Former American Association of Endodontists (AAE) President, Dr. Terryl Propper, DDS, MS, has announced the launch of Endodontic Practice Partners (EPP), a newly formed Specialty Partnership Organization (SPO), focused entirely on supporting the unique needs of endodontists. More than 5,500 endodontists across the U.S. perform over six million endodontic procedures every year, saving countless natural teeth and relieving patient pain, often in urgent situations. Endodontic Practice Partners was founded to provide world-class business support services to these specialty dentists. Affiliate practices benefit from resources in recruiting, marketing, human resources, group purchasing, insurance negotiation, growth capital and strategic planning, helping them grow their practices; all in a model that is endodontist owned, endodontist led and focused on their specialty. EPP is unique in that partners of affiliated practices are owners of the company and will have a stake in its growth and strategic direction.
“Since serving as president of the AAE in 2016, I have seen rapid changes taking place in the specialty market. Traditional practice models are quickly fading away as retiring practitioners are being replaced by group practices and consolidation across the US. Student debt is influencing young endodontists’ practice choices,” says Dr. Propper. “EPP is taking the lead to help endodontists adapt to these changes. We provide expertise to endodontists to position them for the best possible clinical, professional, and business success.”
The Company partnered with River Cities Capital Funds, an established healthcare investor and preferred partner to entrepreneurs and management teams throughout the healthcare landscape.
“River Cities immediately understood the mission we are on and were exactly the type of supportive and collaborative financial partner we need,” says Sam Hutcheson, EPP’s CEO.
EPP’s founders have a combined 60 years of clinical and operational experience in the dental and healthcare industries:
Dr. Terryl Propper – Dr. Propper serves as Chief Dental Officer and is a former president of the AAE. She retired after 30 years of clinical practice and served as CEO and Managing Partner of a three-location group endodontic practice made up of eight doctors in Nashville, TN. Dr. Propper is a former ADA Hillenbrand Fellowship finalist, assistant director of marketing for the ADA and a former member of the ADA’s speaker bureau. In that role, she lectured on practice management and marketing across the US and Canada. She was the founder and editor of the ADA’s marketing newsletter, Dynamic Dental Strategies. She is the current president of the Tennessee Dental Association and the first female to hold this position in 153 years. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a certificate and MS in endodontics.
Sam Hutcheson – Sam serves as Chief Executive Officer and is a seasoned healthcare leader with expertise in building companies through acquisitive growth strategies. He most recently served as Chief of Staff for LifePoint Health, where he led LifePoint’s $6 billion “go-private” sale to Apollo Global Management; transitioning LifePoint from being a publicly traded company to an $8 billion privately held company. Prior to his role as Chief of Staff, Sam held progressive leadership roles at LifePoint Health and successfully closed over $1.25 billion of acquisitions for the company. Sam earned an MBA from the Owen Business School at Vanderbilt University and a BS from the University of Tennessee.
Sherry Bunce – Sherry serves as Chief Operational Officer and has more than 20 years of operational, strategic growth and management experience with three of the nation’s largest Dental Support Organizations. Immediately prior to her position with, she served as Vice President of Specialty Services for Aspen Dental Management, where she developed an enterprise-wide strategy for integration of specialty services across 700 practices. Before that role, she was Divisional Vice President of Operations where she oversaw the growth and operations of more than100 offices across 11 states. She earned a degree in Health Care Administration from Concordia University.
EPP’s headquarters are based in Nashville. To learn more, visit www.EndodonticPracticePartners.com.
