Category: ODA Today

Keith Kerns, Esq. ODA Director of Legal and Legislative Services Since the advent of federal privacy regulations under HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) in 2003, dental offices have focused their attention on the security and safeguarding of the health information they gather on patients in the course of treatment. ... [continue reading]

Patrick M. Lloyd, D.D.S., M.S., began his term as dean of The Ohio State University College of Dentistry in August. In this Q&A with ODA Today, Dean Patrick Lloyd looks forward on his first full year of leadership. What brings you to The Ohio State University College of Dentistry? During my 30-plus years in dental education, I made several ... [continue reading]

David J. Owsiany, JD – ODA Executive Director The following piece originally appeared in the Columbus Dispatch on November 19, 2011. This week, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case that will likely determine the constitutionality of the federal health care reform law's individual mandate. Interestingly, the legacy of a Dayton-area ... [continue reading]

ODA Staff Last month, ODA leaders met with Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel and U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown in the same week. Ohio Dental Political Action Committee Treasurer, Dr. Bruce Grbach, a general dentist from Mentor, attended both meetings and said "having the opportunity to discuss dental issues with these two leaders in the same week was a ... [continue reading]

Matthew J. Messina, DDS – Executive Editor Cornell University sociologist Matthew Brashears has recently surveyed more than 2,000 adults from a national database. His research spanned 1985 to 2010, and concluded that, "while we may friend more people on Facebook, we have fewer real friends." His defines real friends as "the kind who would ... [continue reading]

Visit the Resource Library to see previous issues of ODA ... [continue reading]

Ken Jones, DDS – Guest Columnist "Never confuse movement with action." Ernest Hemingway (1899 - 1961) When it comes to "access," a lot of people around the country talk a really good game – and that's about it. They often have jobs where they don't treat patients, able to pay or not. They often put down others who disagree with their ... [continue reading]

Matthew J. Messina, DDS – Executive Editor I had the chance to sit down for lunch recently with a group of younger dentists. We talked about the future, and their perception of where the profession was going. They had significant concerns about changes that threatened their dreams and made them wonder if their practice would exist in the ... [continue reading]

David J. Owsiany, JD – ODA Executive Director Survey Says! Last spring, the Universal Health Care Action Network of Ohio (UHCAN-Ohio) – a group that heretofore has had little interest in access to dental care – claimed that a survey it sponsored showed support for the "dental therapist model" in Ohio. And just last month, the ... [continue reading]

ODA StaffThe Ohio Dental Association installed new Executive Committee officers for the 2011-2012 term on Sept. 16, 2011, during the 145th ODA Annual Session in Columbus, Ohio."This group of dedicated individuals is exceptionally well qualified to lead the ODA," said ODA Executive Director David J. Owsiany, JD. "I have confidence they will ... [continue reading]