january 2008 #

updateThe monthly newsmagazine of the California Dental AssociationVol. 22, Issue 9, September 2010

CDA bill to ban fee caps sent to governor®

sPreptime GiveKidsASmile

registrationopensOct.1

Page12

n Humanerror Electronicclaim

submissionsarenotfoolproof.

Page2

n Familyprotection Doyouhaveenough

lifeinsurance? Page6

n C.E.savings �CDA�Presentscourse

recordingsavailableatadiscount.

Page10

n Teamspirit Teamtrainingcan

helpyourpractice. Page13

By Bill Lewis

After months of behind-the-scenes negotiations and, ultimately, a series of unani-

mous votes in both the Senate and Assembly, CDA-sponsored legisla-tion to prohibit dental plans from capping fees that dentists may charge for noncovered services was sent to the governor in late August. The governor will have until the end of

September to sign or veto the legisla-tion, Assembly Bill 2275 (Hayashi). Fee caps for noncovered services have been an issue of rapidly grow-ing intensity for the dental profession throughout the nation, with 15 states now having laws in place prohibiting the practice, 14 of which were enacted just in the past year. The 2009 CDA House of Delegates in November ap-proved Resolution 36RC, which di-rected CDA to consider options, in- See fee caps Page 15

Precautions urgedto prevent spread of pertussis epidemic

Pertussis, also known as whoop-ing cough, is an epidemic in California, according to the

state Department of Public Health. The department stresses that a high level of community immunity is needed to reduce the incidence of this highly contagious disease and recommends that individuals be vac-cinated. Infants are particularly vul-nerable to pertussis; and health care personnel, women of childbearing age, and individuals who have close contact with infants are at the high-est priority for being immunized. Effective Sept. 1, all employers covered by the Cal/OSHA Aero-sol Transmissible Disease Standard are required to offer the combined tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccine, called Tdap, to employees who are potentially occupationally exposed to pertussis. A dental practice, however, is not required to provide vaccinations or otherwise comply with other require-ments of the standard if all specified conditions applicable to dental prac-tices in the standard are met. The conditions include establishing and implementing policy and procedures to screen patients for aerosol trans-missible diseases and not to treat a

This young dental patient received an exam at Diamond Springs Dental Center in Diamond Springs. Thanks to the CDA Foundation’s Pediatric Oral Health Access Program, thousands of children like him have received much-needed care throughout the state. POHAP, which began seven years ago, is having a significant impact on unmet dental needs in California. See story, Page 11.

73,000 children treated

See access Page 4

If you ask CDA President Thomas Stewart, DDS, the question fellow dentists are asking these days, he

will give you an honest answer that will shed light on a process that CDA is undertaking to learn more about access issues and workforce activities occurring nationally. The question has to do with CDA’s efforts to reduce barriers to oral

CDA studies evidence surrounding access

health care and whether CDA plans to propose a new provider model to address the needs of Californians — an estimated 10 million — who have difficulty accessing care.

“A lot of dentists in California and in other states are asking me that very question, and I explain to them that CDA is doing research on ac-cess issues and workforce models — deliberative evidence-based research — that will ultimately go through our policy development process,” Stewart said. “The goal is to exam-

See pertussis Page 3

cluding legislation, to ban these fee restrictions on noncovered services. “Fee caps for noncovered services have rapidly become the most disliked insurance company practice identi-fied by dentists around the country, and CDA’s own member surveys have shown them to be the top priority for California dentists as well,” said CDA President Tom Stewart, DDS. “Following the House of Delegates’

2 update

Update (ISSN 1942-4353) Copyright 2010. Published monthly by the California Dental Association at 1201 K St., Sacramento, CA 95814, 800.CDA.SMILE, and distributed to members of CDA as a direct benefit of membership. Statements of opinion in the Update are not necessarily endorsed by CDA. Printed in U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at Sacramento. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Update, P.O. Box 13749, Sacramento, CA 95853.

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTORAlicia Malaby

PUBLICATIONS MANAGERJeanne Marie Tokunaga

GRAPHIC DESIGNERPat Rigley

ASSISTANT EDITORPatty Reyes, CDE

COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANTJenaé Gruchow

ADVERTISING MANAGERCorey Gerhard

EDITORIAL ADVISERKerry K. Carney, DDS

CONTRIBUTORSGreg Alterton, Michele Flynn, Jessica Joisten, Bill Lewis, Teresa Pichay, Mary Sobieralski, Molly Woodward

DISPLAY ADVERTISING: The California Dental Association does not assume liability for content of advertisements.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Rate for CDA members is $6, which is included in membership dues. Subscription rate for all others is: $12 for ADA members; $24 for CDA/ADA nonmembers and institutional; $36 for foreign subscriptions; $6 for single copies. Subscriptions may commence at any time.

800.232.7645 cda.org

Even electronic claims subject to human error

Levels of practice management software validation vary among products, but nothing is fail-safe. Software may confirm that the pa-tient information fields on the form are filled out but can’t confirm that the information itself is correct. For example, the program may not be able to tell whether the numbers of

a patient’s street address are trans-posed or the patient identification number is in correct sequence. A patient’s name may be misspelled or an incorrect CDT code number may be on the form; but the software may allow it to be transmitted to a clear-inghouse or directly to a dental plan as a “complete claim,” errors and all. Such errors will very likely cause the claim to be denied. Here are some of the main errors that an electronic claim submission program may miss: • Invalid social security number, or other ID number, for the patient; • Invalid social security number, or other ID number, for the enrollee (assuming the patient is a beneficia-ry of the enrollee’s coverage); • Missing or incorrect tax ID number or national provider identi-fication number of the dentist; • Incomplete or missing payer information (e.g., name, address, city, state, ZIP code); • Incomplete or missing patient information (e.g., name, address, etc.); • Invalid date of birth for the pa-tient; • Missing “billing dentist” infor-mation;

• Missing or incorrect provider license number; or • Invalid dental plan identifica-tion number. The promise of electronic claim submissions is that many of the com-mon payment issues experienced by dental offices — failure of plans to pay promptly, refund demands on previously paid claims, lost claims and documentation, problems in coordinating benefits — may be re-duced through the use of electronic claims. However, even the best soft-ware may not be able to catch er-rors inadvertently entered. Being diligent to check these items before pressing the “send” button will avoid unnecessary payment delays and claim denials. For further information on this orother dental benefit payment issues,contact the CDA Practice SupportCenterat866.232.6362.

®

cdacompass.com where smart dentists get smarter SM

Office cell phOne pOlicy

While many dentists are voicing their concerns over employees’ excessive use of cell phones, very few have an office policy in place to address this issue. Those who have a policy have difficulty enforcing it because employees argue that they need to have their cell phones on them during work hours in case of emergencies. For more on addressing cell phones in the office, read the Compass blog, Office Cell Phone Policy.

tOp 5 questiOnsOf the summer

1. Is overtime paid for hours in excess of eight per day or 40 per week?

2. How much time can an employee take for personal leave after surgery?

3. Can I change my employees’ hours?4. PCI DSS – What is it?5. When billing, should I use the fee

allowed by the plan or my own UCR fee?

hOt resOurcesThe Right Way to Offer a Patient Discount

What to Do When There Is Down Time in the Dental Practice

What to Do When a Patient Asks for a Refund

Stored Value Cards

Glutaraldehyde: Recommendations to Minimize Airborne Concentrations

ADA Updates to the Legal Reference Guide for California Dentists

Evaluating Dental Benefit Plans Checklist

California Requirements for Dental Credit

Ins and Outs of Maximums

Did you know ?

If you ever need clarification on Compass content or have questions about your own practice, our experts are just a phone call away. 800.232.6362

Just a phOne call away

Dental Benefit Plans

By Greg AltertonCDA PRACTICE ANALyST

Software may confirm that the patient

information fields on the form are filled out

but can’t confirm that the information is correct.

In these pages, we’ve previously touted the advantages of sub-mitting dental claims electroni-

cally. Electronic claims can speed up adjudication and, hence, payments; reduce the separation of claims from supporting documentation; facilitate electronic transfer of funds as pay-ments; and make it easier for plans to track and confirm the status of claims, to mention just a few advantages. We’ve also previously pointed out that the submission of electronic claims will catch, and thereby pre-vent, errors in critical fields of the claim form — errors that may result in claim denials or the need to sub-mit the missing information. Prac-tice management software programs typically include a means of check-ing claim form information and will prevent the claim from being trans-mitted if key information is missing or the information doesn’t conform to, for instance, the length of a den-tal procedure code or an expected al-phanumeric combination. But there remain possible critical errors in fill-ing out a claim form that these pro-grams cannot identify (and perhaps it comes as some relief to know that hu-man input is still important to these increasingly automated processes).

For additional information on electronic claims, visit cda compass.com/Home-Inner/

Article.aspx?topic=Electronic_Claims.

More on the Compass

Blog

patient who presents an exposure risk for such diseases. Policies and procedures to that effect should be included in a practice’s injury and illness prevention plan. A sample injury and illness pre-vention plan can be found on cda-compass.com. The Compass also has an article titled “Cal/OSHA Regula-tion on Aerosol Transmissible Dis-eases” that explains how a dental practice can meet the specified con-ditions in the standard. Pertussis is caused by a bacterium called Bordetella pertussis. It is spread from person to person through close contact with an infected person who coughs or sneezes. The early symptoms are indistinguishable from a common cold. The main symptom of this dis-ease is severe coughing spells that may end in vomiting. The cough can last several weeks. In small children, there is a characteristic “whoop” that can be heard. This is sometimes absent in older patients. Adolescents and adults as well as children can get pertussis.

As of mid-August, more than 3,300 pertussis cases were reported in California for the year. That is a sev-enfold increase from the number of reported cases during the same period in 2009. The Department of Public Health stated that if the current trend continues, it is likely that California will experience more cases of pertus-sis than it has seen in five decades. Information on pertussis, vaccina-tion recommendations and the Cali-fornia epidemic can be found on the Department of Public Health website, cdph.ca.gov/HealthInfo/discond/Pages /Pertussis.aspx. To screen patients, dental person-nel should notice if a patient appears to have a cold or is coughing. If the symptoms are apparent, dental person-nel should ask the patient if he or she has been exposed to pertussis/whoop-ing cough or has been diagnosed. Re-schedule treatment if needed. Dental personnel who are expe-riencing symptoms similar to per-tussis should refrain from exposing patients and co-workers and should not report to work unless medical clearance has been obtained.

PertussisFrom Page 1

september 2010 3

House of Delegates to be held in November

The 2010 CDA House of Dele-gates will be held Nov. 12–14 at the Beverly Hilton hotel in

Beverly Hills. The meeting will con-vene at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 12. The House of Delegates — the as-sociation’s highest governing author-ity — meets annually. At the meeting, more than 200 delegates representing 32 local dental societies will decide is-sues of importance to CDA’s member-ship. Among the delegates’ duties will be to elect officers of the association. CDA’s Nominating Committee selected the following slate of offi-cers for presentation to the house: • President-elect: Daniel G. Da-

vidson, DMD • Vice president: Lindsey A. Robinson, DDS • Secretary: James D. Stephens, DDS • Speaker of the house: Alan L. Felsenfeld, DDS Also at the meeting, President-Elect Andrew P. Soderstrom, DDS, will be installed as president of CDA for 2011. The current treasurer, Cle-lan G. Ehrler, DDS, has one more year remaining on his two-year term in office. At its October meeting, the CDA Board of Trustees will vote on reappointing Kerry K. Carney, DDS, as editor for another one-year term.

The New York attorney gen-eral has recently launched an investigation of patient

credit financing practices, including CareCredit. The ADA has been in-cluded in the investigation because ADA Business Enterprises, Inc., en-dorses CareCredit. The ADA reported that it “shares the concerns of the N.Y. Attorney General’s Office about patient credit financing practices and fully sup-ports the patients’ right to under-stand their treatment plans and the costs of treatment.” The ADA has also reported that its “investigation of CareCredit turned up no negative information; and nothing learned since has given the ADA any reason to change its long-standing relationship with CareCred-it, which has greatly benefitted both ADA members and the public.” Concern regarding patient fi-nancing is not new to California. Two years ago, reported instances of

Patient credit probed in N.Y.;California law addresses issue

dental offices arranging for patient financing without proper disclosure and consent led to the introduction of legislation in California. After nearly two years of negotiations, CDA supported the legislation, AB 171 (Jones), which clarifies the respective rights and obliga-tions of patients and dentists when commercial credit financing prod-ucts (credit cards, lines of credit or loans) are offered to patients in the dental office. As reported in the November 2009 Update, Gov. Arnold Schwar-zenegger signed the bill. The law became effective in January 2010. Specifically, the new law: • Requires dentists to provide a written treatment plan to patients prior to arranging or establishing third-party credit; • Requires dental offices to obtain the patient’s signature on a specified written disclosure notice outlining the

See credit Page 10

Equilibration SeminarsFeaturing: Norm Culver, DDS

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The Lost Art of Equilibration isSimplifiedFinally there’s a way to make equilibration simple, practical and profitable. Learn on large models exactly where to grind and why.This is not one of those complicated occlusion classes but a simple half day focused entirely on equilibration.Learn from a dentist who’s done thousands of them over a period of nearly40 years and can simplify the process for you.Several seminar locations or request private instructional meetings.

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4 update

Several dynamics at work in access debatedentist to remain the head of the dental team, and the association will do all it can to ensure that the team is not fragmented. However, proposals that could change the nature of den-tal teams are coming forward from both inside and outside the dental profession. Among the efforts under way is one from the Children’s Part-nership of California and Children Now that would create a new dental professional who can provide basic restorative care to address the access needs of underserved children. While various groups will try to influence what happens in the com-ing years to address and reduce oral health care barriers, no one is more informed or better suited than CDA to represent the long-term interests of dentists and their patients in the debate and policy discussions. For all of the researchCDA is do-ing in this area and the political land-scapeacrossthecountry,gotocda.org/access. Please send your comments toaccess@cda.org.

The discussion of access to oral health care is a hot topic right now among various groups

across the country. While stakehold-ers agree that reducing barriers is important for the 30 percent of the population that experience difficulty in accessing oral health care, they do not necessarily agree on ways to achieve that goal. The differing agendas and points of view of politicians, public health advocates, think tanks, the media and even organized dentistry means there will be no simple solution to the debate. Further complicating the issue is national health care reform, which will add millions of new pa-tients to the dental delivery system in 2014, when requirements go into effect to make dental coverage avail-able to people younger than 21. This outline of the dynamics of the stakeholder debate will help members better understand the chal-lenges that lie ahead for dentists, CDA and the profession:

gle. They root for the underdog and may be suspicious of organizations and professions trying to protect their own interests. They are also in the business of simplifying complex issues, which means important de-tails and nuances are frequently lost, reducing debates to black-and-white sound bites. • Industry media covering the dental profession are well-inten-tioned but lack common definitions. For example, the term “midlevel provider” is used to communicate many different concepts, further-ing confusion, misinformation and a lack of precision in discussions of access issues. CDA believes it is critical for the

• Legislators feel pressure to pro-duce expedient answers and low-cost plans, but quick wins are not neces-sarily effective long-term solutions. Truly effective long-term solutions often do not make for popular legis-lation. • Public health advocates and think tanks typically place a priority on innovation, which can be valu-able; but they have no stake in the status quo or reason to be an advo-cate for the interests of the profes-sion. In fact, one national foundation is purposely not working with orga-nized dentistry in its efforts to create a new oral health care provider. • Mainstream media deal in con-troversy, conflict and human strug-

CDA believes it is critical for the dentist to remain the head of the dental team,

and the association will do all it can to ensure that the team is not fragmented.

Timeline

2008

2009

2010

2011

Directs CDA to undertake comprehensive study aimed at improving access to dental care for underserved populations

Resolution 36S1-2008H

Access Workgroup Workforce Research andForecasting Task Force

Access Workgroup continues work and evaluates entire body of research.

Workforce Task Force continues work and evaluates entire body of research.

Assigned to appropriate entity: Policy Development Council

PDC prepares interim report and submits to Executive Committee and Board of Trustees. Board of Trustees sends interim report to 2010 House of Delegates.

Q : Isn’t the access prob-lem actually a utiliza-tion problem?

A: That is part of the debate. CDA’s belief is that whether it’s defined as an in-surance problem, a utilization problem, an education problem or some other sort of problem, the fact remains, 30 percent of Californians experience barri-ers to accessing dental care — and the number is growing. We also believe that there is no single reason utilization of dental care is so low, and therefore there’s not going to be a single solution. That’s why it’s so important that CDA re-search all kinds of evidence-based ways to overcome barriers to access for the 30 percent of the population that does not get dental care now, while preserv-ing the dental delivery system for the 70 percent it serves well. Q: Many of the proposals on the table have the potential to change the way dentists practice dentistry. What can CDA do? A: If we don’t take control of the issue, someone else will. We believe the destiny of dentistry should be shaped by those who practice it. Other states have lost that opportunity. Just say-ing “no” to change is not an op-tion. Our role is to represent the long-term interests of dentists and their patients in policy dis-cussions about reducing barriers to access. To do this, we need to show evidence of what works.

Q & A’s aboutbarriers to careine the issue carefully so CDA can

be the expert in future discussions with policymakers and stakeholders when the time comes.” While you may wonder why CDA is tackling this issue, one look at the national landscape clearly indicates why action is necessary. Workforce activity is now present in 22 states, including California; and the mo-mentum is growing as national health care reform contains funding provisions for the creation of new dental providers to help address the needs of new patients who will gain dental benefit coverage in 2014. CDA’s ongoing research into ac-cess challenges and workforce models is nothing new. The association has a long history of successfully leading initiatives to improve access to oral health care. In 2002, CDA’s House of Delegates adopted an access-to-care position paper affirming a U.S. surgeon general report that found significant oral health disparities among Ameri-cans. In 2008, the House of Delegates adopted Resolution 36S1, which re-quires CDA to examine a broad spec-trum of options and develop a com-prehensive strategy for addressing oral health disparities in California. As a result, two volunteer mem-ber workgroups were formed: the Ac-cess Workgroup, which is studying strategies to reduce barriers to oral health care for the 30 percent of the population that has difficulty access-ing dental care, and the Workforce Taskforce, which is studying dental workforce models that exist in the United States and internationally, as well as proposed models. The findings and subsequent rec-ommendations of these two groups will be formed into an analysis of strategies to improve access to den-

ACCessFrom Page 1

tal care for underserved Californians and will be forwarded to CDA’s Pol-icy Development Council. After the council’s review, the recommenda-tions will go to the Board of Trustees and eventually to the House of Del-egates, which is expected to receive a final report in 2011. So if you ask Thomas Stewart the question everyone else is asking, you can rest assured you are getting a straight answer — not a simple one — but an honest one that he hopes will inspire fellow members to learn more about CDA’s process and research

into barriers to oral health care. “We want members to be aware of what’s going on, to learn all they can about the access problem and work-force activities, and offer input to help guide CDA through this process,” Stewart said. “The research will posi-tion CDA — and dentists — as ex-perts in future discussions about efforts to reduce barriers to oral health care.” For all of the researchCDA is do-ing in this area and the political land-scapeacrossthecountry,gotocda.org/access. Please send your comments toaccess@cda.org.

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6 update

Are you aware of your life insurance needs?By Jonathan Ingalls

Each September, the insurance industry spotlights life insur-ance, offering information,

initiatives and public media forums to increase awareness and encourage Americans to plan for their future and protect their families’ financial resources. In keeping with industry awareness goals, September is a great time for California dentists to review their life insurance policies. No one likes to think about life insurance: Facing the need for this type of insurance means facing your own mortality. However, life insur-ance is a critical part of a sound fi-nancial plan; and if dentists are un-derinsured, or non-insured, they can be putting their families at great risk for financial hardship. While people often think, “It will never happen to me,” the truth is, accidents and ill-ness do take the lives of many Amer-icans in the prime of their lives. If you were to die prematurely, would your family have the financial assets to continue in their current lifestyle? Could your spouse and chil-dren afford mortgage payments, col-lege tuition, property taxes and other living expenses? What about retire-ment income for your spouse? A good life insurance policy will allow family members to maintain their lifestyle,

in addition to paying off debts, taxes, medical bills, funeral costs and other unexpected expenses. At a time of great emotional stress and sadness, your loved ones should not have to worry about where the money’s coming from. Life insurance takes away those worries and allows them to move toward the future you worked so hard to build for them. Prepare for the unexpected by

taking a fresh look at your life insur-ance policy. Like many dentists, you may al-ready have a life insurance policy; but is it appropriate for your needs at this stage of your life? The ex-perts at TDIC’s brokerage Insurance Solutions have found that many CDA member dentists are actually underinsured. While these dentists do have life insurance policies in

place, the coverage may not provide enough financial resources for their families in the event of their death. Research conducted by LIMRA regarding U.S. life insurance cov-erage concluded that the average amount of life insurance on insured husbands is $235,600, while the av-erage amount of life insurance cover-age on insured wives is $147,800. In-sured husbands in the United States carry enough life insurance to re-place their income for only 4.2 years, and wives for only 4.9 years. To meet expert recommendations of having enough life insurance to replace in-come for a term of seven to 10 years, a typical married couple would need to double their current coverage. How can you ensure that you have the appropriate amount of coverage and that your family will be provided for? When you contact your local TDIC Insurance Solutions agent, he or she will work with you to evalu-ate your current policy, determine whether supplemental insurance is in order, and help you address your current needs, as well as forecast fu-ture requirements. TDIC’s brokerage partners with several of the nation’s

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Life insurance products are not “one size fits all.” They are designed to offer flexibility and versatility in the form of options and supplemental

coverage as a family’s needs evolve over time.

8 update

tDiC life From Page 6most respected insurance carriers to offer plenty of choices, among them are American General, Prudential Life, Jefferson Pilot Financial and ING Life Group. When you work with your dedicated TDIC Insurance Solutions agent, you’ll find a plan that provides the coverage you need at a rate you can afford. Many CDA member dentists have been surprised to discover just how affordable life insurance actually is. As your life changes, so does the type of life insurance you’ll need. Life insurance products are not “one size fits all.” They are designed to offer flexibility and versatility in the form of options and supple-mental coverage as a family’s needs evolve over time. Dentists who are taking on a mortgage, starting a practice and having their first child will probably have very different needs than older dentists whose kids are finishing college and whose prac-tices and homes are largely paid off. Level term life insurance is the most popular option chosen by CDA members. Level term insur-ance offers affordable coverage in which the death benefit and pre-mium you pay remains the same during the period you have chosen, regardless of changes in health sta-tus or age. Level term premiums are affected by tobacco use, gen-der, health status and other factors.

Term insurance is a wise choice for covering many debts and obliga-tions, with policies guaranteed for 10, 15, 20 or 30 years. Some carriers offer term options that allow poli-cyholders to select any term length they want from 10 to 30 years. If you choose level term life insur-ance when your children are young and you are just beginning to invest in your practice, you may wish to re-evaluate your policy once you reach the end of your term. You may find that you no longer need such exten-sive coverage, with children grown and your debts paid down. Or, you may realize that your needs have changed in other ways, and that ad-ditional coverage might be warrant-ed to protect your family. Whole life insurance can also of-fer more options than ever imagined. More people are seeing whole life products as vehicles to provide tax-free retirement income. In addition, the income-tax-free policy death benefit can protect your income dur-ing your working years, and ultimate-

ly ensure your legacy to your family. Life insurance needs vary. Your TDIC representative will do a com-prehensive needs analysis to make sure your coverage portfolio meets your personalized needs. Permanent coverage is also a key component of your insurance portfolio. Dentists often carry multiple policies ear-marked for specific needs and situ-ations, and your TDIC agent will help you make the best choices for your family’s continued well-being and protection. This month, take the opportunity to contact your TDIC Insurance So-lutions agent and re-examine your life insurance policy. You are never going to be as young and healthy as you are right now; and because life insurance is medically underwritten, the state of your health is critical to the type of policy you are eligible for. Not everyone qualifies for life insurance due to medical issues, and changes in health status can make the policy more expensive or some-times no longer available to you.

Life insurance is one of the most thoughtful and generous gifts you can give to your family. This month, gain the peace of mind that comes from knowing they are protected, no matter what the future holds. To learn more, call TDIC’s broker-age to speak directly with one of our insurance agents at 800.733.0633. Life insurance products are under-written by other insurance carriers, brokered through TDIC Insurance Solutions. TDIC Insurance Solu-tions Insurance Agent Jonathan Ingalls, Calif. License #0C80681. TDIC Insurance Solutions, Calif. License # 0652783.

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It goes without saying that you’re a pro with a half Hollenback carver,

update_compass_sept_leftside.indd 1 8/30/10 4:23 PM

10 update

Save $100 on S.F. course recordingsCDA Presents attendees looking to earn ad-

ditional C.E. units or members who couldn’t make it to the meeting can gain

extra units by accessing Digitell’s online educa-tional library. Digitell, CDA’s vendor for course recordings, offers an extensive online library of CDA Presents presentations from San Francisco and Anaheim. For a limited time, the entire set of San Fran-cisco courses will be available for a discounted price of $149. The regular price is $249. The special includes: • Downloadable course audio in MP3 format; • Presentations in PDF format; and • Access for three users for easy sharing with staff, colleagues or friends. Access for additional

users can be purchased at a discounted price. The online library offers convenient features such as the ability to: • Transfer audio to an MP3 player, PDA or cell phone; • Stream the audio via an online media play-er; and • Search the course library by speaker name, course title and keyword for easy retrieval. Visitors to the site can also still access the CDA Presents courses from Anaheim. This is a convenient way to catch a popular speaker who may have been missed, such as Terry Tanaka, DDS. The discounted price is available until Oct. 31, 2010. Visit prolibraries.com/cda to order.

C.E. certificates for CDA Presents in San Francisco will be available three to four weeks after the show — in early to mid-

October. Attendees will receive an e-mail link to their C.E. certificate for convenient printing from a home or office computer. At that time, C.E. cer-tificates will also be accessible by attendees on cdapresents.com. Attendees without online access can call CDA staff at 800.232.7645 four weeks after the show to request that their certificates be mailed. Attend-ees are encouraged to keep all confirmation codes (the three-digit code given at the end of each course) until they have received their C.E. certifi-cates, as they may be needed as a back-up refer-ence for verification. Full coverage of CDA Presents in San Francisco will appear in the October issue of Update.

C.E. certificates ready in Oct.

Endorsed Programson Inc. top 5,000 list

T wo CDA Endorsed Programs have been recognized by Inc. magazine as being among

the nation’s 5,000 fastest-growing private companies. Demandforce, which ranked at No. 361, has appeared previously on the list. ProSites, at No. 1254, is on the list for the first time. The ranking of companies repre-sents a comprehensive look at a key segment of the economy — America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs. Demandforce provides an elec-tronic patient communication system that integrates with existing practice management software, while ProSites provides website design services spe-cifically tailored for dental practices. Formore information onDemand-forceorProSites,visitcdaendorsedpro-grams.com.

nature and terms of the credit product; • Prohibits the arranging or es-tablishing of commercial credit for a patient who has been administered or is under the influence of general anesthesia, conscious sedation or ni-trous oxide; and • Requires a refund within 15 days of a patient’s request of any pay-ments made through such a credit arrangement for treatment that has not been rendered or costs that have not been incurred. CDA worked closely with the au-thor of this legislation to ensure its provisions reflected standard ethi-cal business practices that will help patients fully understand the nature of any credit arrangement prior to treatment. By giving patients stan-dardized information beforehand, dentists will be helping to prevent misunderstandings and possible legal disputes, which ultimately should be in everyone’s best interests. CDA members can find a more detailed description of the require-ments of the California dental credit law and download sample disclosure forms in all required languages at cdacompass.com.

CreDitFrom Page 3

september 2010 11

The CDA Foundation’s list of corporate philanthropic sup-porters is growing at a steady

pace, despite the troubled economy, as organizations are realizing the im-pact they can make by giving back to a statewide foundation. The two newest supporters are Medelita and Dental Specialist Info. Medelita provides functional and professional lab coats and scrubs to dental professionals. “A successful business is one that fills the needs of our customers, and most importantly, gives back to the philanthropic organizations in which our customers are members,” said founder Lara Manchik, PA-C. “I’ve experienced firsthand through multiple medical missions to South America that access to dental care is a fundamental human right that must be achieved both locally and globally. Medelita is honored to support the CDA Foundation in improving oral health for all Californians.” Dental Specialist Info’s primary purpose is to help dentists find special-ists. The company was established by A. Rassouli, DDS, a general dentist with offices in Southern California. In his own practice, Rassouli often sought specialists for certain proce-dures as well as for patients moving out of the area. Currently, there are more than 30,000 dental specialists avail-able listed in the directory. “We know that the contribu-tions to the CDA Foundation get to those in need. Dental Specialist Info is proud to be a part of this effort to make a difference in the lives of disad-vantaged families,” Rassouli said.

CDA Foundation adds to growing list of corporate supporters

clinics in the Southern California area. Preliminary reports indicate a 19 percent average increase in the number of patients up to age 5 who have been seen and treated. Dr. Michael Shaye, a recently trained dentist, works at the Sa-ban Free Clinic in Los Angeles. Dr. Shaye received a thank-you letter from a grateful parent, representa-tive of the sentiment heard from all safety-net clinics that participated in the training. “Dr. Shaye has an awesome abil-ity to interact with children, is very knowledgeable and competent. He has taken ‘going to the dentist’ to another level for my child. ... My hope is to have more Dr. Shayes in the future: highly competent and caring doctors,” the letter stated. Because of the success of the PO-HAP training in increasing access for children, the Foundation is cur-rently seeking funding to conduct a POHAP safety-net clinic training in Northern California.

but how’s that employee manual coming along?

cdacompass.com where smart dentists get smarter.SM

Knowing that you need an employee manual and taking the time to implement one are often two different things. Until now. Created specifically for a dental office, our sample employee manual is the ideal template for every practice, plus there are callouts throughout that offer explanations of terms and language that can be omitted if needed. It’s perhaps the most important instrument a dentist could ever use.

update_compass_sept_rightside.indd 1 8/30/10 4:23 PM

During the past seven years, the CDA Foundation’s Pe-diatric Oral Health Access

Program, or POHAP, has success-fully trained nearly 400 general prac-titioners to increase their knowledge and skill level in treating children. POHAP increased children’s ac-cess to dental care throughout 39 counties in California by providing care to more than 73,000 children age 12 or younger, equating to more than $30,000,000 in treatment, and $3,500,000 in pro bono services. Last year, the Foundation was able to provide training for safety-net

73,000 children receive careunder foundation program

Increased children’s access to dental care throughout 39 counties in California

Provided care to more than 73,000 children 12 years old or younger

Equates to more than $30 M in treatment and $3.5 M in pro bono services

19 percent average increase in the number of patients 5 and younger who have been seen and treated in Southern California

POHAP by the numbers

12 update

Registration opens Oct. 1for Give Kids A Smile 2011

Give Kids A Smile Day for 2011 is Feb. 4, and thou-sands of dentists across the

country will volunteer to help un-derserved children receive the oral health care they need. Give Kids A Smile registration and product request are available through the ADA at ada.org. If your dental so-ciety is planning to participate in GKAS, remember that registration begins Oct. 1 and the deadline to re-quest products is Nov. 12. The ADA has indicated that in previous years, the demand for free products has al-ways exceeded the supply. A list of product recipients along with the number of kits each will receive will be posted on givekids asmile.ada.org on Dec. 1. Those se-lected will receive products the week of Jan. 10, 2011. The ADA has a number of re-sources for planning and implement-ing GKAS programs on its website, so CDA staff will be directing all sup-port and informational calls to repre-sentatives at the ADA. Please note

that CDA will not be supplementing the ADA supplies with toothbrushes, toothpaste, crayons or coloring books. Upon completion of your GKAS programs, please download and com-plete the form for reporting your data. Go to ada.org, select Give Kids A Smile and then select Pro-gram Planning Toolbox. The pdf form, titled Data Collection Form, may easily be downloaded, com-pleted and returned to the ADA. If you have any questions regarding GKAS, please contact the ADA at gkas@ada.org or call 800.621.8099.

Dr. Christy Rollofson works on a patient during Sacramento District Dental Society’s Smiles for Kids event in 2009. Sacramento’s longstanding Smile for Kids program is now part of the component’s Give Kids A Smile effort.

Showing a strong commitment to reduce its carbon footprint and become more environ-

mentally responsible, OSHA Re-view, provider of the Spore Check System, has developed green service options for CDA members. Spore Check System, a sterilizer biological monitoring service, now offers two new green features: • Online access — Members can save paper by accessing their Spore Check System account securely online. With the recent launch of OSHA Review’s new web portal, Spore Check System clients can ac-cess their own personal Spore Check System website to update account in-formation, view and/or print test re-sults, choose a communication prefer-ence for receiving test results, receive a new or updated sterilization certifi-cate and track order status. • E-reports — Spore Check Sys-tem clients can receive their test results promptly and efficiently via e-mail as soon as the results become available, eliminating a costly paper trail. In addition, OSHA Review partici-pates in “closed loop recycling” of pa-per, using recycled paper and envelopes and recycling any excess. Producing recycled paper saves energy, consumes less water, and produces fewer air pol-lutants than making virgin paper. Spore Check System has been aCDAEndorsedProgramformorethan10 years. For more information or toorder the Spore Check System, callOSHA Review at 800.555.6248 orvisitoshareview.com.

Spore CheckSystem addsgreen features

Protecting dentists.It’s all we do.

update_TDICdna_May_leftside.indd 1 5/3/10 3:51 PM

Today, we continue to evolve in order to deliver on the promise to protect our policyholders better than any other insurance company. And that’s one trait that just comes naturally.

It all started 30 years ago when, in the climate of skyrocketing premiums, a brave group of CDA dentists decided it was time to take action and created The Dentists Insurance Company.

Protecting dentists is in our DNA.

update_TDICdna_May_rightside.indd 1 5/3/10 3:52 PM

september 2010 13

educate the dental team and provide cross-training on a variety of topics. The presentations are designed to be a convenient way for the practice owner or appropriate team member to hold a brief educational opportu-nity for the dental team. The pre-sentations are all from 30 to 45 min-utes in length and serve as excellent lunch-and-learn topics for the prac-tice and great opportunities for team members to share their expertise. Every presentation comes com-plete with: • An introductory slide that can be customized with the presenter’s name; • PowerPoint slides for a ready-made presentation or training ses-sion; and • Comprehensive notes for the presenter on most slides. Many of the resources provided on the Compass are of great benefit to the business administrative staff. Dental hygienists and assistants re-ceive training for their jobs, but what about training for front office staff? Utilize a variety of scripts or checklists to train the team such as: • Sample Scripts for Patient Management; • Scripts for Practice Financial Protocols; and • Treatment Coordinator Flow Sheet and Scripts Checklist. Dentists may not trust staff to do certain tasks due to lack of training. If individuals are trained properly, trust can develop, which leads to a loyal employee who is eager to learn and feels confident in what they do. Build a successful team by providing them with education opportunities. Victori-an author George Eliot wrote, “Those who trust us, educate us.” Demonstrate your trust. CDA is here to help. Gotocdacompass.comformorein-formationonteamtraining.

information include: • CoordinatingBenefitsforPatientsWithDualCoverage; • GotCancellations?HowtoMini-mizetheAppointmentCancellationsinYourPractice;and • The Key to Good Patient Com-munications. Why not bring in lunch and pro-vide training at the same time, utiliz-ing CDA’s newest resource for in-of-fice training? At the end of October, the CDA Practice Support Center will release its Teaching Tools PowerPoint presentations on a variety of dental office management topics. These pre-sentations can easily be downloaded from cdacompass.com with the goal to

Team training will enhance your practice; CDA can helpMuch has been written about

the importance of a strong team for building a successful

practice. Suggestions for team-build-ing often include buying lunch for the staff, staff outings, paid holidays, medi-cal coverage or offering a bonus plan. However, one of the best ways to help build a team and a practice is staff training. Many practices fall short of their full potential due to lack of training of team members or insufficient C.E. offerings. Providing training for team mem-bers can be a win-win endeavor. For the dentist, well-trained team members enhance an office’s patient care, efficiency, proficiency and pro-

fessionalism. For the team member, educational opportunity can create a sense of value, build confidence and help to motivate that individual and other team members. Education is one of CDA’s core values. CDA Presents provides more than 300 C.E. courses each year; online classes are available through cda.org; and there are numerous re-sources for team training through the CDA Compass. For a quick training tool, CDA Compass offers training for team members in the form of podcasts that are generally only 10-12 min-utes long. Topics that will provide the front office staff with valuable

CDA Foundation takingscholarship applications

The CDA Foundation Dental Student Scholarship Program supports dental students pur-

suing an education at a California dental school with a $5,000 schol-arship to apply toward their dental education expenses. Criteria to apply include: • A letter of enrollment from the dental school; • Proof of good academic and ethical standing from the school; • Proof/certification of hours of volunteer service/community lead-ership; and • Demonstration of financial need. Applicants are also encouraged to provide a letter of recommendation that speaks to their strengths as indi-viduals and dental students. The Foundation has established a new open application period of Aug. 1– Nov. 1, for the following year’s Dental Student Scholarship award cycle. For more information please visitcdafoundation.org.

Today, we continue to evolve in order to deliver on the promise to protect our policyholders better than any other insurance company. And that’s one trait that just comes naturally.

It all started 30 years ago when, in the climate of skyrocketing premiums, a brave group of CDA dentists decided it was time to take action and created The Dentists Insurance Company.

Protecting dentists is in our DNA.

update_TDICdna_May_rightside.indd 1 5/3/10 3:52 PM

14 update

Butte-Sierra DistrictBird, James Randall

Central CoastLerch, JuliaTam, Keith H.

Contra CostaLai, Gordon S.

Fresno-MaderaEvans, Jeffrey Baird

Kern CountyLeavitt, Kurt Marvin

Los AngelesArroyo, Mercedes P.Dholakiya, PayalGoldenberg, AndrewKavety, Pallavi

NEW MEMBERS

On behalf of organized dentistry, CDA welcomes the following new members:

Dr. Byron L. Hurd Byron L. Hurd, DDS, of Yuba City, passed away July 31 at the age of 85. Dr. Hurd practiced dentistry for 50 years. He was a member of the Yuba-Sutter Aero Squadron and Yuba City Seventh-Day Adventist Church for

58 years. He was also a WWII Navy veteran of the South Pacific. Dr. Hurd was a member of the Butte-Sierra District Dental Society, CDA and the ADA. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Bette; sons, Bryan (Tina) and Barry (Ellie); daughter, Lind; grand-

children, Edwin, Amber, Ashleigh, Vanessa, Brandon and Patrick; one great-grandchild, Bradley; and his brother, Edwin.

Dr. James R. Gordon James R. Gordon, DDS, of Fres-no, passed away July 30. He was 62 years old. Dr. Gordon lived his entire life in Fresno and just recently celebrated the 37th anniversary of his den-tal practice. He was a member of the Fresno-Madera Dental Society, CDA and the ADA. Dr. Gordon is survived by his two daughters, Crista (Chris) and Kelli; sister, Sue; and two grandchildren, Samuel and Alexis.

Dr. Kenneth B. Sanford Kenneth B. Sanford, DDS, of Galt, passed away July 22. He was 67 years old. Dr. Sanford graduated from Loma Linda School of Dentistry in 1971. He was the forensic dentist for San Joaquin County, as well as a member of the San Joaquin County Dental Society, CDA and ADA.

Kim, Ha WoonKim, JiwonKirpekar, KapilLaudenbach, Joel MartinNavarro, Melanie Ann J.Peng, Willard JamesPoon, AlanSalao, Erika BuenviajeTopp, Jordana BethVazquez, Michel

Marin CountyBoychuk, Darrell GarryShapiro, Lea G.

Mid-PeninsulaHanson, Lee RichardKim, Paul H.

Napa-SolanoDennington, Boyd P.Hsia, Lynne W.Pratt, Doreen M.

Northern CaliforniaMuff, James Ronald

Orange CountyAhmadi-Ardakani, AzadehNguyen, Trang ThuyPanchal, KumudiniPotter, Karen Suzanne

Sun, Alice C.Trinh, Van Thu

Redwood EmpireSerafica, Regina PronstrollerVan Cleave, Shana L.

Sacramento DistrictAntoniu, Ana MariaKucera, MichelleLunt, Darin RandallOlsen, GregoryOsman, Nawal MohamedTeh, Pok Swee

San Diego CountyChapokas, Andrew RobertGolding, Michael W.Hurt, Gregory A.Khazian, James JamshidKnecht, Nathaniel F.Knutzen, Jeff T.Levardo, Elpi Minette C.Mobasher, NedaTaylor, Randall WilliamTindle, David IraWhitley, John Coates

San Fernando ValleyGharibian, DinoGray, Nina MoghaddamHersel, Sami

Kanter, ValerieLim, James H.

San FranciscoAynechi, NoyanChang, Pearline Y.Morton, Nicklaus A.Scharf, Eric MichaelTungol, Dianne

San Gabriel ValleyCharng, Steven HengGuan, ZhixinWang, Elaine H.

San JoaquinShah, Prachi D.Streeter, Ashley A.

San Mateo CountyKim, Kimberly HyunkyungMedefesser, Randall CraigMeza, Luis M.Quijano, Anna V.Ungson, Elizabeth Untalan

Santa Barbara-VenturaHuber, Donald EdwardKim, Youngsun AliceMortazavinia, KatiaNejad, Matthew Arash

Santa Clara CountyCardona, Patricia L.Chang, Hsin-ti SusanHuaman, Evelyn T.Karmarkar, Rajoota PramodLum, Robert CheuckTabibzadeh, NaderUyehara, Clinton

Southern Alameda CountyLi, JinfuLiaw, Christine

Tri-CountyChon, MichaelEnriquez, Miriam A.Hussan, SamyKronberg, Bethany IreneNguyen, Sean T.Olague, GilbertoReddy, Akkera Thimma

Western Los AngelesChinn, Meka M.Dowlatshahi, HoushangShakibkhoo, SandraYousefzadeh, Kourosh

Obituaries

Dr. Sanford is survived by his wife, Marlene; daughter, Kari (Scott); son, Steven Sanford, DDS (Jenny); grandchildren Spencer, Lindsey, Da-kota and Mason; and brothers, Har-old and Raymond.

Dr. Alan E. Stewart Dr. Alan E. Stewart of Hillsbor-ough passed away Aug. 3 at the age of 89. Dr. Stewart graduated from Uni-versity of Illinois, Chicago, School of Dentistry, receiving his DDS de-gree in 1944, and opened his dental practice in Pekin, Ill., that same year. In 1952, he served in Korea as a cap-tain in the 8th Army 159th Artil-lery Division Dental Corps. During that time, he volunteered to provide medical and dental care for Korean War orphans. He was a member of the San Mateo County Dental Soci-ety, CDA and the ADA. Dr. Stewart is survived by his wife of 64 years, Nancy; three chil-dren, Stephen (Joanne), Martha Jo (Terry), and Marcia Lynn (Mark); six grandchildren; and four great-grand-children.

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september 2010 15

fee CAPs: Schwarzenegger has until Sept. 30 to sign bill banning fee capsFrom Page 1passage of Resolution 36RC last No-vember, CDA leadership began to assess the most effective strategies for advancing the issue in California.” In the end, an existing mecha-nism for improving dialogue between CDA and the dental insurance in-dustry provided the impetus for leg-islative success. Earlier in 2009, in response to CDA’s sponsorship of two bills dealing with dental plan issues, CDA and the California As-sociation of Dental Plans had agreed to form a high-level workgroup to discuss various issues of concern to dentists. Although the issue of non-covered services was already on the workgroup’s agenda earlier in the year, the passage of House Resolu-tion 36RC in November increased the urgency of those discussions as 2010 began. “By the late spring, we had reached agreement, first with Delta Dental and then with CADP as a whole, on noncovered services leg-islative language on which they could comfortably adopt a neutral position,” said Dan Davidson, DMD, CDA vice president and a workgroup participant. “At the same time, CDA agreed to suspend further action on our two other sponsored bills and to utilize the workgroup process to con-tinue discussion of those issues.” Because conceptual agreement with CADP was reached after the deadlines for introducing new legis-lation had passed, Assemblymember Mary Hayashi (D-Alameda), chair of the Assembly Business, Professions and Consumer Protection Commit-tee and already the author of two sig-nificant dental-related bills this year, offered to delete the existing con-tents of one of her bills and instead pursue the noncovered services issue on CDA’s behalf. The new contents of AB 2275 first appeared in print on June 10, 2010. “The wide philosophical differ-ences within the California Legis-lature made this a very challeng-ing issue to pursue, despite CADP’s neutral position,” said Jean Creasey, DDS, chair of CDA’s Government Affairs Council. “Some relatively liberal legislators were concerned that the bill could allow dentists to overcharge patients for noncovered services once the fee caps were removed, while more conservative legislators were gener-ally concerned about any perceived ‘mandates’ restricting the insurance marketplace. Our challenge, there-fore, was to convince both sides that AB 2275 was a reasonable approach to the issue.” The first, and most significant, test for AB 2275 came on June 30, when the bill was heard in the Sen-ate Health Committee. Although the bill passed on a 9-0 vote, CDA agreed to work with the committee chair and staff to develop amend-ments to address the chair’s concerns that dental patients receive adequate disclosure about their options, and that dentists’ own fees for noncov-

ered services remain reasonable. Over the next several weeks, amendments were agreed to which state that dentists shall not charge more than their usual and custom-ary fees for noncovered services, and which require dental plans to provide a disclosure statement in their enrollees’ evidence of coverage document. The disclosure statement should inform patients that: • Their dentist may charge their usual and customary fee for noncov-ered services; • The dentist should provide the patient with a written treatment plan including charges before pro-viding noncovered services; • They should carefully review

their documentation; and • They should contact their plan or insurance broker for further infor-mation. “Because caps on noncovered ser-vices fees have sometimes been por-trayed by dental plans as a benefit to patients to protect them from dentist overcharges, it became important that we clearly state in this bill that dentists simply want to be able to rea-sonably cover their costs of providing services by charging the standard fee that would apply to most private-pay patients,” Creasey said. Following that key hearing in the Senate Health Committee, AB 2275 moved quickly through the remain-der of the legislative process, receiv-

T H E ART A N D SCIENCE OF DENTISTRY

T H A N K Y O U T O O U R S P O N S O R S

For more information about sponsorships or advertising in CDA publications, please call:

Corey Gerhard, Advertising Manager, 800.736.7071, ext. 5304 or 916.554.5304, corey.gerhard@cda.org

These companies were major sponsors of CDA Presents The Art and Science of Dentistry in San Francisco. Their sponsorship helps the California Dental Association produce one of the best dental meetings in the nation.

M A j o r S p o n S o r S

S p o n S o r S

ing a 33-0 vote in the full Senate on Aug. 18 and a 76-0 vote in the As-sembly on Aug. 26. “While we are thrilled with AB 2275’s successful passage in the Legis-lature, we cannot declare victory quite yet,” Stewart said. “The most impor-tant step of all still remains, which is the governor’s signature. Delta Den-tal has written a support letter to the governor, which we greatly appreciate. In addition, the bill already has been amended in an effort to minimize po-tential agency enforcement costs, and we will continue to work with the ad-ministration to address any concerns that might remain. We hope to be bringing our members more good news next month.”

800.733.0633 tdicsolutions.com CA Insurance Lic. #0652783Coverage specifically underwritten by The Dentists Insurance Company includes professional liability, office property, and employment practices liability. Workers’ compensation, life, health, disability, long-term care, business overhead expense, home and auto products are underwritten by other insurance carriers, brokered through TDIC Insurance Solutions.

Protectingdentists.It’s all we do.• Professional Liability• Office Property• Employment Practices Liability• Workers’ Compensation• Life/Health/Disability• Long-Term Care• Business Overhead Expense• Home & Auto

TDIC_April_update.pdf 1 4/6/10 9:15 AM