Henry Schein One today announced the launch of the 2025 Catalyst Index, an exclusive report that will provide dental practices with an unparalleled view of the strategies that are driving transformational performance in the industry.
Built on years of proven benchmarking and informed by Henry Schein One’s most influential platforms, the fourth annual Catalyst Index reveals the specific actions the top 10% of DSOs and private practices are taking to raise the bar for the industry.
“We are at an inflection point in dentistry,” said Dr. Ryan Hungate, Chief Clinical and Strategic Officer at Henry Schein One. “Practices that don’t have a clear understanding of what differentiates the top practices can’t continue to operate.
The Catalyst Index gives them a competitive advantage. It’s like looking behind the curtain to see how best practices work.”
According to the report, despite seeing fewer patients than the previous year, the top-performing practices significantly outperformed their peers in both patient growth and revenue.
High-performing practices are committed to simplifying the overall patient experience, including faster appointment times, simplified forms, billing transparency, and flexible scheduling. This helps improve patient retention, reviews, and care plan uptake. The most profitable practices also operate more efficiently as teams.
The takeaway is clear: there’s a huge opportunity here. Here are some of the insights revealed in the full report:
Nearly 60% of patients decline care due to poor education, unclear pricing, and an overall frustrating experience.
In average practices, it can often take a month to get an appointment, and the best-performing practices prioritize new and urgent patients.
The patient experience directly impacts treatment outcomes. Practices that offer online forms, transparent billing, and flexible scheduling have higher patient retention and uptake.
Chairside’s revenue potential is underutilized. On average, its daily gross revenue is nearly four times lower than the top 10%.
“If you’re average, take the time to improve. It’s incredible how much productivity is wasted,” said Joshua Gwinn, CEO of Optimize Practice Alliance. “The top 10% are the ones who absolutely excel, and it’s easy to see why.
They follow the process, build the team, execute the assignments, hold people accountable, and analyze the data. If you don’t, you’ll be average or even below.”
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