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Mis-Aligning with Groupon

December 5, 2011 By Trish Walraven 4 Comments

Guess what? If you’ve ever signed on to participate in a Groupon-type social marketing coupon you may be convicted of Dirty Dancing with the Devil, otherwise known as fee-splitting. And Align Technologies will have none of it. Just to make sure you know that they’re watching you, this memo was sent out to all Invisalign providers today:

December 5, 2011

Dear Doctor,

A small number of Invisalign practices have recently elected to offer their dental services and Invisalign treatment specifically through social coupons such as Groupon and Living Social. In response to this marketing practice, Align has received a number of complaints from other Invisalign customers who highlight that Invisalign is a rigorously regulated class II medical device which requires specialized medical training and a doctor’s prescription. As neither Invisalign nor the associated dental services are generic commodities, these Invisalign customers feel the use of social coupons is not in the patient’s best interests, and is unethical and demeaning to the dental profession.

We agree. In fact, Align does not endorse the arbitrary sale of dental services and Invisalign treatment through social coupons and is not a party to any such offerings. Align believes that the interests of both prospective patients and the practitioner are best protected by requiring a patient examination to confirm a patient`s suitability for Invisalign treatment before extending an offer to treat. Because both your services and each Invisalign treatment are unique (like the needs of each patient), we do not believe that either are appropriate for the web-based, group-buying social coupon process.

You should also be aware that the laws of most States prohibit practitioners from splitting fees with third-parties or non-practitioners. In response to the increase in the sale of medical services through social coupons, there is a growing sentiment that the sharing of fees between a doctor and social coupon sponsor may constitute such an illegal fee splitting arrangement. As a result, we encourage all Invisalign practitioners who may be considering participation in the social coupon process to consult with their attorney to evaluate the legal risks associated with such a transaction.

We hope you find information on these issues helpful. Because the dental services environment is evolving almost as rapidly as the technology itself, we intend to keep you current with our assessment of the latest trends so you can better achieve your practice goals. If you have any questions or comments, please contact your Invisalign representative or email us at [email protected].

Best Regards,

Dan Ellis
Vice President, North America Sales
Align Technology, Inc.

 

So dude, if you’re going to try and get new customers with Groupons, just don’t promise to do any actual dentistry! Offer patients something unique that you don’t need a license for, like this suggestion that was offered here at DentalBuzz a few months back!

If not, you’re probably better off using this method of get-’em-in-the-door marketing:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey, it’s your choice!

Filed Under: Money, News Tagged With: dental marketing, Fee Splitting, Groupon, invisalign

Invisalign may make vinyl obsolete

March 29, 2011 By Trish Walraven 5 Comments

by Trish Walraven

Won’t be the first time that a newer technology replaced vinyl, huh? Then again, the heydays of cassette tapes and CDs are long gone as well. Does this mean that vinyl impression material will soon become “wall flair” like restaurant nostalgia record albums? CREEEpy.

So Align Technology has officially agreed to purchase Cadent, makers of the iTero intra-oral scanning system. That means that in a few years, the only offices using impression material will be the same ones that use film and developer for x-rays. A few hours ago this email was sent out to all iTero users. I’d consider this the death knell for polyvinyl impressions:

Dear iTero Partner:

I am writing to share some exciting news that offers tremendous potential for Cadent and our customers. Today, Align Technology, makers of the Invisalign system, announced a definitive agreement to acquire Cadent Holdings, Inc.  Align shares our belief that intra-oral scanning is one of the most exciting technologies available to doctors. Intra-oral scanning systems provide a chair-side platform for accessing valuable digital diagnosis and treatment tools, with tremendous potential for enhancing accuracy of records, treatment efficiency, and the overall patient experience.

While working together on interoperability and Invisalign applications to run on Cadent iTero and iOC scanners, we saw an opportunity to combine our two companies’ capabilities and market-leading technology to bring innovative new diagnosis and treatment tools to our customers, thereby extending the value of intra-oral scanning in dental practices.

After the satisfaction of all legal and regulatory requirements, Cadent will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Align Technology. Align is committed to supporting and investing the technology and scanning systems that are Cadent’s core competencies. They plan to keep the existing family of Cadent products, and will combine their expertise with ours to bring innovative new tools to our customers. This type of integration will take some time; while under way, each company will remain focused on its own customers and service commitments. Once the acquisition closes – which we expect in the second quarter of this year – we will have more information to share with you about the benefits of this integration for our customers.

Finally, you may know that we have been working with Invisalign to establish interoperability, which will allow doctors to submit Cadent intra-oral, scans in place of traditional PVS impressions for Invisalign treatment. We are currently in the final stage of Beta testing and are on track to announce interoperability in the second quarter of this year.

We believe we are only scratching surface of what we can accomplish through 3D imaging and intra-oral scanning. Once we’ve captured an accurate digital impression of a patient’s dentition, the possibilities for how to use that data in all areas of restorative, cosmetic, orthodontic and preventative treatment are endless. Both Cadent and Align see the broader potential this technology has for improving dentistry, and together, we have the resources and expertise to turn those possibilities into valuable tools for your practice and patients. We look forward to sharing more details with you in the coming weeks and months.

Sincerely,

Kerri Sebring
Vice-President of Marketing, Cadent

Is it really the end of goopy gagging? Vinyl impression material (and alginate, for that matter) will probably always have its place, but this is the first step to making digital impressions a standard part of dentistry instead of the hip fringey thing it is now.

And my shoes thank you, Align.




Added March 30th
For all you Invisalign lovers, this parody by the two Dr. Glassmans made me giggle to myself:

Filed Under: Operative Dentistry, Products, Technology Tagged With: Align, Cadent, invisalign, iTero, linkedin

Slackers win against Invisalign SoupNazis

April 23, 2010 By Trish Walraven Leave a Comment

SoupNaziThe idea of dozens of dentists lined up, hoping to have their bowls filled with a ladle of delicious….CLEAR PLASTIC IMPRESSIONS….is weird. “NO INVISALIGN FOR YOU!” screamed the white-coats at Align Technology. Dentists completing less than 10 cases per year were suspended from their accounts, and sent away, bowls empty, furious with the scare-tactic attempt to boost sales and case acceptance.

Until yesterday. Instead of getting your soup in a bowl at the counter,  you complainers will be able to get it in a to-go container, from the “Concession Stand”:

Align Technology Eliminates Annual Case Requirement for Invisalign(R) Providers

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Apr 22, 2010 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX News Network) — Align Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:ALGN) today announced a strategic change to the Invisalign proficiency program the Company launched last June to help ensure Invisalign providers build a baseline of Invisalign product experience and knowledge through minimum annual case and continuing education (CE) goals. Effective immediately, doctors will no longer be required to start a minimum of ten shipped cases per year to maintain their active provider status. Doctors are still required to complete a minimum of ten Invisalign continuing education (CE) hours per year.

“Despite continued strong efforts by our customers to meet the annual proficiency requirements, many customers remain frustrated with the program, particularly the case requirement,” said Dan S. Ellis, vice president, North American Sales. “While we remain deeply committed to ensuring great treatment results for Invisalign doctors and patients, we are equally committed to listening to our customers and responding to their needs.”

Align will continue to emphasize the importance of Invisalign professional education in treatment success by maintaining the annual ten Invisalign CE hour requirements. In addition, Align will focus on continued product innovation and performance improvements and customer loyalty and rewards programs to help drive great treatment experiences and results. As part of this focus, Align will continue to promote the benefits of Invisalign Preferred Provider status for doctors who start ten or more cases each year.

Doctors who do not complete a minimum of ten Invisalign CE hours in a calendar year will have their Invisalign accounts temporarily suspended until they complete the minimum CE hours. With more than 200 hours of lecture-based and online learning opportunities, Align’s robust educational curriculum makes it convenient for doctors of every Invisalign experience level to stay current with product and clinical advancements.

Doctors whose customer accounts were deactivated or changed to limited status for failing to meet the 2009 proficiency requirements can reactivate their account and start using Invisalign again at any time by completing a Clear Essentials I or Clear Principles training course and thereafter meeting the annual ten CE hour requirement. More information on the proficiency program and related changes are available at http://vip.invisalign.com/proficiency.

_________________

Also worthy of reading are the frustrations aired at Jim DuMolin’s great website: http://www.thewealthydentist.com/SurveyResults/162-Invisalign-Dentists.htm.

DBSmile

Filed Under: Dental Debates, Operative Dentistry, Products Tagged With: invisalign, orthodontics, scandals

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DentalBuzz explores rising trends in dentistry with its own slant. The speed at which new products and ideas enter the dental field can often outpace our ability to understand just exactly the direction in which we are heading. But somehow, by being a little less serious about dentistry and dental care, we might get closer to making sense of it all.

So yeah, a tongue-in-cheek pun would fit really nicely here, but that would be in bad taste. Never mind, it just happened anyways. Stop reading sidebars already and click on some content instead.

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