By Dr. Darren Greenwell, KDPAC Chair

Dentists need to support our Kentucky Dental Political Action Committee (PAC) because it is the single most effective way to ensure that our collective voice impacts legislation, regulations, and public policy affecting dental practices, patient care, and the future of the profession.​

Why PACs Matter for Dentistry

Dental PACs empower the profession to proactively advocate for crucial issues by pooling resources for maximum political influence. PACs enable dentists to financially support candidates and policymakers who understand the importance of oral health and are committed to advancing policies that protect our scope of practice, promote access to care, and enhance public health.​
PACs strengthen relationships with legislators, ensuring that dental priorities are considered when laws are written and amended.​
Without unified support through PACs, individual dentists have far less leverage compared to insurance companies and other large industry groups that contribute substantial amounts to political campaigns.​
Advocacy and Impact
Dentists, with their specialized knowledge and credibility, are in a unique position to influence decisions that impact the availability, affordability, and accessibility of oral health care.
Dental PACs help:​
Protect the integrity and autonomy of dental practice from unnecessary restrictions or harmful regulation.​
Advance policies that improve patient health, including expanding dental benefits and defending reimbursement rates.​
Foster grassroots advocacy by connecting practicing dentists directly with lawmakers and organizing legislative days and receptions.​

Leadership for the Future

Participation in a PAC not only shapes policy today but also secures a healthy future for dentistry. Dentists who support PACs are investing in:​
The defense and advancement of evidence-based standards of care.
Opportunities to train and mentor future dentist-advocates.
Preservation of the dentist’s role as a primary health advocate in our communities.​

Call to Action

Supporting our PAC is an urgent necessity, not an optional extra, for every practicing dentist. By contributing, dentists amplify their collective voice, protect their practices, and ensure that patients benefit from policies shaped by those who truly understand oral health. Every dollar and every participant strengthen our impact, helping guide legislative choices that define our future.​
In short: Contributing to our PAC is not just advocacy, it is a vital form of professional leadership, self-defense, and stewardship for dentistry and the patients we serve.​
How supporting the PAC directly benefits a dentist’s practice
Supporting the PAC provides direct, measurable benefits to individual dental practices, from legislative protection to financial advantages and operational stability.​

Legislative Protection and Advocacy

When dentists support the PAC, their contributions help elect and maintain relationships with lawmakers who actively defend the profession’s interests. This means:​
Safeguarding the scope of dental practice against restrictive regulations that could limit clinical procedures or add costly administrative burdens.​
Influencing reimbursement policies and insurance legislation to ensure fair payment rates and timely reimbursement for dental services, protecting practice income.​
Helping prevent harmful laws—such as excessive taxes on dental materials or arbitrary limitations on sedation protocols—that can increase operational costs or decrease quality of care.​
Enhanced Practice Operations
A strong PAC presence in the public policy arena gives dental practices a unified, credible voice, ensuring their operational challenges and priorities are heard and addressed by decision-makers.​
Advocacy for streamlined paperwork, reduced compliance burdens, and the protection of patient privacy and autonomy directly improves practice efficiency.​
PAC efforts can advance favorable patient financing laws and regulations, making it easier for practices to offer payment options, which increases case acceptance and boosts revenue.​

Financial Security and Strategic Growth

PAC-supported candidates and policy initiatives help create a stable regulatory environment, minimizing financial risks and fostering practice growth.​
Protection from sudden or disruptive legislative changes prevents costly interruptions and loss of revenue for dental practices.​
Advocacy leads to more predictable compliance obligations, allowing practices to plan for investments and expansion with greater confidence.​
In summary, supporting the PAC empowers dental practices to protect their financial interests, sustain growth, and deliver quality care by shaping the legal and regulatory framework that governs dentistry.​

How to calculate ROI from PAC contributions for my practice

Calculating ROI from PAC contributions for a dental practice involves estimating the financial and operational benefits your practice receives due to positive legislative, regulatory, and business outcomes driven by PAC advocacy.​
The simplest formula for calculating return on investment (ROI) is:

For PAC contributions, you’ll need to determine net profit based on quantifiable practice improvements attributed to PAC efforts, such as increased reimbursement rates, reduced compliance costs, and avoided harmful legislation.​

Steps to Estimating ROI
Identify Tangible Benefits

Examples include:
Increased annual revenue due to better insurance reimbursement​
Lower compliance or administrative costs
New patient volume from expanded scope of services
Calculate Value Over Time
Estimate annual or multi-year financial gains resulting from those benefits. For instance:
If PAC advocacy leads to a $10 higher reimbursement per procedure and your practice does 2,000 such procedures annually, that’s $20,000/year.
Subtract Contribution Cost
If you contributed $2,000 to the PAC, the net benefit is $18,000.
Apply the ROI Formula
Include Intangible Benefits
Some gains—like reduced risk, improved professional image, and future-proofing practice growth—are difficult to quantify but increase overall ROI.​

Practical Considerations

ROI calculations for PACs may be more qualitative than marketing ROI because benefits often accrue through advocacy that prevents costly legislation or secures long-term business advantages.​
Track year-over-year changes in revenue, operational costs, and legal compliance to identify trends correlated with PAC successes.
Supporting the PAC often generates ROI that far exceeds the initial investment due to broad, practice-wide benefits over time.​

Get involved

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