title: Are dental practices less productive with older patients? Comparison of alternative output measures.
abstract: This study assessed the effects of increased visits by older dental patients on alternative measures of time- and dollar-based practice productivity. The Minnesota Dental Practice Analysis System was used for analysis of data from 31 practices (12,818 patients visits) reporting increased visits by older adults between June, 1980, and December, 1984. Results suggested that the productivity effects associated with older patient visits were highly dependent on the practice output measure selected. While increased visits by patients aged 70 and over were associated with increased monetary productivity per patient visit, time and monetary productivity per practice day were found to decline. An association between increased proportions of older patients visits and increased dentist minutes per visit appeared to account for this. This econometric analysis tends to support the notion that dental practices are less productive with older patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Health Ecology, Department of Preventive Sciences, University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, Minneapolis 55455.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Shuman
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Loupe
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.forename: L V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Martens
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016321:Dental Care for Aged / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004526:Efficiency; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D008910:Minnesota; D017059:Models, Econometric; D009819:Office Visits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011215:Practice Management, Dental / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D012044:Regression Analysis