New DSO is formed from 15 Dental Companies

A new doctor-owned, doctor-led company, EviDent Alliance, has just formed from the merger of 15 dental companies in the state of Washington. The newly formed DSO operates 21 dental practice locations throughout the greater Seattle area. EviDent Alliance is privately-owned and comprised of general, periodontal and endodontic office locations.  

EviDent Alliance’s 20 dentist founders had been collaborating as an affiliation/GPO (group purchasing organization) dating back to 2012 under the initial vision of Dr. Will Fernyhough and his operating dentist partners.

Seeking to expand the GPO services provided to their members, give individual dentists a voice, and collaborate in a way to maintain the highest quality of care for patients in an environment of reduced compensation from payors, the company recruited Brent Fernyhough to join the organization as its CEO.  Brent’s passion for solving complex business problems allowed the company to successfully grow under the GPO model while providing a cohesive environment for dentists in Washington to flourish and receive some of the economies of scale of larger DSOs.

“By 2013, the doctors had received immense pressures culminated by a large payor fee reduction.  At that time we knew we needed to take action to secure and preserve a legacy in quality dentistry. It was through exhaustive meetings and years traveling the country, collaborating with different types of dental groups and learning their inherent advantages and disadvantages, that the way forward gained clarity” -Brent Fernyhough, CEO, EviDent Alliance

In 2019, Aligned Dental Partners, a group practice and DSO consultancy, was brought in to provide strategic advisory to launch the company, build their operating platform, and fulfill the company’s vision of turning the GPO into a full scale operating dental support organization. ADP’s team has been supporting the business of dentistry for over 30 years and has successfully built, operated, and transitioned dentist-owned and dentist-led groups to accomplish their goals while achieving premium valuations.

During the group’s formation, the founders managed to listen to everyone’s perspectives, supporting each other while they struggled through hundreds of hours of meetings during a pandemic to put their vision in motion with their identity stamped firmly on it.

“We wouldn’t get the opportunity to do this without Aligned Dental Partners. The key here is in the name. They were true partners with us in forming this company. Chris McClure, John McClure and Dr. Alex Giannini and their team kept us on the road. They offered insight, options and information in a manner that felt like they were supporting the individual dentist partner’s best interests but also nurturing the vision for EviDent Alliance at the same time. I feel a bit like there was a parental dynamic happening. Anyone with kids knows that we’ll get out the door quicker if we tie their shoes for them. Aligned never tied our shoes for us, rather they helped us learn to do that for ourselves.” -Dr. Shane Ness, Co-Founder EviDent Alliance

Evident Alliance is a truly unique alternative for entrepreneurial dentists.  Headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, it is a grass-roots DSO built from the inside out.  The company delivers value and support to its respective practices and members as a priority over economics.

“Too often, DSOs today are built through ‘financial engineering’ by consolidating practices on an income statement; this is a true dental support organization where every member today is a partner and is supported with the tools to be a successful clinician.” -Chris McClure, Co-Founder, Aligned Dental Partners

EviDent Alliance currently employs 170 employees, including 23 dentists and specialists and approximately 80 other clinical providers. The group is well-capitalized and poised for rapid and expansive growth throughout Washington and the surrounding states.


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