Kevin Henry, Associate Editor
Sequels are great, aren`t they? What would the world be like if "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" or "The Empire Strikes Back" had never been released? What about "Teen Wolf Too?" OK, forget that example. Anyway, in the sequel spirit, here`s a follow-up to March`s .com invasion story. Enjoy these additional sites as you`re surfing the World Wide Web and, as always, may the .com`s be with you.
1. Dental Auction
Web address: www.dentalauction.com
Location: Tulsa, Okla.
How Dental Auction describes itself: "The world`s oldest and largest pre-owned dental equipment auction marketplace."
What sets Dental Auction apart: Creates worldwide interactive marketplace for buyers and sellers of pre-owned dental and business equipment. • Facilitates trade-ins and upgrades of pre-owned dental equipment between suppliers and dentists. • Assists buyers with easy online financing and leasing alternatives.
Joining Dental Auction: Free.
Key players for Dental Auction: David Auer, president.
2. dental.packonline
Web address: www.packonline.com
Location: Herndon, Va.
How dental.packonline describes itself: "Our mission at dental.packonline is to provide an easy-to-use and secure Internet based dental practice management system that allows dentists and their office personnel to manage the practice without the need for complex computer networks and to allow access to data anywhere at anytime."
What sets dental.packonline apart: Fast, easy access to all of your detailed practice information from anywhere at any time via the Internet. • Use PackOnline`s correspondence productivity services to generate statements, letters, claims and recall cards - all automatically, all online. • Share information such as x-rays and color photos with other doctors and specialists using a web browser and a specialist profile.
Joining dental.packonline: Although rates can vary, the typical membership costs less than $99 per month. Your monthly fee will depend on the number of users and the volume of data stored in dental.packonline`s servers. The only other fee is a one-time fee for setup, when your patient and/or schedule files are first imported into dental.packonline.
Key players for dental.packonline: Christophe Gissinger, president; Dres Mortensen, sales manager.
3. dentalmall.com
Web address: www.dentalmall.com
Location: Santa Ana, Calif.
How dentalmall.com describes itself: "Newhouse Dental Specialties is a division of a 55-year-old company, offering mostly disposable dental/medical supplies. Pricing is based upon a continual updating process to offer the very best competitive prices."
What sets dentalmall.com apart: The dental and medical professional can obtain very competitive current pricing on mostly disposable supplies without having to wait for limited time offers, promotions, closeouts or auctions on desired items. • There is very informative educational information on many products; samples are available, as well as direct catalog ordering.
Joining dentalmall.com: Free.
Key players for dentalmall.com: C. Alford, president; T. Shahin, vice president and general manager; Wendy Bollman, customer service manager.
4. dentistry.com
Web address: www.dentistry.com
Location: Woodland Hills, Calif.
How dentistry.com describes itself: "Dentistry.com is a privately operated organization that provides information-based resources, catering to dental professionals and consumers."
What sets dentistry.com apart: The DentalAssist section of the web site is described as "a program presented to the worldwide public as their first quasi-interactive online bulletin board for discriminating consumers to address issues of concern on dental topics." • Articles of interest to the dentist and consumer on various topics are available for free.
Joining dentistry.com: Dentists can list their practices for free. An e-mail account will cost anywhere from $20 (one-year rate for a student) to $65 (two-year rate for a professional).
Key players for dentistry.com: Michael J. Wissot, director of business operations; Dr. Jeffrey L. Wissot, director of dental operations.
5. feeplan.com
Web address: www.feeplan.com
Location: Framingham, Mass.
How feeplan.com describes itself: "The nation`s leading provider for patient financing for orthodontic and dental procedures, and Laser Vision Correction (LASIK)."
What sets feeplan.com apart: The Dental Fee Plan section is the first plan designed specifically for cosmetic dentistry and related specialties. • The Dental Fee Plan can finance your entire treatment plan in one simple transaction versus as each procedure is performed. • An online payment calculator helps prospective patients learn what their monthly payments would be.
Joining feeplan.com: There is no cost for a patient who wishes to finance his or her procedures through feeplan.com. There is also no cost for a dentist to join the program.
Key players for feeplan.com: William F. Brady, president; James R. Donovan, chief operating officer.
6. Lease2save.com
Web address: www.lease2save.com
Location: San Diego, Calif.
How Lease2save.com describes itself: "Lease2save.com offers on-line equipment leasing services for the medical and dental industries, among others. Using patent-pending web-based technology, private practitioners, groups, and hospitals can create a custom lease plan and payment schedule that meets their specific cash-flow condition."
What sets Lease2save.com apart: Dental professionals can locate the equipment they need from any manufacturer or dealer, negotiate their purchase price, then submit a lease finance plan, using Lease2save.com`s 6-Step question-and-answer interface. • Lease plans can be saved in-process and accessed using a personal home page and secure database. Plus, equipment from multiple vendors can be included in a single lease plan. Then, Lease2save.com arranges for lenders to compete for the right to fund your lease proposal. Easy access to a complete application file, zero cost to access your application, and the speed at which Lease2save.com manages the bidding process, allow lenders to offer guaranteed bids that are far below what they can typically offer, according to Lease2save.com officials. • The site also explains how leasing compares to a bank loan or cash purchase.
Joining Lease2save.com: Access to the company`s unique financial planning tools and a personal database to save in process lease plans is free. When you decide to submit a lease plan to the Bidding Arena™, there`s a $7 processing fee that is refundable at lease acceptance, or if you find a lower lease rate factor from another provider, assuming identical lease terms.
Key players for Lease2save.com: Brian G. Murray, president; Robert Cartagena, vice president of operations.
7. newmentor.com
Web address: www.newmentor.com
Location: San Francisco, Calif.
How newmentor.com describes itself: "Our aim in creating new learning opportunities involves the blending of current and emerging technologies with the time-honored concept of mentoring. Whether with our CD-ROM courses, our Internet educational services, or our small-group hands-on workshops, we bring the experts to you in ways that enhance learning retention, enrich learning enjoyment, and ensure learning results."
What sets newmentor.com apart: CDs available from newmentor.com have been described by Syngcuk Kim, DDS, PhD, in the Journal of Endodontics as "the best teaching material I have encountered in my 20 years of teaching." • Online newsletters highlight topics of special relevance and clinical practicality.
Joining newmentor.com: Access to online newsletters is free. Costs are involved for purchase of CDs and other services.
Key players for newmentor.com: Jeanne Cohen, president and chief executive officer; Joan Thorn, director of sales.
8. Profit Finder
Web address: www.profitfinder.com
Location: Wayzata, Minn.
How Profit Finder describes itself: "ProfitFinder, the only dental supply pricing information service in the United States, has made ordering dental supplies simple ... and at a savings of 20-30 percent. By continually surveying over 170 dental supply companies throughout the country, ProfitFinder finds the best available prices on over 20,000 name brand and generic dental products and pieces of equipment."
What sets Profit Finder apart: Profit Finder not only lists dental supplies, but also peripheral services such as laboratory services, office supplies, handpiece repair services, and sterilization monitoring services. • Profit Finder members are given, absolutely free, a DOS- or Windows-based inventory management software system, which can track orders and determine the amount spent each month on supplies. • A referral program allows members to earn free monthly membership for every professional they refer to the site.
Joining Profit Finder.com: An annual membership is $325. Shorter memberships are available for a lesser fee.
Key players for Profit Finder: Dr. Philip Engle, founder.
9. ZirMed.com
Web address: www.zirmed.com
Location: Louisville, Ky.
How ZirMed.com describes itself: "With ZirMed.com Inc., healthcare providers can enter and file medical claims data simply by using the Internet. No expensive hardware and software packages are needed."
What sets ZirMed.com apart: The Dental Claim screen allows dentists to submit pretreatment estimates. Edit controls have been installed to stop any invalid dental information, such as an invalid tooth number or surface, which reduces the frequency of rejected claims due to invalid information. • Claims are sent electronically to more than 300 insurance providers with ZirMed.com acting as an "all payor" service. This feature guarantees that claims will be dropped to paper and mailed to the few insurance providers that do not accept electronic claims. This service is provided at no additional charge to the provider.
Joining ZirMed.com: ZirMed.com members pay a monthly fee of $39 per rendering physician. For members using the Print File Capture system, there is a one-time setup fee for practice management system mapping. ZirMed.com is currently running a special introductory mapping price of $79.
Key players for ZirMed.com: Kenneth H. Dicken, president and chief executive officer.
For more information about this article, contact the author at (800) 633-1681 or by e-mail at [email protected].
