The Ohio Dental Association is the preventive care every dentist needs
As a dentist, you understand the importance of prevention. Preventive care helps you avoid future problems and expenses. By renewing your membership in the Ohio Dental Association, you’re investing in the preventive care that you need – for your practice, your patients and your profession.
The ODA advocacy team prevents unnecessary government regulations and interventions
The ODA’s advocacy team monitors legislation that may affect dentists and their patients and works to educate lawmakers about the issues important to dentistry.
Recent accomplishments include:
- Continuing to prevent the creation of a mid-level provider or dental therapist in Ohio
- Prevented dental offices from having to pay for an annual $150 pharmacy license
- Prevented imposing the state sales tax on dental services
- Prevented most dentists from having to register as an “infectious waste generator”
The ODA advocacy team has also worked on many other issues, including access to dental care, unfair dental insurance practices, opioid prescribing and more. For more details on the ODA’s advocacy efforts, see “ODA advocacy is a valued member benefit” on page 2.
Networking events help prevent loneliness and disconnectedness
The ODA and local dental societies host social events and meetings throughout the year where dentists can meet colleagues from around the state and in their local community.
Recent ODA networking events have included:
- New Dentist Zoo Day
- Life After Residency
- ODA Annual Session
- ODA Leadership Institute
Visit https://www.oda.org/events-ce/meetings-and-events-calendar/ for details on upcoming events, or contact your local dental society about attending a meeting.
The ODA Dental Insurance Working Group and Dental Insurance Corner helps to prevent insurance disputes
Third-party payment can be a source of frustration and administrative burden to both patients and dental practices.
If a practice is facing an insurance issue it is unable to resolve, then the dentist may want to consider submitting information to the Dental Insurance Working Group to determine if the ODA has a role in addressing the matter. The working group has served for many years as an advocate and counselor to ODA members who have encountered problems with third-party payers.
Information from the Dental Insurance Working Group is then often printed in the “ODA Today” Dental Insurance Corner to help other dental offices prevent future insurance disputes.
Recent successes include:
- The Dental Insurance Working Group dialogued with an insurer to help dentists prevent claims denial of scaling and root planing claims. Their discussion has been reported in the “ODA Today” Dental Insurance Corner to help dentists prevent the chances of claim denials and/or unfavorable audit results.
- The working group contacted an insurer about an insurance denial of a core build-up claim. The ODA requested the carrier reconsider its claim denial and reported in the Dental Insurance Corner about steps offices can take to prevent core build-up claim denial.
To read this month’s and past Dental Insurance Corner articles, click here.
Dentists can prevent regulatory compliance and legal issues with resources from the ODA and ADA
The ODA and ADA websites have resources, articles and guidance on dozens of the most commonly-asked regulatory compliance and risk management questions.
Resource topics include:
- complying with various regulations, including HIPAA and OSHA mandates
- how to avoid patient abandonment
- records retention
- embezzlement in dental offices
- complying with new opioid prescribing regulations
- dealing with difficult employees, including a checklist for terminating an employee
To view these resources, visit the ADA’s Center for Professional Success at
success.ada.org and the ODA’s Resource Library at https://www.oda.org/member-center/resource-library/.
Additionally, ODA staff members can be reached by phone and email to answer any questions.
Renew your membership to invest in the preventive care you need
Tripartite dues renewal statements are being mailed and emailed out later this month, so be sure to check your mailbox and inbox.
ODA membership dues are due Jan. 1, 2019 for the 2019 membership year.
Members can renew online at https://www.oda.org/joinandrenew/, by fax at (614) 486-0381, by mail to Ohio Dental Association, P.O. Box 182039, Dept. 367, Columbus, OH 43218-2039 or by phone at (800) 282-1526.
