Category: ODA Today

The Dental OPTIONS program recently adjusted its patient eligibility requirements in response to Medicaid expansion in Ohio to better serve patients in need. With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, more adults are now eligible for Medicaid, and therefore are no longer eligible to participate in Dental ... [continue reading]

When we usually think of “dental safety net” programs, we are drawn to clinics, public health programs, hospitals and dental educational programs like our two dental schools and the advanced general practice residencies across our state. This list also includes local programs run by societies, faith-based groups and local health ... [continue reading]

My August 2013 column, “North Carolina case should not affect Ohio State Dental Board,” gave a detailed description of the Fourth Circuit U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision upholding the Federal Trade Commission’s finding that the North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners (N.C. Dental Board) violated federal antitrust laws by ... [continue reading]

Ohio's dentists have an unparalleled record of public service and volunteer work through the Dental OPTIONS program, Give Kids a Smile and other activities. A recent survey showed that the state's dentists donate over $40 million in care and services each year. Ohio law has long provided protection from liability to dentists and other health care ... [continue reading]

Can an insurance company withhold payment for one patient because it made an overpayment for a different patient? Or, can an insurer withhold payment for one dentist's patient because it made an overpayment to a different dentist? And, if they can do these things, how far back can they go, six months, nine months, a year, longer? “The Ohio ... [continue reading]

I was in the office of my primary care physician for a routine visit recently. He entered the treatment room with his iPad, muttering under his breath and alternately cursing as he fought with entering the information he needed to record. As we talked, he finally put down the computer tablet and vented his anger at the new electronic medical ... [continue reading]

When I was young, I remember my mother scolding me when I was caught wearing make-up to school in fifth grade. She would often say “Don’t be in such a rush to grow up … everything in good time.” Today I understand that this common message really has a broad application to leading a healthy, happy life. At the age of 43, ... [continue reading]

The Ohio State University College of Dentistry American Student Dental Association chapter recently received two Golden Crown Awards at the ASDA Annual Session. The OSU ASDA chapter received the award for Most Improved Newsletter and took third place in the Predental Recruitment Incentive category. The ASDA Golden Crown Awards recognize individual ... [continue reading]

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]

The 2013 ODA House of Delegates approved “Access to Care: Blueprint for Success,” a set of recommendations on improving access to dental care in Ohio that is the basis for House Bill 463. Ohio Rep. Terry Johnson (R-McDermott) recently introduced legislation to expand access to dental care in underserved areas of Ohio. ... [continue reading]