Seattle Study Club shines in metrics study

Feb 28, 2010

Even during the challenging economic times of 2009, Seattle Study Club members in general practice consistently outperformed their in-state peers on measures of patient retention, production, and growth, according to a study conducted by Dentra, a provider of online quality measurement solutions.

To conduct the study, Dentra selected key metrics from its online PracticeView quality measurement system, leveraged its extensive proprietary data warehouse, and created unique comparison groups to evaluate differences in performance between Seattle Study Club members and in-state peers.

The analysis of the study was based on claims submitted by Washington state general practitioners to Washington Dental Service (WDS), one of the largest dental insurers in Washington, during 2008 and 2009. Each month in 2009, an average of 155 general practitioners were in the Seattle Study Club compare group and 2,744 in the other Washington state general practitioners compare group.

Key findings from the study reveal that Seattle Study Club showed:

Higher production growth than in-state peers (3.8% versus -0.6%) as measured by the percent change in production from WDS-covered patients seen between 2008 and 2009
Higher growth in patient volume than in-state peers (0.9% versus -2.4%) as measured by the percent change in WDS-covered patients seen between 2008 and 2009
Higher rate of new patient retention than in-state peers (64% versus 51%) as measured by percent of WDS-covered patients seen in 2008 for a comprehensive exam that were seen again for any service in 2009

"Our international network of 241 clubs, representing 6,500 members in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Germany, Taiwan, and the U.K., is dedicated to improving dentistry and providing the highest standard of patient-centered, comprehensive, interdisciplinary care," explained Dr. Michael Cohen, D.D.S., M.S.D., founder of the Seattle Study Club. "Dentra's online solutions help organizations in the field concretely measure the quality of care delivery, and foster a culture of continuous improvement."

Dentra plans to work with other chapters of the Seattle Study Club to conduct similar studies, according to Troy Pladson, vice president of market development for Dentra.