Category: ODA Today

2015 ODAF scholarship and grant applications are now available. The deadline to apply is July 6. Second, third and fourth year dental students who are Ohio residents and have financial need are eligible to receive an ODAF scholarship. ODAF grants are open to qualified Ohio community dental care and oral health projects. More information and ... [continue reading]

The annual ODA Foundation raffle is one of the primary sources of funding for oral health-related grants and scholarships. Raffle tickets are $100 each or six for $500,­ and only 700 will be sold. This year’s raffle prizes are: First Prize: Winner’s choice of a 2 year/12,000 mile lease (Lease terms established by Crown Mercedes) ... [continue reading]

About 200 dentists, graduate students and dental students attended this year’s ODA Leadership Institute, where they learned valuable information about trends in dentistry, the patient-centered medical home, payment reform, updates on dental regulations, working with millennials and more. “Overall, this year’s Leadership ... [continue reading]

For the last several years, the ODA and its leadership and lobbying team have been working to educate policymakers in Ohio on the importance of increasing dental Medicaid reimbursements.  For example, last year, in testifying before the Ohio Senate Medicaid, Health and Human Services Committee in favor of House Bill 463, ODA Past President ... [continue reading]

Registration for the 2015 ODA Annual Session is opening later this month. The 149th ODA Annual Session – Excellence in Collaboration – is Sept. 17-20 in Columbus. This year, the ODA is offering several Annual Session registration incentives. Early registrants will be entered for a chance to “shake it off” at a Taylor Swift ... [continue reading]

The Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine held its first Admitting Day on March 18. During Admitting Day, the dental school offered free exams and X-rays to adults who had not previously been patients at the CWRU School of Dental Medicine. “The whole reason to do this is because it is some type of community ... [continue reading]

The Children's Oral Health Action Team (COHAT) is offering free workshops on prenatal oral health and treating children under age 3. Workshop presenters include Paul Casamassimo, DDS, MS, chief of dentistry at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and professor of pediatric dentistry at The Ohio State University College of Dentistry; Homa Amini, ... [continue reading]

On March 18, 2015, I had the opportunity to testify on the state budget for fiscal years 2016-17 before the Ohio House Finance Committee’s Subcommittee on Health and Human Services. I focused my remarks on the need to dramatically increase reimbursements in Ohio’s dental Medicaid program. Below is an abridged version of my ... [continue reading]

As more dentists submit dental benefits claims electronically to third-party payers, the Ohio Dental Association has seen a marked decrease in the number of calls involving slow pay situations. The calls the ODA does receive now typically concern how much time an insurance company has to pay a claim. Ohio does have a law governing insurance plan ... [continue reading]

The recent passing of my father from cancer has me considering the concept of legacy.  I suppose that a legacy develops on its own, even without any effort or planning on a person’s part.  A legacy also seems to have a mind of its own.  We may find that our legacy is out of our control, especially if that legacy is less than ... [continue reading]