In an agreement announced today, Eastman Kodak Company will be the sole supplier of dental x-ray film and chemistry for Aspen Dental Management. Aspen Dental is the leading dental practice management firm in the northeast, operating 50 offices in six states.
Under the terms of the multi-year agreement, effective January 1, 2004, Aspen will exclusively use KODAK dental intraoral and extraoral film and chemistry. In addition, Kodak will provide Aspen Dental with conversion assistance, continuing education and training, access to other KODAK technologies and services, and marketing support. Kodak will also assist Aspen in establishing a lead recycling program.
“We’re very pleased to be allied with Kodak. This new relationship will create significant value for our dentists and our patients,” said Robert F. Fontana, president and CEO, Aspen Dental Management, Inc. “Our agreement with Kodak not only offers our dentists the leading brand of dental x-ray imaging products in the industry, but also the technology and innovation they need for Aspen to maintain its leadership position in dental practice management throughout the northeastern United States.”
Fontana added that, as in other healthcare sectors like eye care, the field of dentistry will continue to evolve, consolidate and become more retail in nature. “As it does,” he said, “it will be important for brands like Kodak and Aspen to focus their collective energy on creating value for dentists and patients alike.”
“Kodak welcomes this opportunity to commit more fully to Aspen Dental and its dental professionals,” said Ruth Arbuckle, general manager, United States and Canada, Kodak’s dental systems. “We look forward to a long and mutually-rewarding relationship that will enhance Aspen’s strengths both financially and in terms of patient standards of care.”
About Kodak’s Dental Systems Group
Kodak’s dental systems group is a leading participant in infoimaging, a $385 billion industry created by the convergence of image-and-information technology. The business, which includes wholly-owed subsidiaries PracticeWorks Inc. and Trophy Radiologie, develops, manufactures and markets dental imaging and information systems for dental practitioners, including practice management software, intraoral and extraoral dental imaging films, processing chemistry and x-ray equipment; direct-digital dental x-ray technology; digital cameras and accessories for dental applications; photographic-quality paper for printing digital images; COOK WAITE brand local anesthetics; and a variety of related products and services. Infoimaging unites three closely related imaging markets that enable people to more easily take and share images as information: devices, such as digital cameras and x-ray systems; infrastructure, such as practice management software; and services and media, such as photographic-quality inkjet paper and electronic insurance claims submission.
For more information about Kodak’s dental systems group call 800-933-8031 or visit Kodak’s Health Imaging Dental Systems Group website at www.kodak.com/go/dental, where you can also subscribe to Kodak’s Dental E-Bites, a free electronic newsletter featuring information on imaging technology and updates on Kodak’s dental products and promotions. For technical questions about any KODAK dental product, you can also call (U.S.) 800-933-8031 or your regional KODAK products representative.
About Aspen Dental Management
Aspen Dental Management, Inc. is the leading dental practice management firm in the northeast, providing value-oriented business, operational, and marketing services to dentists in New York and New England. In 2003, Aspen dentists in 50 offices across six states received over 350,000 patient visits, including visits from over 55,000 new patients and 10,000 denture patients. Aspen serves the dental care needs of historically under-served members of the community, by focusing on the forty percent of the population with no regular dentist or pattern of dental visits. These patients tend to be those most in need of immediate treatment with dentures, crowns, or bridges, and maximum flexibility in hours, locations, insurance, and payment plans. Aspen offers a full range of services, including general and cosmetic dentistry, hygiene, and oral surgery. Aspen specializes in fixed and removable prosthetic dentistry, and offers a choice of eight proprietary styles of full and partial dentures. Aspen Dental. We’ll change the way you see the dentist. ®