NMDA Journal Fall 2018

6 New Mexico Dental Journal, Fall 2018 = The Value Equation By Tom Schripsema, DDS— New Mexico Dental Association Executive Director Hardly a day goes by that someone doesn’t call asking about how much you charge for something. Although that kind of consumerism is understandable, and even encouraged by third party payers and government, it is the worst kind. Why? Because cost is only one component of the value equation. Factors like quality, convenience, durability andmany others impact the value of a product or service. Not least important, is the consumer’s own needs and preferences. Witness the literally hundreds of models of cars that people invest value in, all of which finally just get you from here to there. Being a member of the Dental Association is sort of like that. We want members to find value in their commitment of time and money, but offering the variety of benefits that satisfy a truly diverse membership is a challenge. We have members that own practices and members that work for others. We have dentists just getting started and dentists who have been retired for years. We have students and ethnic minorities. We have women and men. Each have their own value equation when it comes to membership. Many value less tangible benefits, like our advocacy, education, scientific research, or work with codes and standards. Some people’s value equation will require more tangible benefits that directly offset the costs of membership. To serve this diverse group, the ADA and NMDA have developed products and services or partner with others to provide benefits to meet the needs and desires of every member and potential member. We are constantly adding and improving services that our members request. This issue highlights just some of the programs and services available through our organization. Chances are there are many you didn’t know about and many that you don’t particularly need right now. We hope you will keep this issue around all year as a handy reference to the services that are available. On the following pages are the member services that are currently available to NMDA members.