Newsletter
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa: Maretha Smit, Chief Executive of the South African Dental Association (SADA) launched the new D-CALC Practice Management Tool on the 11th of December 2013 via webinar. The primary aim of D-CALC is to provide South African dental professionals a tool with which to boost the sustainability and profitability of their dental practices. The tool has been developed in partnership with the Professional Provident Society (PPS) of South Africa.
D-CALC develops pricing for procedures unique to each dental practice based on Activity Based Costing (ABC). D-CALC is a simulation tool that will show the balance between what procedures the practice can afford to provide to its target market and what that target market will pay for those procedures. All costing factors that are relevant to the dental practice in question are taken into account from employee costs, insurance, consumables, equipment, municipal services and more. The tool is also able to take into account variables in a practice’s costing such as equipment depreciation and employee productivity. Once all input fields are completed pertinent to the practice and a desired return on the investment into the practice is entered, the tool will calculate what that practice should be charging its clients for the procedures it offers.
This allows the practice owner to determine what is viable and what is not viable for the practice with regards to the procedures it offers its clients. It will also show if procedures are been over-charged or under-charged for by the practice thus, it is in effect providing the practice with a better understanding of its business. The tool has not been developed to create a standardized fee structure across South Africa but to help practices better their fee structure and to cope with medical aid scheme cost inflation. The D-CALC tool will be available from SADA during the course of the New Year at affordable rates.
In addition to launching D-CALC, SADA also launched their partnership with Wright-Millners and Smile On which will offer South African dental professionals training and CPD courses via webinar. Held throughout the year, these events will bring the profession ongoing education in the comfort of their own homes or practices.
