Medical & Dental Integration from a Global Perspective

Medicine doctor & nurse working with medical icons

Michelle Aquilina, CEO of Primary Dental at Primary Health Care Pty Ltd, will present during the 2018 ADSO Summit, in a breakout session on the unique challenges and opportunities of dental support organizations worldwide. Aquilina is responsible for setting and aligning Primary Dental’s strategic initiatives to the company’s overall direction. Aquilina is committed to growing the business through innovation and strategic direction to ensure the delivery of patient-centered care, with 60 dental centers co-located within medical centers, and a team of more than 400 independent dentists and staff. Primary Dental delivers dental services to over 300,000 Australians.

Michelle Aquilina

Michelle holds a Master’s in Business and is currently studying Executive MBA at the University of Wollongong. With over 25 years of dental experience gained across small, medium and large companies, Michelle is a skilled business leader and strategist traversing roles from frontline through to national and executive level management.

The parent company of Primary Dental, Primary Health Care Limited, offers a broad range of medical and health related services within their medical centers and pathology labs across the country.

  • 71 medical centers where over seven million consultations take place each year.
  • 98 pathology labs where 11.5 million pathology episodes are conducted each year.
  • 168 diagnostic imaging sites where @ 2.5 million examinations are conducted/year.
  • Development of a range of health software and resources including clinical software and practice management software.
  • Transportation Health private health insurance fund.

The conference will begin the evening of April 18 and conclude Friday, April 20. The ADSO’s annual Summit is consistently the gold standard event for the DSO industry. Speakers from around the world will bring an unmatched level of expertise and insight to the 2018 Summit, focusing on the latest industry developments and trends, growth and development for all sizes and stages of DSOs, recruitment and retention of dentists, and more. Summit attendees have the unique opportunity to hear directly from the industry’s top CEOs, including Steve Bilt of Smile Brands, Inc., Pat Bauer of Heartland Dental, and Ken Cooper of North American Dental Group.

Sessions will include topics such as:

  • Leading Change: Supporting and Developing Newly Acquired Practices
  • Future DSO Trends: Strategies to Address a Rapidly Changing Industry
  • Organized Dentistry: The Importance of Engagement
  • The Role of Dental Schools and Dental Student Practice Pathways
  • DSOs Worldwide: Challenges and Opportunities, Legal Hot Issues for DSOs
  • Legal Hot Issues for DSOs
  • How to Engage with State Dental Boards and State Legislatures: Grassroots Advocacy
  • Strategic Business Planning: The Fundamentals of Internal Processes for DSOs
  • Strategic Growth: $100M and Up
  • Strategic Expansion
  • Specialty Integration into a DSO
  • Developing a Centralized Operational Infrastructure, Including Billing Solutions and Call Centers
  • Developing Performance Indicators
  • Strategies to Recruit Dental Students for Long Term Practice Opportunities
  • Best Practices for Clinical Directors and their Supported Doctors
  • Practice Management Software Panel
  • The Changing Landscape of the Dental Consumer and the Impact on Your Business
  • The Importance of Becoming Part of Your Patient’s Community
  • Online Reputation Management
  • Growing Your DSO Brand Through Public Relations
  • Developing a Digital Presence to Engage Today’s Consumer


This year’s Summit will have sessions designed for every member of the team, with breakouts on topics such as leadership, marketing and public relations, advocacy, and growth and development. DSOs and dental group practices of all sizes will benefit from the general sessions, breakout sessions, round table discussions, industry partner talk, table visits, and networking receptions.

ADSO’s 2017 Summit attracted nearly 900 registrants. More than 120 DSOs or group practices were represented at the event, along with a dozen DSOs from other countries. The breadth of participation is a testament to the growth of the DSO industry, as well as the increasing recognition that the ADSO provides the best forum for DSOs to come together and share their experiences. To read about 2017’s Summit, click HERE.

The ADSO’s exponential growth over the last several years is predicted to continue in 2018. If your organization is not currently an ADSO member, email them at membership@theadso.org to join and receive complimentary registration for this event.

*Please note the agenda items and schedule are as of December 8, 2017 and are subject to change.

Sources: The ADSO, Primary Health Care Limited, Primary Dental

Facebooktwitterlinkedinmail