News

The Ohio State Dental Board voted at its June 10 meeting to accept manikin-based clinical examinations administered by regional testing agencies through Dec. 31, 2020, effective immediately, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This applies to both dentists and hygienists for their initial Ohio license. In advance of this decision, the Ohio ... [continue reading]

The Ohio BWC uses "Successorship" or "successors in interest" as terms that describe the takeover of one employer’s business by another, generally resulting from a change in ownership due to a purchase, acquisition or merger. For workers’ compensation purposes, it requires the continuation or transfer of experience and liability from ... [continue reading]

Dear ODA members and loyal supporters of the ODA Foundation, We haven’t forgotten you and we definitely still need your gracious donations. As we drive ahead on the highway of our lives and professional careers, we see the effects of COVID-19 and economic turmoil in our rearview mirrors. We move ahead with hope that dentistry will adapt and ... [continue reading]

After careful consideration, the Ohio Dental Association Foundation has decided to extend its scholarship application deadline to Nov. 4, 2020 and also to make it optional for students applying to include their GPA and class rank. The Foundation understands that not all classes were able to be completed during the spring due to the pandemic and ... [continue reading]

Receiving a clear, concise explanation of the terms of a provider contract may help you decide if participating with such a plan is best for you and your patients, as well as helping you avoid unpleasant surprises under the contract in the future. The ADA Contract Analysis Service will provide you with information concerning a proposed contract ... [continue reading]

As I write this column, it is June 19. Things change rapidly, so I wanted to provide some reference to my comments. I have received several questions from members about our Ohio State Dental Board guidelines, so I had a conversation with the Board President, Dr. Kumar Subramanian. I relayed the questions that I had received and he reiterated that ... [continue reading]

The Ohio General Assembly is considering a pair of bills (House Bill 606 and Senate Bill 308) that would provide certain businesses and health care providers with qualified civil immunity during the current coronavirus pandemic and other such emergencies. On behalf of the ODA, I submitted testimony in support of these bills to both the House Civil ... [continue reading]

Last month we looked into patient documentation and record retention. This month to finish the two-part series we will look at the documentation of the office and employees. As is always the case, documentation in the dental office is of the utmost importance. As the saying goes in dental offices, if it is not documented it did not happen. That is ... [continue reading]

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused much disruption throughout every facet of society. An impact it has had on dentistry has directly led to increased costs for dentists to provide care while at the same time significantly decreasing dentists' ability to recover those costs via the number of patients they may see in any given period of time. While ... [continue reading]

Thanks to the pandemic, we have had time recently to consider more of the softer side of dental care. Understanding what makes our relationships with patients valuable and patient care successful is of paramount importance. In private practice for years and now in discussions with students, I stress the responsibility of dentists to be leaders for ... [continue reading]