Win-Win Business Structures in Dentistry: Brian Colao, Director of the Dental Service Organizations Industry Group at the Dykema Law Firm

You could call Brian Colao a sort of legal midwife for DSOs, because he was in the trenches helping dentists form practice groups even before the term DSO was in use. In fact, Brian’s work has led to legal opinions that helped define the legality of the DSO model and set the standards for compliance and due diligence. As he explains to our hosts Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj, what was a relatively small practice area thirty years ago has blossomed as DSOs have grown in acceptance. “Today, we have about 765 dental clients in all 50 states, six Canadian provinces, Europe, Australia, and Japan. I never in my dreams thought it would get that big.” Beyond laying legal groundwork in the space, Brian, as director of the Dental Service Organizations Industry Group at the Dykema Law Firm, has also been involved in developing new business structures including different types of joint ventures. He’s particularly proud of creating what he calls dedicated specialty program agreements that allow GP practices to integrate specialists who perform singular services -- such as wisdom teeth extractions -- so they don’t have to refer patients out to other providers which, he says, is a win for the specialists and the practice owners as well as their regular patients. “The acceptance of the treatment plan is a lot higher than it ever would be because the patients trust their practice.” 

In this lively episode of Filling You In with A-Squared, Brian also reveals: 

• How new AI technologies can fuel growth;
• How Europe’s regulation of dentistry compares to the U.S.;
• Why he thinks this is the golden age of dentistry.

Mentioned in this episode:
Dykema Law Firm

Areo Dental Group