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Volume 39 • Issue 2
Expanding Access to Dental Care Two New York State dental schools receive major boost to efforts to better serve the disabled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4, 11
NEWS AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NEW YORK STATE DENTAL ASSOCIATION
Enhanced Screening The next threat to your practice cybersecurity might be walking through the front door in the form of a vendor with ineffective security controls . . . . . . . . . . 6 Keeping Stress at Bay While it’s not possible to eliminate all practice stressors, there are steps to be taken to keep tension in the office at a minimum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
The Ownership Delay Trap Why waiting for the perfect practice is the most expensive mistake an associate can make. Brian Hanks, M.B.A., C.F.P.® ABSTRACT
Associates practicing in New York State face some of the most demanding practice acquisition conditions in the country: elevated valuations, concentrated DSO activity and student loan burdens among the heaviest in the profession. The predictable response to all of this is delay. This article examines the real financial cost of that delay, introduces a two-question framework for evaluating acquisition opportunities before committing to full due diligence, and argues that the primary obstacle to ownership among qualified associates in the state is not financial; it is informational.
D
entists are trained to be certain before they act. You do not begin a procedure until you know what you are doing. That instinct keeps patients safe. It is also, for a lot of New York associates, the most expensive habit of their career.
Waiting to buy a practice, waiting until the loans feel more manageable, or the market feels less competitive or the timing finally feels right, is not a neutral decision. It has a price. CONTINUED ON PAGE 13