.

Poll question for DSOs, groups & practices ONLY – not for vendors! When choosing a vendor partner, what factor is most important to you?

□ Cost/price
□ Patient/Clinician Satisfaction
□ Vendor/DSO relationship
□ Education/training/support

Why post the question on LinkedIn?:

1. Group Dentistry Now’s extensive dental following, both clinical and nonclinical.
2. The respondent’s profile is linked to their vote so we could verify what DSO, dental group or private practice the person works for and their title. This ensured the accuracy of our findings. (Please note that 5 vendors responded to the poll. Those votes were deducted from the final results: 1 from cost/price, 3 from patient/clinician satisfaction, 1 from DSO/vendor relationship and 0 from education/support/training.)

A sampling of respondent’s titles:

M&A Director	Pediatric dentist	Director of Revenue Cycle
VP of Business Development	Multisite Dental Executive	Business Development Specialist
VP Strategic Development	University Relations Executive	RDH
Field Operations	Business Development Mgr	Procurement VP
Director of Procurement	Chief Strategy Officer	VP Marketing & Growth
VP Brand & Consumer Experience	Dentist	Director of Clinical Advocacy
CEO	VP Marketing	Director Marketing
Director of Integrations	COO	Director of Revenue Cycle Management
Managing Partner	Chief Clinical Director	Senior VP Finance
Dental Practice Manager	Buyer	Founder
Healthcare Operations and Revenue Cycle Leader	VP Revenue Cycle Management	Founder/CFO
Co-founder/Dentist	Anesthetic dental hygienist	Dental practice coach
Director of Revenue	Owner/dentist	Director Recruitment and Marketing Strategy
Director of Dental Hygiene	Health Strategy Officer	Founder & COO
Director of Education	Senior Procurement Leader	Real Estate Growth Manager
Head of Corporate Development (Strategy, M&A and Business Development)	Dental Educator	Dental Coach
Office Manager	Dental Practice Operations	Director of Operations
Business Management	Asset Management Expert	Strategic Advisor
Executive Board Member	Head of Marketing & Growth	Clinical Educator
Director of Clinical Advocacy	Chief Dental Officer	M&A VP of Business Dev
Facilities & Procurement Manager	University Relations Educator	Director of Network Security

Five Procurement Executives’ Thoughts:

“While price is always a factor, quality is the utmost priority. We take the stance; if you would not use something on your mother, you should not use it at all.” – Thomas von Sydow, Chief Operations Officer, Cornerstone Group.

“When choosing a vendor partner, it is difficult to pinpoint what is the most important aspect. Pricing is very important, but being the most cost effective does not necessarily mean it is the best option. We take the satisfaction of our doctors and patients very seriously as they are the ones in the trenches, and it is my job to make sure their materials are priced appropriately. The support, training and education a company can provide, to me, is one of the most important things and it goes hand in hand with the relationship we as a DSO have with our vendors. When vetting a vendor, the level of CE, training and support our doctors will receive is one of my main questions I make sure to ask. The material and price they set for us is great, but it is nothing without the education and support they are willing to provide along with it.” – Abigail Castro, Procurement Specialist, GPS Dental

“We value most the vendor-DSO relationship. We believe that by investing time in creating a solid foundation and cultivating a good and long-term relationship with our vendor partners, we will succeed in obtaining the overall benefits like best price, patient/clinician satisfaction, and education/training/support. As a growing DSO, we want to guarantee a win-win environment. For us, it has proven to be the most successful in obtaining better customer service support for our practices. In addition to generous sponsorships, the many opportunities for continuing education for both our clinicians and administrative staff truly set our partnership apart. In addition, the competitive pricing, high-quality products, quick response on equipment service calls, and white glove service with technology integrations further emphasize the strength and depth of our vendor relationships.” – Karla-Marie Santiago Melendez, Director of Procurement, Oakpoint

“Pricing is a game of smoke and mirrors based on many factors: buying size & buying influence.  With that said, I believe pricing always seems to be #1 but is it really that negotiable?  Field salespeople also come into play for pricing bids from manufacturers/distributors. Education/training/support VERY Important!  Depending on the product/service, this area is #1 for me.  It is important to understand the indications of a product, clinical or not, but equally it is how to use it.  When this is done properly, it becomes the sales voice for conversion too. The next two on your poll are important but that falls into manageability and managing expectations. There is much more to procurement than cost negotiations.” –  Monique Kramer, Director of Vendor Partnerships, Dental Cooperative

“There are many layers to this question but to answer it, it depends. Budget constraints, goals, DSO or clinician needs, and overall satisfaction are always top priorities when choosing who to partner with. I would be remised if I didn’t add cost is always a consideration along with the value added by the vendor partner. If we are looking for the preferred vendor like implants or software then education, training, and provider support are essential, however, when looking at non clinically sensitive items, pricing and logistics are the two main drivers. When it comes to more clinically sensitive categories the clinician’s satisfaction is at the forefront while balancing costs within budgets. Recently we went through a main distributor RFP and took into account many factors like vendor collaboration, ongoing support, net down costs, DSO and center support, added fees or lack of added fees, logistic cost and timing, and overall partnership on how to support our centers to ensure completion and timely orders. Whoever we elect to partner with, the most important aspect to consider is putting the patient first while using a good, valued quality product within budget.” – Carey Lasher, Chief Operating Officer, Independence Dental Services

 

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