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One of 28 practices that comprise Marquee Dental Partners, the Embassy Hillsboro Village office, located in Nashville, Tenn., is home to Mark (Jay) Ruark, II, DMD, and his team of one hygienist, three dental assistants and three administrative employees. For Ruark, belonging to a dental service organization affords him the best of two worlds. As with solo practices, he continues to “make my practice my own,” he says. At the same time, he benefits from the support that Marquee Dental Partners offers. “Marquee Dental Partners has my back and I, in turn, have theirs,” he explains. “There is mutual respect and appreciation for what each party brings to the table.”
As a result, Ruark enjoys a solid work-life balance. “I can leave the office at the end of the day, spend time with my family or think about ways to grow my practice, without having to worry about many of the daily office responsibilities,” he says. “That may sound cliché, however I can speak from experience. I have considered acquiring various dental practices, and it appears the top reasons dentists want to sell their practice are because they are tired of dealing with the day-to-day administrative responsibilities that take them away from practicing dentistry, and they miss having an experienced central support system.
“Marquee Dental Partners supports both my office staff and me personally,” Ruark continues. “At any time, I can text my CEO, COO, dental director or one of the dentists in my DSO, ask a question and ALWAYS get a response. This simple, direct line of communication saves me so much time and energy. In fact, I am friends with my CEO. In addition to our professional meetings, we like to just hang out and chat. How cool is that? We both want the same results for the company as a whole, and we are approaching our mutual goals together. How many dentists in private practice have a partner they can trust to discuss best practices for business models and patient care? Additionally, belonging to a bigger organization provides tremendous benefits for my practice when it comes to negotiated fees on supplies, labs, service, etc. Marquee Dental Partners also takes care of all the marketing and attracts new patients to my practice. Compare that to the average private practice, which spends 20-30 percent of its revenue on marketing. My grandfather, who at one time had a private practice, and my aunt, who currently runs a practice, can’t comprehend benefits such as these.”
Ruark’s staff also feels better supported and more confident working within a DSO, he notes. “The benefits afforded to them can’t be compared with most private practices,” he says. “They were hired and trained by Marquee Dental Partners, which is an amazing advantage. That leaves us to focus our attention on patients, providing them with quality personal care and the best products available on the market. Our patients, in turn, appreciate that most of their dental work – from root canal to oral surgery – can be completed onsite.”
Efficiency in Group Practice: How does your practice implement new technology efficiently and effectively?
Mark (Jay) Ruark, II, DMD: My office utilizes updated technology, including digital radiography, PAN, Ceph and CEREC. Marquee Dental Partners provides me with the tools I need to be a great dentist. There isn’t a day that goes by when I go home and question my patient care. I give my patients my all and my best. That said, I also acknowledge my limits and refer out the care my office cannot provide. This is something Marquee Dental Partners not only supports, but champions.
Efficiency in Group Practice: As more millennials enter the dental industry, how has this impacted your practice?
Mark (Jay) Ruark, II, DMD: Nashville is usually rated among the top three fastest growing cities and is an attractive place to live for millennials. In fact, when I graduated from dental school in 2011, Nashville was one of my top choices; and that was before the boom. At that time, I wasn’t able to find a position there, so I took a job with a DSO in another city in order to provide for my family. But, when another DSO offered me the opportunity to come to Nashville in 2012, I immediately accepted and never looked back. The numbers say that attending dental school is more expensive than medical school, especially for out-of-state students like myself. Working for a group like Marquee Dental Partners provides me more-than-competitive compensation for my hard work. And, their support, as I’ve mentioned, is key. My 18-year old brother and his best friend are both pursuing careers as dentists, and I strongly encourage them to start out with a DSO. Not only would they receive competitive compensation, they would be supported and mentored in a way that is not possible in private practice.
Efficiency in Group Practice: We hear more and more about the connection between oral and physical health and the need for dentists to take a holistic approach to patient care. How has this impacted the way your dental professionals work with patients?
Mark (Jay) Ruark, II, DMD: My mom is the healthiest person I know and as holistic as it gets: yoga this, yoga that, breathe, downward dog, upward dog, pray, etc. The only sugar in her diet is the occasional red wine when she hosts amazing organic meals. She herself worked in the dental field. Her father was her dentist and boss, her sister-in-law was her orthodontist, and after my grandfather retired, I became her dentist. She presents me with holistic questions all the time. And while some of her methods have not been scientifically proven to prevent or cure anything, they’ve never had an adverse effect. At the same time, they haven’t prevented her from needing several crowns and multiple root canals.
Efficiency in Group Practice: In your experience, what does the growing DSO market mean for traditional solo practices?
Mark (Jay) Ruark, II, DMD: The immediate financial advantages that DSOs bring to the table, from group rates on vendor fees and services to reduced rates for lab services, are significant. I think the key for solo practitioners is to understand that every DSO is different. If they evaluate their options and feel that partnering with a DSO is in their best interest, they really need to look for the right fit. Marquee is not the right fit for every practice, and that’s okay. Regardless of what solo practitioners decide to do, I think they should educate themselves on the growing DSO market and really understand the pros and cons of partnering before dismissing that option.
