Several dental practices and clinics have closed this year over financial challenges as operational costs surge in healthcare.
Four updates since January:
1. A dental clinic operated by the Hamilton County Health & Social Services Division in Chattanooga, Tenn., is closing July 1 because of operational and supply cost increases. The dental clinic has experienced a 47% increase in operational expenses and a 513% jump in supply costs over the past five years.
2. The University of Minnesota Boynton Health Dental Clinic in Minneapolis closed in March after more than a century of operation. The university said the clinic had been running on a budget deficit for several years and that the budget had been subsidized by the Boynton Health medical clinic. The clinic was also in need of several capital investments.
3. United We Smile in Traverse City, Mich., closed in January due to financial hardship. The clinic’s proceeds and donations were used to cover expenses for United Way, its fiduciary, according to Jennifer Kerns, founder of United We Smile. The closure came after the clinic attempted to cut costs by reducing staff pay and ending cleaning services.
4. Buffalo, N.Y.-based Kaleida Health announced the closure of Gundlah Dental Clinic in Olean, N.Y., over financial headwinds and workforce limitations. A spokesperson told Becker’s that the closure is part of a $200 million strategic plan to strengthen the health network’s long-term sustainability and enhance patient care. The clinic has faced ongoing financial performance challenges, workforce limitations and reimbursement pressures, incurring losses exceeding $800,000 over the last five years.
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