Our emphasis is to help our affiliated practitioners improve practice performance. Since the 1980s, we have demonstrated again and again the ability to do so. We do it all—from office design and development to managing employee benefits and patient insurance. We provide all of these services as part of affiliating with us.

In the Right Places
OCA has a real estate department that assists affiliated practitioners who want a new office. We help them find space, obtain a lease or build-out an office, investing the capital required to get it done. We handle all aspects of office design, remodeling and construction. We also analyze markets to find the most attractive demographics, assist with site selection and obtain construction bids. In short, we can handle the entire project from start to finish.

Sophisticated Business Systems
We put the business systems in place, train the practitioners in how to use them, help staff the office and assist affiliated practices with marketing programs to help increase business, including television advertising and cross-referral programs. On average, during 2001 we spent approximately $75,250 on advertising per affiliated orthodontist who advertised their practice to the public, as compared to an estimated $4,819 in average spending for a traditional practice in 2000.
    Our services include managing employee benefits, payroll, patient insurance, billing, collections and telecommunication systems. We work with our affiliated centers to provide staffing, recruiting and training. We provide integrated accounting, financial reporting, purchasing and accounts payable systems to improve efficiency in office management. Our sophisticated information systems not only facilitate more efficient patient scheduling but allow practitioners to track their progress electronically and in real time.

Purchasing Power
We are the largest single purchaser of orthodontic supplies in the world, and we get preferred vendor pricing. Through our centralized purchasing program, OCA affiliated centers can take advantage of volume discounts on more than 40,000 products from 300 vendors—ranging from dental floss to fax machines. It’s all done online via our sophisticated web-based orthodontic supply store. We don’t charge our affiliated practices a markup or per-item charge for using the system. Every step in the system is electronic—from order entry at OCA affiliated centers to processing at OCA’s corporate headquarters to vendor notification, drop-ship delivery directly from manufacturers and accounts payable processing. As a result, OCA affiliated practices achieve measurable savings—such as 70 to 80% average savings on the most commonly used orthodontic supplies. This increased purchasing power adds considerable value. On average, supply costs range from 9 to 12% of practice revenues for a traditional orthodontic practice; at OCA affiliated centers, supply costs average less than 6% of practice revenues.

Quality Assurance
A commitment to quality is central to our operating philosophy. Our reputation depends on it, and patients expect it. Our affiliated practices currently have more than 500,000 patients in treatment. We monitor the quality of care through a variety of quality assurance mechanisms, including doctor peer reviews, phantom phone calls, quality assurance report cards and on-site visit evaluations. We talk with existing and former patients to conduct telephone interviews and surveys. Through these processes, we help OCA affiliated practices meet the highest standards and protect the credibility and reputation of the OCA name.

Operating Efficiencies
OCA equips affiliated practitioners with the tools they need to operate more efficiently. OCA provides continuing education opportunities for affiliated practitioners, and avails its affiliated practitioners of the latest technology and materials that vendors have to offer. As an example, OCA provides affiliated orthodontists with information about orthodontic products and techniques that enable them to increase the interval between patient appointments without compromising safety and reliability. In 1997, the typical interval was about 30 days. We provide the tools and platform to enable valuable productivity gains. During 2001, patients were seen by our affiliated orthodontists about every six weeks on average because of the new materials and techniques available in the marketplace. The fee is the same, and patients appreciate the advantage of fewer visits. The end result is a significant productivity gain for OCA affiliated practices.