GSDS Presidential Meeting 10/4/06

 

Steve Ura: President of NHDS

 

Why are we members of NDS? Nice boat ride and dessert. Sense of community. Professional relationships. Ability to communicate with society and sharing information/problems/problem solving. Suggestions- get a better email data base of members (emails would allow use to get in touch with each other easier).

 

• Primary benefit is legal and legislative advocacy- we want to represent DENTISTRY the profession (not individual dentists)
• Sound source of scientific information- would be a good idea to tour the ADA in Chicago. Products- individually, scientifically researched products, a manufacturer can’t influence results.
• Research resources both clinically and for private practice- ADA has the most impressive dental library in the US, librarians are excellent, there is online access to the library.

 

Legal and Legislative: Would you have the resources to individually address:

• Dental hygiene independent practice? There was a bill in January to allow the individual practice of hygienists.
• Practice: use of amalgam, taxes and fees. Does every one have their amalgam separators installed and sent in paper work? They just became aware that about 50% of NH dentists have not sent in paperwork, associate dentists have to send in paperwork too!
• BODE: Recently addressed registration issue. Most dentists wait until the end of the deadline to register. One dentist forgot to include his phone number and that he didn’t have hospital privileges and lost his license. BODE represented him. They are more effective than one voice (can say they are speaking for over 86% of the dentists in NH).
• Monitor issues affecting your practice.

 

Public Affairs Credibility

• The new buzz word. It’s all about how something is perceived, not necessarily what is right and what is wrong.
• Public affairs has dramatically changed in the last 10 years, we now need to be present.
• Are we the American Dentist Association or the American Dental Association? Thinking about expanding membership categories (assistants, lab techs, hygienists, etc), encouraging non-members to be members

 

Legislative Night

• They will come up and do this night for us- they have a presentation they can give for us. Usually sometime around February or March. Been doing it in Nashua for 12 years.

 

Try 10

• NH Medicaid rates are amongst the highest in the whole country… that’s good news
• But there is bad news: 25% of NH dentists do 49% of all Medicaid
• So... if you’re not taking Medicaid, please consider taking 10 patients. You do not have to be listed in the book. Even if you don’t see kids, do the preventive work!
• Can we ALL make a commitment to sign up and take and try at least 10?

 

Consensus

• Recent history demonstrates that there are times we will all not agree on agendas: PGY-1… etc.
• But, please don’t let this make you bail from the organization!

 

Can I make a difference?

• You can. See NHDS homepage. Go to members only section- find all the latest news (ie the next CE, avian flu). On ADA they basically have the same thing.
• Vermont has a meeting, 100 dentists (a third of their membership) and spend about 3 hours talking about news in dentistry in Vermont.

 

Policy and Position Statements

• If we do not have a position, our position is that of the ADA.
• We can develop our own NHDS position which replaces ADA position in our state
• A component can establish a position if they do not agree with NHDS. Our position of PGY is not the same as the ADA. Terry Bradigan as our trustee will bring it to all the other trustees (which are also our trustees). Remember though, when they vote, they must consider the ENTIRE NHDS membership, they will make their decision based on what is in the best interest of the entire state. Steve has encouraged all the trustees to go to another component so we all can recognize that our trustees represent all of us.

 

State Society

• If there is an issue of national policy that does not serve NH well, it is up to the BOT to develop a position that you delegates can take to the 1 st District. We have a strategic plan!

 

1 st District

• The ADA has a total of 17 Trustee Districts
• The first district consists of Maine, NH, VT, CT, Mass, and RI. We have more meetings now, trying to work together, going to each other’s annual meetings.
• Your delegates bring the NH position to the 1 st district. One example of an issue: “Pay for Performance”- insurance companies will pay a practitioner based on performance, NHDS is strongly opposed to this and is taking the position “This is not a good idea and we should stand up and say so.”

 

House of Delegates

• Congress for ADA members.
• This is where membership directs the ADA Board of Trustee on policy guidelines.

 

What’s happening in NH?

 

Governance

• Board of Trustees has been asked to analyze Governance and fairness
• Members are the congress of NHDS. About 10% go to our annual meetings for fall/winter meetings. So, if a group of members is interested in swaying by-laws they can stack the meeting and swing things their way. May not be a good thing.

 

Amalgam

• It’s back. There is a pamphlet that we need to give to the patients telling about all the different restorative materials. Need to offer this to patients, this is becoming a problem for us. PLEASE refrain from “mercury free marketing”. It sends the wrong message to the lay public and the legislators.

 

Membership

• We spoke of expanding categories to make our word more inclusive and have more credibility. Encourage more involvement.
• We all know dentists that aren’t members. Nothing is more effective that YOU asking that person to join.
• Our CE committee is pushing hard to bring in good speakers. Take a look closely at the NHDS CE programs. Trying to make them easily accessible (ie Concord). This year’s annual meeting will be something like $400-$500.

 

Workforce

• The Dental Hygiene Issue WILL RETURN
• ADA is proposing two new auxiliaries

• CHCP- Community Health Center Provider: Hygienist with extra training.
• Oral Preventative Assistant- In essence a mini-hygienist

 

NPI (an identification number)

• You must get an NPI number
• You DO NOT need to pay for it
• Do it tomorrow or even tonight!
• If you do not have this by next May, you will not get paid.
• Can sign up in the NHDS.org website.
• Don’t wait to sign up\
• Individuals and partnerships or LLC/corporations need SEPARATE NPIs

 

Electronic Record

• Making records easily transferable for pts.

 

 

 

Chuck Albee: President of NHDS Foundation

 

NHDS Foundation

• Established in 2004
• To facilitate tax free giving
• To serve as our philantophic administrator

 

How are we doing?

• Tax free giving- giver can give tax free.
• Make grants- provides for indigents in Portsmouth
• Speak Memorial Hospital- Plymoth, golf event
• Poisson Dental Center
• Donated Oral Hygiene supplies
• “Just take a look”- DVD on treating 1 year old children, ADA now recommends at least screening 1 year olds. Can fill out survey and send in $25 for 1 CE
• First Annual Charles Lambrukos Award, first award Dr. Liu, gas to TUFTS
• Historic Dental Clinic- Canterbury Shaker Village

 

Scholarships/Loans

• Reinvigorating. Case and Columbia 2.7% are from New England. 79K is the estimated cost for dental school.
• Schol/Loan- if you come back to NH, state can give “forgive” loan. If it’s a dental health shortage, may be able to get rid of more!

 

Misc

• Annual Foundation Dinner
• Andre Pinard- Magician
• Annual Golf Challenge
• Non-competition CE Programs
• Ie, Meth Mouth, Ergonomics, etc

 

 

 

 

Jeff Roden: President Elect

 

• Practicing dentist for 34 years. Was in Navy. Took some time off. Came back to roots- from Mass.

 

NHDS Annual Meeting- Team Excellence

• Inn at Church Landing, Meredith, NH
• Dates: May 17-19, 2007
• Bring your entire team and family.

 

Thurs:

• CE- A Day with Mary Osborne, RDH; Topic: Healthy Teams: Helping Teams Make Healthy Choices
• Entertainment- NHDS Foundation Dinner
• For the Kids- Karaoke Dance and Pizza Party

 

Friday

• CE- AM- CNA Risk Management Course
• Maria Ryan, DMD- SUNY Stony Brook; AM Cutting Edge Oral Medicine and its Relation ship to General Health; PM- Management of Periodontal Disease- 21 st Century Tx planning and Therapeutics
• Irwin Becker, DDS- Pankey Institute PM- Interdisciplinary Dentistry, Part 1 (Team event)
• Entertainment- Dinner cruse aboard Mt Washington

 

Saturday

• CE- Irwin Becker , Interdisc Dent Part 2 (Team event)

 

• Family Program
• Childcare
• Meredith Community Center- Games, rock climbing wall
• Swimming
• Scavenger hunt
• Fishing Derby
• Movie and pizza night
• Funspot
• Miniature golf
• Kids program aboard Mt. Washington on Friday night

 

Terry Bradigan said a few words: Encouraged us to go to this CE, a blast, CE was great, real value for the money, beautiful hotel, is going to try to get a group of us to go down.