Stephen J. Markus, DMD
Haddon Heights, N.J.
I remember bringing Dr. Paul Homoly into South Jersey to help rally the dentists here to prevent the incursion of those against fee-for-service dentistry. I just wanted Dr. Homoly to know, it has worked. Not only is our area relatively free of the beast, but our practice is now almost entirely insurance-free. All new patients pay us, wait for their checks from the insurance company, and, guess what? For some reason their claims are never lost, downcoded, or denied!
Seminars like Dr. Homoly`s have helped our profession thrive in the face of what could have been. I now work to help other practices eliminate insurance from the financial equation.
I especially enjoyed Dr. Homoly`s article, "The Right Stuff" in the October issue of Dental Economics. Having grown up on Kings Highway in Brooklyn, and with my dad`s dental office right there in the apartment building, it brought back memories of the old neighborhood, with the graffiti on the heavy metal gates that the businessmen had to roll down every evening.
Dr. Homoly`s message that it`s not enough to be successful and that you have to pass your success back into the community is poignant. After 25 years of treating patients the right way, I couldn`t agree more with his assessment. It starts at the top, and the team must follow the leader.
