support organization founded syracuse new york new york u.s. 1964 founder robert fontana ceo headquarters dewitt new york area served united states services manages branded dental practices website aspendental.com aspen dental management inc. admi is a dental support organization dso a dental practice management corporation that provides business support and administrative services 1 to contracted dental practices using the aspen dental brand . 2 3 4 by 2016 aspen dental offered services in 33 states with 550 franchised dental facilities that serve over 15 000 patients a day . 4 its headquarters is in dewitt new york east syracuse . 1 in the united states corporate dentistry or corporate dental practices such as aspen s represents 30 40 % of all dental practices . 5 the united states senate committee on finance the pennsylvania attorney general s office frontline in partnership with the center for public integrity and the new york times among others questioned aspen s business model . concerns included aspen dental s alleged targeting of older low income earners with unnecessary and costly services offering them a finance program without fully disclosing the terms . 6 7 8 9 in 2015 the private equity firm american securities led aspen s recapitalization in partnership with ares management leonard green & partners and the existing management team . 10 contents 1 history 2 client base 3 operations 4 controversies 5 see also 6 references 7 external links history edit admi s predecessor was founded in 1981 and supported dental practices in upstate new york when upstate dental merged its lab services with centralized management services to become upstate dental management llc . it was a founding member of the association of dental support organizations adso . 11 the original company began in 1964 in syracuse new york as a dental lab called upstate dental . in 1997 an investor acquired upstate family denture services inc. upstate denture labs inc. and east coast dental management inc. in 1998 upstate dental and east coast dental merged ; the merged company was renamed aspen dental management inc. 12 in 1998 robert fontana founded aspen dental management inc. admi as a dental practice management company . 8 fontana had completed business school in 1991 and worked at upstate dental in syracuse new york for a few years . 13 after predecessor company upstate dental merged with east coast dental in december 1997 the resulting firm was launched as aspen dental management inc. in 1998 . 14 there were more than fifty aspen dental offices within five years of admi s establishment . in 1998 there were 13 offices and by april 2007 there were 106 branded practices in arizona connecticut indiana maine massachusetts new hampshire new york ohio pennsylvania and rhode island . 15 in 2010 leonard green & partners purchased aspen dental from ares management for about 500 million . 16 by august 2010 private equity firms already owned forba and bright now and were bidding on aspen dental and kool smiles the two largest national chains of dental offices in the united states . 17 according to the american dentists association dentistry is one of healthcare s last bastion of fee based services making it attractive to private equity firms . healthcare reform in 2010 was not cutting into reimbursement for dentists whereas it was for medical doctors . dental offices sell for lower valuations and a reliable cash flow so money can be borrowed against them . financial consultant tom climo cautioned that private equity firms boost profits by pressuring dentists to work longer which could lead to a deterioration in service . 18 client base edit aspen s services are aimed at individuals who do not have an established dental routine or regular dental provider . 19 in 2012 fontana described a typical aspen dental patient as middle aged and possibly struggling to afford their day to day expenses or someone who sees dental work as discretionary and therefore may have an emergency dental issue arise . according to fontana aspen s locations and marketing are aimed at providing services to those individuals . 13 operations edit aspen dental in natick massachusetts the company operates in more than 33 states . each office is staffed for general dental care . 20 21 22 the company is owned by leonard green & partners a private equity firm 23 specializing in leveraged buyout transactions particularly of middle market companies . in 2015 as moody s was placing aspen s ratings under review 24 an affiliate of american securities a private equity firm led the recapitalization of aspen dental management inc. in partnership with existing owners ares management leonard green & partners and the existing management team . 10 controversies edit in june 2015 new york attorney general eric t. schneiderman announced a settlement with aspen dental management inc. in which all of aspen s new york offices must comply to stringent new business practices prohibiting interference in dentists clinical decision making . the american dental association and the new york state dental association voiced their approval . the attorney general s investigation was the result of hundreds of consumer complaints over a decade about experiences at aspen s new york offices . aspen s was deeply disappointed with the characterization of the corporation . 1 in their 2013 report entitled joint staff report on the corporate practice of dentistry in the medicaid program senators chuck grassley and max baucus investigated corporate dentistry with a focus on aspen dental church street health management cshm small smiles ncdr llc kool smiles reachout and heartland dental care . 9 in october 2012 a class action lawsuit accused the company of illegally owning dental practices and of deceiving patients . the lawsuit said that the company operating in violation of laws in 22 states which allow only dentists to own a dental practice . the company responded that the accusations were entirely without merit . 23 in a pbs june 2012 series entitled dollars and dentists 8 produced by frontline in partnership with the center for public integrity described aspen dental s business model as one which makes dental work immediately accessible to low income patients by providing interest free credit . however their indepth investigation revealed that patients were being overcharged or given unnecessary treatments . 25 26 in october 2010 after a probe of complaints regarding its discount services and finance programs the company entered into an assurance of voluntary compliance with the pennsylvania attorney general s office without admitting wrongdoing . it agreed to pay 125 000 to reimburse customers of the company and 50 000 for consumer protection probes . complaints involved services provided before may 28 2009 . 7 27 see also edit new york portal companies portal dentistry portal all smiles dental centers kool smiles reachout healthcare america small smiles dental centers smile starters south texas dental sun orthodontix zocdoc references edit a b c soderlund kelly june 19 2015 new york attorney general takes action against aspen dental new york american dental association retrieved october 1 2016 noles corey may 19 2015 . aspen dental says open wide to missouri . st. louis business journal . retrieved january 27 2016 . about . aspen dental management inc. retrieved january 25 2016 . a b kulsrud zachary april 7 2016 15 000 patients a day exclusive interview with bob fontana ceo of aspen dental management inc. tulsa oklahoma dentistry iq retrieved october 1 2016 economic realities of practice canadian dental association retrieved october 1 2016 silver greenberg jessica october 14 2013 a vulnerable age patients mired in costly credit from doctors new york times retrieved october 1 2016 a b matt miller october 14 2010 . aspen dental pays 175 000 to settle customer complaints . pennlive.com . retrieved february 8 2012 . pact stems from a state probe of more than 50 consumer complaints a b c heath david ; rosenbaum jill june 26 2012 dollars and dentists retrieved october 1 2016 a b baucus max ; grassley chuck june 2013 . joint staff report on the corporate practice of dentistry in the medicaid program pdf report . united states senate committee on finance . p. 1500 . retrieved october 1 2016 . a b american securities leads recapitalization of aspen dental wall street journal march 24 2015 retrieved october 1 2016 about adso . association of dental support organizations . retrieved march 26 2016 . aspen dental timeline a b breslow jason m. june 26 2012 . aspen dental ceo bob fontana we re big advocates for the patient . pbs . retrieved january 26 2016 . kevin tampone september 7 2007 . aspen plans rapid expansion . the business journal central new york . retrieved april 27 2016 . kist stephanie april 19 2007 . aspen dental opens fairlawn office . leader online . retrieved february 24 2016 . beltran luisa august 18 2010 leonard green sinks teeth into aspen dental pe hub network retrieved october 1 2016 kosman josh august 27 2010 private equity firms sink teeth into dentistry new york post p.e. firms open wide for dental chains new york times dealbook august 27 2010 retrieved october 1 2016 claire duffett december 16 2005 . aspen dental building new headquarters . the business journal central new york . p. 3 . retrieved april 27 2016 . aspen dental office locations press release aspen dental plans continued expansion in 2009 january 2009 new office opening announcement newark advocate august 29 2009 a b heath david october 19 2012 aspen dental facing class action lawsuit frontline & center for public integrity pbs moody s places aspen dental s ratings under review for downgrade heath david ; rosenbaum jill june 26 2012 patients pressure and profits at aspen dental frontline retrieved october 1 2016 heath david ; rosenbaum jill june 26 2012 dollars and dentists corporate dental chains see big profits in adults who can t afford care how low income adults get locked into debt for dental treatment center for public integrity retrieved october 1 2016 attorney general corbett announces 175 000 consumer settlement with aspen dental press release . pennsylvania attorney general . october 13 2010 . retrieved february 8 2012 . external links edit aspen dental website v t e leonard green & partners healthcare aspen dental ims health retail bj s wholesale club the container store david s bridal del taco equinox fitness j.crew jo ann stores neiman marcus petco rite aid sports authority tourneau whole foods market retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title aspen dental & oldid 742596762 categories dental companies of the united statescompanies based in onondaga county new york1964 establishments in new yorkdewitt new york navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search 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