Jim, I appreciate you letting me park my thoughts here. This thread is already so far back in history that nobody will read it anyway.

D. Kellus Pruitt DDS

Jim, it’s been a week since you mentioned the failure of ADA/IDM, and I’m sorry I missed it until now. As one might suspect, that’s not the end of the story. I have no idea how many are still following this thread, but please let me bring you up to date. Things are still going sideways for Dr. Robert Faiella’s ADABEI – the profit-making department of my non-profit professional organization.

Recently, in an effort to boost sales of CareCredit, ADABEI purchased a low-quality ad on DentalBlogs.com titled, “Press Release: CareCredit Adds 24-Month, No-Interst [sic] Payment Plan.” Even though I agree that it is compassionate to extend credit to dental patients with dental problems that will only get worse, that is no excuse for the leaders of CareCredit to ignore even one ADA member’s concerns – especially now that we know about ADABEI’s reckless leaders.

Since my concerns were summarily censored on DentalBlogs.com without explanation, I had no choice but to corner an anonymous editor whom I now call “Nancy.” Today, I discovered that after rejecting my signed comments for weeks, Nancy allowed others to post anonymous comments following the PR piece for CareCredit. That is why I submitted my third comment today which I copied below. I haven’t yet told Nancy that I am sharing this with readers of The Wealthy Dentist blog. Won’t she be surprised!

As you can see, my comment with three stinker questions is still awaiting moderation.

I will not be ignored. Darrell
———————————–
http://www.dentalblogs.com/archives/administrator/press-release-carecredit-adds-24-month-no-interst-payment-plan/comment-page-1/#comment-35270

D. Kellus Pruitt DDS // Jul 20, 2009 at 10:52 am

“I see the question now. DentalBlogs was on vacation last week!” – dentalblogs.com, 7/20/09

Dear Editor, DentalBlogs:

Whoever you are, you just won’t believe what happened on your Website while you were on vacation.

On July 9, days before your vacation, I submitted this sincere and timely question to the anonymous author of the CareCredit article about no-interest loans:

“If the Red Flags Rule is not delayed for the third time in three weeks, how will it affect those who offer Care Credit?”

August 1 is the deadline for compliance with the Red Flags Rule – which has everything to do with offering CareCredit through one’s dental practice. Editor, your vacation delayed many ADA members from receiving important information for 11 critical days – even if you post this comment immediately. That is regrettable. It would be clearly foolish for a dentist to sign up for extending credit at this point in time with the FTC deadline now only 10 days away. In less than a month, CareCredit could have some very angry members who are owners of the ADA subsidiary with shy leaders. Then again, I don’t know for sure. That is why I asked the July 9 question that you sit on, Editor. I really wish I had a name to address.

Instead of actually posting my question, “Nancy” posted the reassuring message “Your comment is awaiting moderation” until today.

This morning, I discovered that “Jayne,” “Emergency dental richmond hill” and “Administrator” all successfully posted their anonymous comments on July 17, 19 and 20. My two signed comments were not posted, and I am no longer reassured that they are “awaiting moderation.” Here are my second and third questions:

“On July 9 at 4:54 pm, I submitted a sincere question concerning how the Red Flags Rule will affect ADA members who sign up for CareCredit. Instead of posting it with the promise of an answer, you regretfully chose to censor an ADA member. Today, July 13, I have a second and third question: Why did you ignore my first one and who is your boss?”

Now, Nancy, I am waiting on answers to three questions. (No phone calls, please).

D. Kellus Pruitt DDS

Your comment is awaiting moderation.

Mughal interviewed Tom Dolatowski, vice president of business development at Delta Dental Plans Association, for the article. For being a common bureaucrat and not a dentist, Delta Dental employee Tom Dolatowski blurted out bold, courageous statements that until recently would have been impossible for a trouble maker to challenge. Get this: Dolatowski claims that if Delta’s preferred providers are forced to discount their fees 30% for even those procedures that Delta doesn’t cover, the impact will be “minimal.” I am certain that Dolatowski didn’t expect bobcain’s in-your-face demand to back up his words with data.

Can you believe Delta Dental vice president Tom Dolatowski would assume that we are such idiots? I am infuriated with his insult, and you should be infuriated as well. You should be pissed off enough to go on to DrBicuspid.com right now and let Tom Dolatowski know exactly how you feel about his plans to cut your pay by 85% (assuming 35% net). If we work hard enough, we could send a message to Delta Dental. I bet we could get the vice president fired if we insisted. What do you think?

“If Proots on Twitter gets a hold of Dolatowski, I have a feeling he’ll make the vice president wear that remark for a long time.” – bobcain.

Thanks for the confidence, bobcain. Watch how I use the following string of words to help move this comment here on The Wealthy Dentist blog to Tom Dolatowski’s first page when he does a vanity search tomorrow. Won’t he be surprised!

Hey you, DDPA vice president Tom Dolatowski. Resign now. D. Kellus Pruitt DDS

I recognize bitter. I’ve been there. Those never-ending, anxious feelings of being trapped without desirable options are still simmering under the surface of my emotions on any given day – even though I’m now out of danger. I have to concede that at times the economy worries me deeply.

I suffered significant business setbacks a few years ago, but I seem to be coming out of the slump. Although I am not nearly as busy as you are, I would say that my practice is thriving, nonetheless. So far, 2009 is the best year yet, and I’ve been in practice 27 years.

And to top it off, my practice motto is: “Dentistry unhurried.”

Like Barrymore and Dingo, I find the time to do what I enjoy. I enjoy taking my time doing dentistry, and I enjoy writing. I find no shame in that. I sincerely wish you peace, Karlj.

D. Kellus Pruitt DDS

However, I do take time to first READ about others before I post. While I’m sure your intentions were good, please read the comment attributed to me, in full.

John Barremore
Houston, TX

When Twitter is used alone or in conjunction with dedicated, independent bloggers, anyone can see that the effort can pay off with incredible political power, leading to better working conditions for us and better care for our patients. Sounds revolutionary, doesn’t it? Beware: Should you continue to read my comment, by default, you will continue to participate in a proof-of-concept trial simply because it will increase the page-rank of this concept. So watch out.

When marketplace transparency all but eliminates managed-care from dentistry because of value issues you and I have been aware of for decades, control of dentistry will be returned to the hands of dentists who have always been the only ones who truly care for the welfare of dental patients. Only then will the millions of dollars currently wasted on ineffective preventive care limited to 12 month PPO contracts, be returned to consumers’ wallets.

In a free and transparent market, personal care is always rewarded, and middle-men shunned. With social networking, the time has come for incredible market improvements which will overcome the grip of public and private parasites who unfairly and needlessly inflate our patients’ dental bills and limit their choices. As an example of the change in attitude, currently there is serious talk of repeal of the 1945 McCarran-Ferguson Act which protects insurance companies from anti-trust suits. Wouldn’t it be entertaining in an ornery way to watch the FTC nip at BCBS’s huge butt for once instead of the ADA’s huge butt!

I’m sorry if all this sounds just a little too fresh for you to yet accept, but I can confidently tell you that this is the event horizon of dental history. Our patients’ concerns are our concerns, and they have been inadequately represented for decades.

To get a look at the latest in my adventure, I invite you to check out my Twitter response I posted yesterday to breaking news that Trajan King, formerly CEO of ADA/IDM was not ousted after all. He quit. (Gasp!) Have you not heard that the only dental marketing business in the nation to receive the ADA Seal of Approval, and a business partner for every ADA member, is rumored to be on the rocks? I started that rumor a couple of months ago. It will be another week before it is confirmed on ADA News Online.

As I said, Twitter is quick, nimble and hairy while most bureaucrats are dinosaurs in an economy turned cold.

D. Kellus Pruitt DDS “@Proots”

I have since connected my site’s blog to Twitter, so instead of wasting time there, now whenever I post to my blog it auto posts a snippet and link to Twitter too.

Even still, I stay so darn busy with client projects that I have little opportunity to post more to my own blog. I dare say I may never be the prolific blogger, Jim Du Molin!

John Barremore
Houston, TX