News

Last month, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I read an interesting study in the December 2011 edition of the Journal of the American Dental Association that shows the number of practicing African American Dentists in Cuyahoga County has decreased significantly since 1985.  The study, authored by Francis Curd, DDS, DMD, the assistant dean of ... [continue reading]

     Last year, the Ohio General Assembly and Gov. John Kasich adopted House Bill 93, a measure aimed at combating prescription drug abuse and diversion. HB 93 made several changes to Ohio law, including requiring licensure and additional oversight of pain management clinics, establishing a statewide take-back program to secure ... [continue reading]

     Each year, the Ohio Dental Association honors those who have offered distinguished service to dentistry, and members and local dental societies are encouraged to nominate those they know who have made extraordinary efforts to improve their profession and their world.      The ODA Awards of Excellence ... [continue reading]

CareSource is pleased to announce the launch of their new CareSource iConnect Program. The purpose of iConnect is to establish a community comprised of members to serve as the voice of the consumer. iConnect members will be asked to offer feedback on various CareSource related topics, questions and polls through electronic channels such as ... [continue reading]

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH), Oral Health Section will immediately begin accepting applications for the Ohio Dentist Loan Repayment Program (ODLRP). The application deadline is  March 1, 2012 (postmarked). To qualify for loan repayment, dentists must provide services in federally designated dental health professional shortage areas ... [continue reading]

     On Jan. 3, the American Dental Association was alerted that many dentists across the country had recently received a fraudulent membership renewal communication via fax to their dental offices indicating payment should be sent to a post office ( P.O.) box in Brockton, Mass. This prompted the ADA to distribute an alert that ... [continue reading]

     The Ohio State University chapter of the American Student Dental Association has been focusing on advocacy and informing students about issues important to dentistry this year.      One of the main ways the chapter has done this is through ASDA’s national lobby day. Last year the chapter sent nine ... [continue reading]

     The Ohio Dental Association Services Corporation, Inc. (ODASC) endorses ClaimX, an electronic insurance claim management system that interfaces with your practice management system.      The program sends dental insurance claims electronically for 25 cents each. Many dentists are currently paying 45 to ... [continue reading]

     In the past few years, several states have enacted laws to stop or limit insurance companies from being able to determine what contracting dentists can charge for services the insurance company does not cover. Currently, more than half of the country’s state legislatures have adopted laws that prevent the capping of ... [continue reading]

For over a decade Ohio has had a law that provides protections for consumers whose health insurance claims have been denied or reduced in coverage. The law, the Patient Protection Act of 1999, grants consumers the right to request an appeal of their insurer’s decision and provides them with “the opportunity to request an independent, external ... [continue reading]