October 2006 - Pacific Smiles Group (PSG) is pleased to announce the opening of its new Dental Care Centre at Wollongong. The opening of the Wollongong centre brings the number of Dental Care Centres operated by PSG to eleven—spread throughout New South Wales and Victoria.
The Wollongong NIB Dental Care Centre is the fourth Dental Care Centre operated by PSG under the NIB branding. The opportunity to service almost 20,000 NIB members within the Illawarra catchment was the major driver behind the development of the new Dental Care Centre, located centrally within the Wollongong CBD.
As in all PSG and NIB Dental Care Centres, the latest equipment has been installed to ensure Dentists, staff and patients receive the best treatment utilising the most up to date technology. Digital X-Ray equipment and a thorough sterilisation process ensures patients’ safety is maximised. The Wollongong facility comprises 7 operatories, each designed with the patient’s and Dentist’s comfort in mind.
Local staff have been employed to work within the Wollongong NIB Dental Care Centre and each of them have a sense of excitement about being involved in such a fantastic project. The new centre will provide dental services including: family dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, surgical procedures and Orthodontics.
An overwhelming response was received from Wollongong NIB Members to a recent direct mail campaign resulting in over 1,250 patients booked into the centre prior to opening day. Many NIB members welcomed the opening of such a superb facility within the Illawarra region, saying that the opportunity to attend such a sophisticated and professional centre without having to travel to Sydney was a boost for the area.
September 2006 - Confirming its status as an industry leader, Pacific Smiles Group announces the opening of a brand new Dental Care Centre at Tuggerah on the Central Coast of New South Wales. This is the tenth Dental Care Centre operated by Pacific Smiles Group, proving that exceptional customer service and attention to the needs of patients and practitioners provides an operational model second to none.
The new centre is located within the Tuggerah Westfield Shopping complex which services new and existing residential and semi-rural sub-divisions of the Central Coast. As one of the major growth areas outside Sydney, Tuggerah and its surrounding areas present PSG with the opportunity to provide high quality dental services to a catchment of approximately 150,000 existing residents, a figure that is expected to escalate to 160,000 residents by the year 2011.
Pacific Smiles Group has delivered the region with a chic, modern centre, fitted with the latest equipment and up to date technology. Patients can rest assured that the most efficient safety measures are utilised in the sterilisation process along with the benefits of digital x-ray systems, digital OPG, electronic patient charting, booking and billing.
The new centre will feature 7 operatories, and will also cater for patients who require dental services outside normal working hours, opening all day Saturday and Thursday evenings.
Dr. Alex Abrahams, Managing Director of PSG states that to ensure the provision of a comfortable and reassuring environment for patients, PSG utilised the services of an experienced and well respected design company within the professional services sector, Levitch Design Associates. LDA were able to introduce fresh and inviting colours and designs into the centre’s concept without compromising its operational integrity.
August 2006 - Pacific Smiles Group (PSG) is pleased to announce the commencement of services on 2 August from yet another brand new Dental Care Centre.
The new Centre has been established at Glendale, a high-growth region south-west of Newcastle, Australia’s sixth largest city. While PSG will own and operate the Centre, it will be branded as an NIB Dental Care Centre, becoming the third such Centre to provide outstanding quality and value to NIB members and the public generally.
The NIB Dental Care Centre, Glendale will feature eight operatories, digital x-ray systems, digital OPG, electronic patient charting, booking and billing (via Dental 4 Windows), patient consult room and superior patient waiting lounge with enclosed children’s play area. Practitioners and employees are also well looked after with a Practitioners Retreat featuring lounge chairs, desks and computers and an oversized Staff Room with all the creature comforts needed for a hard working team.
Dr. Alex Abrahams, Managing Director of PSG, agrees. “The NIB Dental Care Centre, Glendale, is an exceptional facility in such a high profile location that it will encourage health fund members and members of the general public to focus on the importance of regular dental check-ups and good oral hygiene.
The day before opening, the Centre had recorded in excess of 1,200 appointments, built up through a targeted communications program in the area. PSG suspects that this is unprecedented in the dental services industry of Australia.
Another important innovation included in the development of the NIB Dental Care Centre, Glendale, is the Appointment Booking Centre (ABC). The ABC has been developed in an effort to provide efficient telephone services to patients of all three NIB Dental Care Centres, located in Newcastle and Sydney CBD’s and now Glendale.
July 2006 - Pacific Smiles Group (PSG) is pleased to announce the acquisition of Albert Street Dental Centre, a long established and highly respected Dental Care Centre located in Warragul, Victoria. PSG welcomes five dentists including Dr. Sue Griffiths and Dr. David Griffiths, the former proprietors of Albert Street Dental Centre.
Albert Street Dental Centre is one of the larger Dental Care Centres in regional Victoria with 6 busy operatories, laser surgery and hygienist and therapist services available. It services a large patient catchment in the rich farming areas of West Gippsland, about an hour and a half east of Melbourne.
PSG benefits through the continued development of a larger, highly skilled organisation that is better able to deal with the complex regulatory and business environment faced by dental practitioners today. This strategic acquisition accords with Pacific Smiles Group’s geographic expansion throughout the Eastern States of Australia.
May 2006 - Pacific Smiles Group announces that it will develop a brand new Dental Care Centre for NIB Health Funds at Glendale, south-west of Newcastle. The new NIB Dental Care Centre will feature digital OPG and x-ray systems, fully electronic patient records and patient bookings systems, brand new ergonomically designed patient chairs, a comfortable and welcoming patient lounge and plenty of parking. It will be the third NIB Dental Care Centre to be operated by Pacific Smiles Group, the other two being in Newcastle and Sydney.
March 2006 - To enhance patient safety and service efficiency, Pacific Smiles Group is making significant technology investments in all of its Dental Care Centres. This includes an electronic patient record system to replace paper patient files, an electronic bookings system and an advanced digital x-ray system which produces substantially lower rates of radiation exposure for patients.