The Competition Authority today
published its preliminary reports on competition issues associated with the dental and optometry professions.
The dental profession is the focus of 13 recommendations designed to remedy problems the Competition Authority has identified, while 5 recommendations in relation to the optometry profession (commonly known as opticians).
The Competition Authority is critical of the layers of unnecessary laws and regulations under which the dental profession must operate in Ireland. The Competition Authority’s report goes on to highlight that;
Competition is not working well for consumers of dental services, i.e. individual patients and the State. The prices of dental services in Ireland have been consistently rising beyond the general rate of health inflation. Some consumers have even opted to travel to other countries for certain dental servic es. This is not surprising when competition is actively discouraged. For example the Dental Council bans dentists from offering discounts to consumers and it is illegal for suitably qualified professionals to offer basic dental services directly to consumers.
In contrast the Competition Authority finds that the optometry profession is one where competition appears to be working well. The report goes on to say that;
Many of the unnecessary restrictions the Competition Authority has found in other professions are not present in the optometry profession.
Irish consumers benefit from having a choice in how to avail of quality optometry services. Consumers also benefit from freely available information about the range, location and price of those services. The Competition Authority has found no evidence that restrictions on competition have contributed to increasing prices for optical examinations, spectacles and contact lenses.
According to Declan Purcell, Director of the Competition Authority’s Advocacy Division, “The implementation of the Competition Authority’s recommendations will lead to a modern system of regulation for the dental profession. This will ensure that the health and safety of the public is protected, while at the same time encouraging value for money and choice in dental services. The implementation of these recommendations will empower consumers to make informed choices about their oral health and to obtain dental services from a wider range of qualified professionals. The Competitio n Authority has also made a number of recommendations designed to enhance and protect competition in the optometry profession.”
Issues in the Dental Profession
The Competition Authority believes that the rules governing the dental profession in Ireland urgently need to be modernised. The report highlights that competition in dental services has been seriously restricted by unnecessary laws and regulations that do not apply to dentists in most other countries. In particular, the Dentists Act 1985 and the rules imposed by the Dental Council prevent consumers from benefiting from active competition in the following ways;
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Healthcare professionals, such as dental hygienists and clinical dental technicians, are prevented from offering basic dental services directly to consumers;
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Dentists are discouraged from attracting customers through normal methods of competition including price discounting and advertising;
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Restrictions on informative advertising prevent consumers from getting access to basic information which would help them to make more informed decisions about their health;
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Consumers are unnecessarily limited in their choice of provider of dental services; and,
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There are unnecessary obstacles put in the way of dentists trying to offer new services to consumers, or to deliver their services in new ways.
Issues in the Optometry Profession
The Competition Authority has a number of minor concerns relating to rules and practices in the optometry profession which may inhibit competition.
Accordingly, the Competition Authority’s preliminary report makes 5 recommendations designed to enhance and protect competition in optometry services. Implementation of these recommendations will;
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Reduce waiting lists for school children who require eye tests;
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Make it easier for consumers to compare the price and range of optometry services on offer;
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Bring the composition of the Opticians Board into line with other regulators of health professions and the principles of better regulation; and,
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Ensure a sufficient supply of optometrists to meet long-term demand for optometry services.
Dentists and Optometrists Preliminary Reports
