This is likely not a good thing for prospective patients, as it means that there will still be a large pool of inexperienced Invisalign providers out there past June. Please remember that Invisalign is a technique requiring an experienced Invisalign doctor.
Here's breaking news regarding the removal of case requirements:
Dear Doctor:
I am writing to share some significant changes to the way we encourage product proficiency with Invisalign. Last June, we announced the Invisalign proficiency program, an initiative aimed at helping doctors who use Invisalign develop and maintain a baseline of Invisalign product knowledge and experience. While we remain deeply committed to the original objectives of the proficiency program, we are equally committed to listening to our customers and responding to their concerns. Effective immediately, Align is eliminating the annual case requirement for Invisalign providers. Instead of requiring doctors to start 10 Invisalign cases per year, we will focus on other ways to help ensure great treatment results for doctors and patients, including:
Maintaining the annual 10 CE hour requirement to ensure doctors have the latest product and clinical training available;
Continued product innovation and improvement to deliver great product performance and predictability, and the outcomes doctors expect.
We launched the proficiency program with the best of intentions – to help ensure that every Invisalign provider can achieve great results for his or her patients, and that every patient can be confident of a great treatment experience with an Invisalign provider. We knew that the program represented a big change for our customers, but we did not anticipate the scope and intensity of their frustration with the annual case requirement.
In addition, numerous national and state professional organizations strongly oppose the case start requirement. Two organizations have taken action against the case requirement and other groups are threatening similar action. These industry relationships are important to Align; we’ve worked hard over the years to develop them.
While we remain deeply committed to helping ensure great results for Invisalign doctors and patients, we cannot ignore our customers’ continued frustration and concerns, or those of valued industry partners. We will continue to award Invisalign Preferred Provider status to doctors who reach a minimum of 10 case starts a year. While this is not a requirement, we believe that Preferred Provider status encourages doctors to continue building their Invisalign experience and offers valuable benefits to our customers, including:
Access to millions of consumers through inclusion on Invisalign.com’s Find a Doctor search tool;
Preferred Provider-branded marketing resources for your practice;
A multi-million dollar consumer advertising campaign that drives prospective patients to “see a Preferred Provider;”
Industry-leading sales and clinical support teams, with a dedicated customer care hotline;
A new customer loyalty and rewards program coming in 2011 that will combine Preferred Provider status and Invisalign Advantage program benefits with a new range of rewards.
We realize that this represents another significant change for our customers, but hopefully a welcome one. We understand that meeting the proficiency requirements was not easy for many customers, and we truly appreciate the commitment you’ve demonstrated to Invisalign over the past several months.
If there is anything that my team or I can do for you, we are here to help. If you have questions regarding the Invisalign CE requirements, Preferred Provider status, or other details, please visit http://vip.invisalign.com/proficiency.
Your success and satisfaction with Invisalign and with our company are our highest priorities. We know that we can only be successful over the long-term if we listen to our customers and respond to their needs.
Thank you again for support and for your business.
Sincerely,
Dan S. Ellis Vice President, North American Sales
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