According to the ADA, every 14 seconds a dental patient goes to a hospital emergency room where medical doctors are ill-equipped to treat them.
Up to 1.65 million ER visits can be referred to dental clinics, potentially saving the healthcare system $1.7 billion and directing revenue back into dental practices.
According to the ADA, every 14 seconds a dental patient goes to a hospital emergency room where medical doctors are ill-equipped to treat them.
Up to 1.65 million ER visits can be referred to dental clinics, potentially saving the healthcare system $1.7 billion and directing revenue back into dental practices.
According to the ADA, every 14 seconds a dental patient goes to a hospital emergency room where medical doctors are ill-equipped to treat them.
Up to 1.65 million ER visits can be referred to dental clinics, potentially saving the healthcare system $1.7 billion and directing revenue back into dental practices.
Virtual Support Solutions (VSS) runs the US Dental Triage™ hotline to match people with dental emergencies to dentists willing and available to see them. We are on a corporate mission to keep dental patients out of hospital emergency rooms, now more than ever because of the coronavirus. VSS offers US Dental Triage free for the public good and as our way of giving back to the dental industry. There is no cost to the patient or practice to use the hotline – the only money involved is the cost of care.
Our way of giving back
When the coronavirus pandemic struck, Virtual Support Solutions’ CEO Michael Bonanno immediately knew he had to do something to support the industry he loves.
Michael was formerly a very successful practice owner and created Virtual Support Solutions out of his passion to support independent entrepreneurial dentists. He quickly decided to leverage his company’s infrastructure and resources to create a service for patients in need of emergency dental services while the industry was reeling.
During the mandated coronavirus shutdowns, most dentists around the country were only allowed to provide emergency procedures, if they stayed open at all. Offices were closed, staff was furloughed or laid off, and people experiencing dental emergencies were even more inclined to visit ERs. Michael recognized an opportunity to help dentists continue to earn revenue, help people in need of emergency dental services, and help the larger healthcare system by keeping dental patients out of hospital emergency rooms.
The win-win-win solution Michael created has had lasting benefits in the form of new dentist-patient relationships in local communities.
How it works
Dentists who are willing to see emergency patients not currently in their practice enroll in our free Dentist Referral Registry. We gather information about when they are available, what procedures they do, what payment arrangements they accept. Then we match patients who call the US Dental Triage hotline to those dentists according to various criteria, including dentist availability, geography, type of procedure, and payment options.
“When we were only allowed to see emergency patients, we recognized a big need for dental care. A lot of offices were not seeing anybody. It became a way for us to connect with patients that may not have another place to turn.”
— Dr. Brad Pfeifle
“Emergency departments in most hospitals across the country, generally, are unable to provide appropriate dental care to patients.”
— Dr. Steven Brown
According to the American Dental Association
There were 2.2 million hospital ER visits for dental conditions in 2016.
ER visits cost three times as much as dental visits, costing the health system $1.7 billion annually.
Over 40% of adult ER visits for dental conditions are self-payers.
Most emergency rooms do not have dentists on staff to provide dental treatment.
70% of hospital ER visits for dental emergencies are after hours.
ER doctors generally do not treat the underlying cause of dental problems, so 39% of patients return to the ER.
Are you willing to see new patients experiencing a dental emergency?
Please call 844-222-9565 or complete the form to enroll in our FREE Dentist Referral Registry.
Helping first responders protect themselves during the pandemic by donating N95 masks and gloves in partnership with our clients across the country.
“Thank you for your service! Glad we could help bring a smile and much needed new masks today in partnership with US Dental Triage to keep dental emergencies out of the ER and safely serve San Diego’s oral surgery needs.”
-Westcoast Oral Surgery
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