Rotary hears plan to keep medical practices locally owned

The Carrollton Rotary Club met at noon Tuesday, Feb. 10, at The Villa Restaurant. The program was presented by club member Jim Birong, a retired local dentist.

Birong discussed the work of his son, Tom Birong, a dentist, and efforts aimed at countering the trend of large corporations purchasing private dental and medical practices. Birong said corporate buyouts can result in dentists and physicians becoming employees rather than owners, reducing local investment and community-based decision-making.

Tom Birong’s model, Jim Birong said, focuses on helping private practice owners nearing retirement transition ownership to younger dentists or physicians finishing their training who may not be able to buy a practice outright. Under the approach, retiring practitioners retain shared ownership as they phase out, while new practitioners gain shared ownership as they build their careers.

Birong said the venture now has 16 partners and includes 41 practice sites in 10 states. He said part of the effort involves helping new practitioners obtain Small Business Administration loans to modernize practices with updated equipment and technology.

During the question-and-answer portion of the meeting, Birong was asked about Carrollton’s recent decision to discontinue water fluoridation. Birong and club member Scott Stine, a retired local family physician, said they are concerned the change could lead to an increase in dental caries among children.

In other business, members were reminded of the Valentine’s Pizza Party and Dance that evening at Carroll Hills School and the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry distribution scheduled for the evening of Monday, Feb. 23.