Author: Todd Odenweller

Congress recently passed legislation that delayed the implementation deadline for the ICD-10 codes to Oct. 1, 2015. The original deadline was Oct. 1, 2014. The bill leaves open the possibility that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services could allow early adoption of ICD-10 codes while use of ICD-9 codes is still permitted. Ohio Medicaid ... [continue reading]

Earlier this year, the Super-Valu grocery store in Vinton County’s town of MacArthur closed, leaving residents without a full-service food store, and relegating them to a half-hour drive for what they had just down the street for a long time. Some might say it was just the latest domino in another Appalachian town with high unemployment, ... [continue reading]

Gov. John Kasich recently appointed Drs. Cynthia Petroff and Lisa Richards to the Ohio Dentist Loan Repayment Program (ODLRP) Advisory Board. The Ohio Dental Association recommended both for appointment. The ODLRP provides loan repayment for dentists who practice in designated shortage areas, treat Medicaid patients and provide care to patients ... [continue reading]

The Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) is preparing for the conversion from International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9 diagnosis codes to ICD-10 on Oct. 1. The BWC plans to accept bills containing both ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes for a short period after Oct. 1 to ease the transition for providers. The bureau will eventually establish a date ... [continue reading]

A few Fridays ago, I read a news article in the “Columbus Dispatch” about a study from the “New England Journal of Medicine” on childhood obesity. As we all know, just looking around (or in the mirror), obesity is pandemic today. What was troubling was the headline that said for obese children, their fate was determined by ... [continue reading]

Ohio Gov. John Kasich recently appointed Dr. Chuck Smith to the Ohio State Dental Board (OSDB). Smith, who has been in the practice of general dentistry since 1970, is from Tipp City, Ohio, and was recommended by the Ohio Dental Association for appointment to the OSDB. He is a past president of the Western Ohio Dental Society and has served as ... [continue reading]

The American Dental Association Foundation recently awarded 2013-14 scholarships to dental students, including several Ohio students. Ohio ADAF scholarship recipients are: James Cox, Case Western Reserve University – Predoctoral Dental Student Scholarship Lydia Lancaster, The Ohio State University – Predoctoral Dental Student ... [continue reading]

While each form of practice ownership - be it complete or fractional - has opportunities and traps, here are the big ones. Complete Purchase and Sale Owning your practice is a good thing, provided that you can earn the living that you earned as an associate, pay your operating expenses including necessary capital expenditures, and repay the lender ... [continue reading]

 The recent move by Ohio's largest dental insurer to limit periodic cleanings for its own employees' dental plan should be a warning to all of us about the dangers and risks that science and evidence-based dentistry bring along with their obvious benefits. We’ve entered an era of “big data” where almost any hypothesis or ... [continue reading]

The Ohio Dental Association was recently recognized by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Excellence Program (E3). The Ohio EPA recognizes the ODA as a bronze level participant for establishing and facilitating the Ohio Good DEED (Dedicated to Environmental Excellence in Dentistry) program to recognize and encourage ... [continue reading]