MEMBERSHIP
Quarterly FALL 2016
VOL 15 / ISSUE 1
inside...
The President’s Message Retired: Now What? 2017-18 Elective Office Openings Announced 1111 Har vard Avenue Seattle, WA 98122-4205 206.448.6620 www.skcd s.org 2016 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY l 1
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C O N S TA N T I N E B U I L D E R S . C O M
Seattle-King County Dental Society Membership Quarterly Managing Editor: Ms. Sandra R. Anderson Contributors: Mr. Abid Bhatti Ms. Jennifer L. Freimund
FALL 2016 Volume 15, Issue 1
CONTENTS
President’s Message with Dr. Timothy A. Hess ..................................................... 4 Report on Access to Care Initiatives ................................................................... 5 Publisher: Bill Newcomer, BNC Printing & Graphics, Vancouver, WA SKCDS photos - Summer .....................................................................................6 2017-2018 Elective Office Openings.................................................................7 COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE Dr. Shane Ness, Chair New Dentist Sneak Peek....................................................................................7 Dr. Victor Barry Welcome New Members .................................................................................. 9 Dr. Daniel Geare Retirement Approaching: What Now? .............................................................10 Dr. Derek Hou Things You Need to Know .............................................................................. 11 Dr. Molly McIntosh Dr. Christopher Pickel ADA Credentialing Service.............................................................................. 12 Dr. Oleg Shvartsur Member Profile ............................................................................................14 Dr. Douglas Walsh Facebook Business Page ................................................................................ 16 Dr. Judson Werner Congratulations Members................................................................................20 Al Munk, DDS Exposures.................................................................................22 OFFICERS Dr. Timothy A. Hess, President Dr. Judson A. Werner, Past President Dr. Craig E. Neal, President-elect Dr. Austin Baruffi, Secretary Dr. Lisa M. Egbert, Treasurer THANK YOU TO OUR ADVERTISERS EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Dr. Noah Letwin, Executive Council 2017 Dr. Amy J. Cook, Executive Council 2017 Dr. Ryan M. Fox, Executive Council 2018 Dr. James W. Reid, Executive Council 2018 Dr. Amanda Spivey, Executive Council 2018 Dr. Shane T. Ness, Executive Council 2019 Dr. Kirk E. King, Executive Council 2019
Constatine Builders ..........................................................................................2 Nakanishi ....................................................................................................8 Katherine Christian - Sleep Apena and Snoring ..................................................... 9 AFTCO .........................................................................................................9 O’Brien Dental Labs ........................................................................................10 Keller ~ Rohrback Law Firm .............................................................................11 Sleep Apnea and Facial Pain Center .................................................................13 WDIA......................................................................................................15 Ann Durham Attorney at Law ......................................................................... 17 Ms. Jennifer Freimund, Executive Director Home Owners Club .........................................................................................17 Change of Address: To ensure continued receipt of issues, change of Vern Frickel ..................................................................................................18 address must be reported to: SKCDS Central Office, 1111 Harvard PNDC..................................................................................................19 Avenue Seattle, WA 98122-4205, as soon as possible -NORDIC ........................................................................................................ 20 206.448.6620. Email: skcds@skcds.com Dental Group LLC............................................................................................23 The information in this publication is for the exclusive benefit of Seattle- Northwest Radiography....................................................................................24 King County Dental Society members. Neither the Society nor the publisher makes any express or implied warranties as to the information herein, including the contents of any advertising. Opinions in the Quarterly do not necessarily express the official policies of the Seattle-King County Dental Society, nor the opinions of the editor, unless so stated. Publications of advertising is not an endorsement, qualification, approval or guarantee of either advertisers or product. For advertising and publishing details, contact: Mr. Bill Newcomer, BNC Printing & Graphics, 503.318.5916, 360.573.1201, bill@bncprinting.com; www.bncprinting.com 2016 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY l 3
The
President’s Message
compensation for their staff since the cuts. Many dentist employers are doing away with cost of living increases, healthcare plans, retirement, vacation and a number of other benefits to cut overhead. Insurance companies are not going to change out of the goodness of their hearts. They do not care about you, your practice or your employees. They are a business, period! For change to occur, it will need to be forced upon them. It is apparent, as contracted dentists, we have zero direct input in the decisions they make that impact us so significantly. Employers and employees that purchase dental benefits are not really getting coverage as they do on the medical side. Dental insurance companies continue to take in more and more in and pay out less and less. Why would companies like Boeing stand for this? Like the insurance companies, they are a business and, as long as costs to them are kept down and their employees do not raise too much of a fuss, they will not change. We need to educate our patients on why their benefits continue to be reduced and have them lobby their human resources departments for improvement.
Timothy A Hess, DDS, MAGD
Who Will Speak for the Dentists of Washington State? The lay public may perceive that dentists are over-compensated. However, most people fail to realize the huge debt load graduating dentists have and the tremendous expense of purchasing and running a practice. In the September issue of the Journal of American Dental Association there was a very disturbing article “Why are Payment Rates to Dentists Declining in Most States?” One sentence really hit home: After adjusting for inflation, the average annual net income of general practice dentists was $174,780 in 2014 compared with $219,738 in 2005.(1) I encourage you to read this short article. Pay close attention to graph that clearly illustrates in states with the greatest penetration of preferred provider organization (PPO) networks showing the biggest reduction in payment rates. Washington had a 19.6% reduction for the period of 2005-2014. With over 2,100 active dentists in King County and each of those probably employing at least 3 support staff (front desk, assistant and hygienist) for an approximate total of 8,400 dental personnel; we are a fairly large employer. Traditionally, these have been good, living wage jobs: jobs that have been primarily staffed by women. The topic of wage parity based on sex has been a hot issue in the media. I have never heard of a female dental assistant, hygienist or front desk employee being compensated less than a male colleague doing the same job. A single mother used to be able to work in a dental office and support her children, receive healthcare and retirement savings. Those days are fading away. What is the biggest expense we have as a small business? Staff. The cuts that Delta Dental made do not just affect the dentist practice owner but their staff. I know from talking with colleagues that very few dentists have raised 4 l 2016 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY
Anti-trust rules tie the hands of our dental societies. Instead we need to work through our elected officials. We must remind our state representatives and senators that they need to support dental practices by forcing dental insurance companies to pay out reasonable fees based on the premiums they collect. An excellent example of this type of effort is the legislation that Drs. Amy Cook and Cynthia Pauley worked so hard to pass during the 2015 session that sought to protect patients from unfair practices by dental insurance companies and require those same companies to report financial information to the public (SHB 1002). We need your help contacting your elected officials. We need to put dental faces in front of these representatives. No longer can we rely on one day, Dental Action Day, to communicate with Olympia. We need a consistent sustained effort. Every day can be Dental Action Day if we develop our relationships with those in power. We are making inroads in the capital. Dr. Michelle Caldier is a state representative working hard on our behalf. At the WSDA House of Delegates, Dr. Cindy Pauley became president-elect for the WSDA by running a campaign largely focused on work that needs to be done by the WSDA in Olympia. We have great new lobbyists that are engaging with our dental societies like never before. Thursday, November 10, 2016, will be our second annual Grassroots Legislative Advocacy for Dentistry (GLAD). It will begin at 6:30 pm at our central office. Our WSDA lobbyists will be present, and it promises to be an instructive and helpful meeting. Please mark your calendar and plan to attend. Just email (skcds@skcds.com) or call (206.448.6620) so we can ensure there is enough dinner for everyone. Thank you. Timothy A Hess, DDS, MAGD 1. Vujicic M.“Why are Payment Rates to Dentists Declining in Most States?” The Journal of the American Dental Association. 2016;147(9):755-7. Cover Photo: SKCDS Women in Dentistry event September 10, 2016. Members stuffed dental hygiene kits for homeless youth.
Report on Access to Dental Care Initiatives Seattle-King County Dental Society & Dental Foundation As we finish our fiscal years for the Seattle-King County Dental Foundation and Dental Society, it is important to recognize the impact of our previous funding and volunteer initiatives. Herein is a summary of the many initiatives supported by the organizations: Medical Teams International (MTI) During the 2014-15 year, the Foundation funded MTI for a total of $25,000. This funded 395 clinics at 113 locations. MTI partnered with 90 other organizations to see 3,703 patients and provided $1,983,690 in donated care. On average, each patient received $536 in care. Put another way, every dollar of our Foundation’s $25,000 grant resulted in almost $80 in care. Neighborcare Health – Meridian Clinic Our Foundation contributed $50,000 to the new Neighborcare Clinic in the Northgate area. This Clinic, in its first four months of operation, held 116 clinic days and saw 1,497 patients. Of those patients, 94% have been low-income; 21% are homeless; 61% persons of color and over 21% are not native English speakers. These 1,497 patients received 3,766 procedures for a total value of $745,668. The Clinic is a ground-breaking partnership between Public Health – Seattle & King County, Valley Cities Behavioral Health and Neighborcare Health and represents a new model of service integration offering medical, dental and behavioral health services. The number of patients served is expected to grow dramatically as the new Clinic’s visibility and partnerships increase. Neighborcare Health – Pacific Tower The Foundation contributed $50,000 in capital funding for this new Clinic. This dental clinic will be operated by Neighborcare and will utilize the Seattle Colleges’ and Seattle Vocational Institute’s dental assisting and dental hygiene students as staff. Due to the complexity of this project (renovating a national historic monument) and the number of partners involved (including the State of Washington, Seattle College and the Seattle Vocational Institute), this
project ran behind the scheduled September 2015 opening deadline date. The Clinic did not become operational until June 2016. Neighborcare Health anticipates this Clinic’s patient profile will mirror several of their other Clinics. Therefore, it is likely that 96% of the patients will be low-income; 65% will be people of color and some 12-13% of them are not native English speakers. We will have updated statistics for this Clinic as they become available. Northwest Kidney Centers The Dental Society has been providing volunteer dentists to treat and clear kidney dialysis patients who are awaiting transplants since 2009. This program, which received some initial start-up funding from the Foundation as well, has treated 176 patients since inception. To date, seventy dialysis patients, or 40%, have successfully received transplants after being treated by our dentist volunteers. Swedish Community Specialty Clinic (SCSC) The Dental Foundation and Dental Society have been actively involved in the SCSC complex oral extraction clinic since it began in September 2011. The Foundation was one of the first funders and the Society remains active in volunteer recruitment for the Clinic. Since inception and through December 2015, the SCSC has seen 4,905 unique patients, treated 20,109 teeth and provided over $7,573,929 in donated care. It is particularly important to note that the community health clinic dentists refer patients to this clinic that they do not feel qualified to treat. Without the SCSC, it is likely many of these patients would have been in and out of hospital emergency rooms—all without addressing the underlying oral health issue.
over 2,130 patients and provided over $1.8 million dollars in donated care. Patients for this Clinic were predominately low-income and 70% of them were people of color. Procedures ranged from restorative to anterior root canals and included the creation of crowns and flippers. Union Gospel Mission The Foundation provided $15,000 in funding for new equipment in their recently opened (May 2015) Northgate Dental Clinic. This Clinic, operating in conjunction with their Clinic in downtown Seattle, hoped to be open two days a week to serve the homeless—particularly families—in the Northgate area. In their first year of operation, they have seen 292 patients—all very low income and many Vietnam War veterans—completed 468 procedures and provided $70,309 in care. They report that they have done this with seven dentist volunteers, and they are actively looking for more volunteers so they can treat more patients. University of Washington School of Dentistry The Dental Society received funding from the Pacific Hospital Preservation and Development Authority (PHPDA) to provide dentures for the working poor. Operating in partnership with the Swedish Community Specialty Clinic and the community health clinics, we identified patients who needed dentures but could not qualify for Medicaid and did not have the resources to pay for dentures. These patients were screened by Project Access Northwest and the dentures were created by UW dental students. Thanks to this funding a total of 76 ‘working poor’ patients now have a great smile because of dentures they would not otherwise be able to afford.
Seattle/King County Clinic Our members continue to work hard to remove barriFor the second year in a row, the Seattle Center hosted ers to accessing dental care for so many. We salute a four day dental, medical and vision health clinic in you and your efforts to help your neighbors! October 2015. This free clinic offered an array of services for anyone who was willing to wait in line to access card. During the second year of service, 1,011 dental care professionals (including students) treated 2016 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY l 5
Dr. Princy Rekhi addresses the 2016 House of Delegates in September.
Allison Kim (left) daughter of Dr. Christy Kim (right) and Drs. Cait Kauffman and Sabrina Mandich help stuff hygiene kits at our annual Women in Dentistry event in September.
Dr. Chris Delecki addresses the House about children’s dental health.
Dr. Samira Davis speaks to Bright Horizons’ Preschool about good dental practices in July! 6 l 2016 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY
Dr. Alexis Wilson and Dr. Chris Wagner catch up at the Happy Hour at SKCDS in September.
2017-18 Elective Office Openings Announced In accordance with the Seattle-King County Dental Society Bylaws, the Leadership Committee will meet in late November 2016 to formulate a slate for the 2017-18 Society year. Our Society is only as strong as our membership, and we are doing some amazing things in which you need to participate! We also thank all of our current volunteer leadership who give so freely of their time and talents on behalf of the Seattle-King County Dental Society. The following leadership positions are open: • President-elect The president-elect will automatically become president in the year following the year in this position. The president-elect will be a member of the Budget and Finance and Program Committees as well as the Executive Council. • Executive Council – Two (2) openings for three year terms Executive Council members meet approximately 10 times a year and always in the evening with a meal provided. This is the governing body of the Dental Society, and it is an excellent way to participate in the organization. • Delegates to the WSDA—Up to seven (7)* openings for three year terms This position represents the Seattle-King County Dental Society at the governing body of the Washington State Dental Association’s House of Delegates. Delegates must attend at least one—and ideally two—evening caucuses before each meeting of the House of Delegates. The delegates must also plan to attend the Washington State Dental Association’s House of Delegates meeting (usually held from Thursday evening to Saturday noon in September). Finally, they will be asked to participate in Grassroots Legislative Advocacy for Dentistry (GLAD)—our efforts to be more visible in the State Legislature. *The number of Seattle-King County Dental Society Delegate seats for the WSDA House of Delegates is determined each year based on membership as of January 2017; therefore, we do not know at press time how many seats will be open. This change in how the seats are allocated was approved by the 2005 WSDA House of Delegates. If you are interested in learning more about the duties of these positions or wish to be considered for one of the offices, please call Jennifer Freimund at 206.448.6615.
New Dentist Sneak PEEK The New Dentist Committee has been busy planning some great programs for 2017. We do not have all the details at this time but here are some topics that will be presented! We are anticipating a panel of dentists who will speak about options for Associateships. They will address work in academia, community health clinics, solo practices, multiple practices and corporate dentistry. Come hear about all the associate options at our meeting in January. In February, we plan to address. Profitability in your practice. What are other services you can offer to increase your revenue and add value to your practice? Learn about options that can take your practice in a new direction. In March, we are bringing back Boot Camp! This event has been reinvented based on feedback from past attendees. The program will be a little shorter, and we will welcome some new presenters. Check out this free practice management event on Saturday, March 25th! We will round out the spring with a class on insurance and what you need to know about working with third-party payers. This class will be held at the University of Washington South Campus Center. Stay tuned for more detailed information coming in December! The New Dentist program offers young practitioners an opportunity for networking and practice management education at no charge. For more information, or to register for any of the classes, please contact Sandra Anderson, director of membership services. All programs are free but you must RSVP at sandra@skcds.com or call the office at 206.448.6620. 2016 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY l 7
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Please welcome our new members JULY
Dr. Joana Cunha-Cruz Dr. Salma Helal Dr. Jina Kang Dr. Lauren Powell Dr. Jordan Richert Dr. Harlyn Susarla Dr. Eric Wagar Dr. Hai Zhang AUGUST Dr. Cameron Alexander Dr. Gorgin Arasteh Dr. Nicolette Bohn Dr. Nicholas Conley Dr. Christopher Felicetta Dr. Carolina Florencio
Dr. Jason Gov Dr. Stephen Griffith Dr. Gibran Hyder Dr. Casey Jacobsen Dr. Erich Jurges Dr. Kyle Kirk Dr. Jaimie Kwon Dr. Wen Mei Lin Dr. Lindsay Mack Dr. Frederica Mackert Dr. Ramil Mateo Dr. Amritpal Mattu Dr. Suzanna McAninley Dr. Ashley Merryman Dr. Austin Mesina Dr. Michael Moran Dr. Chuong Nguyen
Dr. Vien Nguyen Dr. Amir Nojoumi Dr. Richard Opler Dr. Elizabeth Ott Dr. Nicholas Parque Dr. Trupa Patel Dr. Agata Pikula Dr. Katharine Rossitch Dr. Sandeep Singh Dr. Alison Smith Dr. Brent Spencer Dr. Jonathan Todorovich Dr. Nicole Voeller Dr. Anisoara Vulpoi Dr. Christopher Wagner Dr. Keegan Waldo Dr. Alexis Wilson
Dr. Sejong Yoon Dr. Quinn Yost Dr. Jimmy Zhu SEPTEMBER Dr. Ajay Amin Dr. Scott Decker Dr. Garrett Gentling Dr. Jessica Giles Dr. Christine Hong Dr. Philip Hurst Dr. Sungjun Hwang Dr. Sae Chan Lee Dr. Catherine Rode Dr. Veronika Szreder Dr. Thanmaya Vadi
Members of SKCDS are encouraged to invite non-member dentists who are practicing in King County to join the Dental Society. A quick call to the WSDA Office at 206.448.1914 is all that is needed for them to apply for membership at all three levels: Seattle-King County Dental Society, Washington State Dental Association and the American Dental Association.
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Retirement is approaching: What Now? Some mornings it can be very hard to get out of bed and go to work. We all have days when we would love to head out of the rain and find greener, sunnier pastures. However, for some the prospect of not working can be very daunting. For those in the dental profession, retirement is a great time to stay connected with organized dentistry. You may not want to go into the office every day, but you might want to keep your skills sharp with teaching, working part-time in a clinic, volunteering or mentoring a young practitioner. Alternately, you may be ready to stay connected with dentistry from an administrative standpoint. The tripartite has a need for committee members with the wisdom and leadership of many years in the field. Whether it is the local, state or national level, organized dentistry needs to hear from those members who have experience and perspective. Here are some tips and hints for how you can continue to be involved even if you are no longer in active practice.
The ADA has several designations for those who are in the sunset of their career. You may have heard the term Life Member. As the old slogan goes, “membership has its benefits!” If you have been a member of organized dentistry for 30 consecutive years (or 40 years nonconsecutively) and are age 65 or older, you qualify for Life Membership status. SKCDS honors our Life Members annually at the last Membership Meeting in the spring. Retired Life Member: This designation means that, as a Life Member, once you are retired from dentistry you will be a member for life and will no longer pay annual dues. Your dues are reduced by 100%. Unfortunately, many members do not realize this is the case.
receive pay for dentistry. Therefore, you can provide volunteer care and be considered a retired member. However, if you are working - even only one day a year – you are considered Active Life. This means that your dues are reduced by 25% for all three levels of the tripartite – national, state and local. Active Life Waiver: If a Life Member is earning less than 50% of their income through the practice of dentistry, they can qualify for the Active Life Waiver. This eliminates the state and local dues leaving only the reduced amount required by the ADA. Essentially, the Life Member’s dues are reduced by about 46%. This is the prefect option for the dentist who is almost retired but still wants to work one or two days a week. This paperwork can be requested from the WSDA.
Active Life Status: If you are retiring from full-time practice but still want to work a few hours a week, Retired Member: For those who are not Life a month or a year, you are Active Life status. This Members but still ready to retire, this is your designation is determined by the fact that you category. Your dues are reduced by 75%. This
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Things YOU Need to Know When Collecting on Unpaid Bills What should our members be aware of? The burden has shifted from “How am I going to be compensated for my services?” to “How can I avoid liability when I ask my patients to pay their bill?” The regulations implemented by the CFPB require near procedural perfection as the rules are very consumer protective. As an example, if a front office person is making some telephone calls to the patient before the dentist decides to refer it to a collection agency like P & D, that front office person needs to be very careful about how often they contact the patient and must stop contacting What many of you may not realize is that—with them if the patient requests it. Failure to ignore the the creation of the Federal Consumer Financial patient’s request can lead to a formal complaint by Protection Bureau (CFPB)—the rules about what them to the CFPB and fines for you. you can and cannot do in regards to collecting payment have changed. There are significant penalties What else should my front office staff be aware your practice might face if you inadvertently violate of when calling? one of the rules. The CFPB, created after the 2008 Patients are savvier about the ‘tone’ of the contact financial crisis, has given consumers more power. and are using the CFPB portals to lodge complaints We sat down with Ms. Jacki Pederson, president and in an effort to have their balance forgiven. We CEO of Physicians & Dentists Credit Bureau, with a recommend your staff approach the patient with few questions. Collecting money from patients with unpaid balances is always a challenge. Many of you attempt to obtain payment on those debts before you send them to a collection agency like the Physicians & Dentists Credit Bureau (P & D). Since P & D is owned by the Seattle-King County Dental Society (and has been since 1936), it is well acquainted with the challenges of collecting from dental patients. They have been a trusted—and effective--partner for our members for many years (boasting one of the highest success rates in the industry).
a more “we’re here to help you resolve this” versus any more negative approach. What happens if my patient submits a complaint about my practice? The entire process for the complaint is now very easily done on the CFPB website/portal and takes just a few moments. Once the CFPB receives the complaint, they will contact your practice. You will have 15 days within which to respond, and they work hard to resolve the complaint within 60 days. Additionally, all submitted complaints are added to a national database with information about resolution—not somewhere you’d like to see your practice mentioned. Many members want the patient’s bad debt to go on their credit reports. What should our members know about credit reporting? Credit reporting is also impacted by the CFPB. If there is an error made in any debt reporting (e.g., incomplete, partial payment information, etc.), the (continued on page 15)
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ADA CREDENTIALING SERVICE: An exciting new member benefit premieres this Fall!
Benefits of ADA Credentialing Service: • Eases administrative burdens by keeping your information all in one place; • Input your information only once and it is then available to the payers, hospitals and employers that you select, making the enrollment process faster and easier; • Your information will be pre-populated from the ADA member database; • Simply upload and store any supporting documents; • Easy login with your ADA user ID and password; • Securely designed environment; and, • Built in reminders update you when your licenses or certifications are due to expire.
What information do I need to I have on hand to register my credentials?
Wouldn’t it be great if there were a way to enroll ADA Credentialing Service Frequently with all the third-party payers you would like to Asked Questions work with, without spending hours and hours of your time? Time you don’t have because you are What is credentialing? caring for patients? Now there is. Credentialing is the process by which providers submit their professional information to third-party The ADA Credentialing Service is a new member payers to enroll in their networks. Providers may benefit to streamline the credentialing process, also use this same process for hospitals and emallowing you to input, store and update your ployers. For payers, credentialing requires profesprofessional credentials in one centralized location. sional information and supporting documents to This service helps eliminate repetitive paperwork be vetted or “verified” prior to enrollment and at for you and your office staff, as it requires you ongoing intervals to confirm their validity. to input your credentials only one time. Designed specifically for the dental market, this securely How do I login? designed portal stores your information and makes Go to ADA.org/credentialing then login using your it available to payers, hospitals and employers. ADA user ID and password. And it’s a free member benefit to you!
You may also need the following, if applicable: • Anesthesia License • DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) License • CDS (Controlled Dangerous Substances) License • Medicare number • Medicaid number • BLS (Basic Life Support) Certification • ACLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support) Certification
You will need your • State License Number • NPI Number • Documentation of education, including graduate and residency programs • Contact information for your school and residency programs • Passing dates for NBDE Parts I & II • Practice information • Hospital affiliations • Professional insurance information
How do I upload my information? You can attach an electronic file, fax or mail copies directly to the ADA.
What about security? In collaboration with the ADA’s technology partner, Wonderbox Technologies, we have worked together to provide a safely designed environment. What if I’m not an ADA Member? The service is also available to you. Every U.S. This offers both dentists and payers a level of confidentist is assigned an ADA Member Number (ADA dence in utilizing this service. User ID) upon entering dental school, so believe it or not, we have your number in our records. How long does it take to fill out the application? Please contact the Member Service Center at Once you have gathered all of the necessary infor800.621.8099 and they will help set up your login. mation, filling out the application should only take you 15-20 minutes.
Dentists nationwide can enter their credentials in the ADA Credentialing Service for free. By visiting ADA.org/credentialing, dentists can login using their ADA user ID and password to register their credentials. The securely designed service will house user data, and the ADA plans to make verification of data available in the next phase of the project. Payers, hospitals and employers will What if I don’t know my ADA number? be able to access provider credentials for a nominal Contact the ADA Member Service Center for assistance: fee. Phone: 800.621.8099 | Email: msc@ada.org Live Chat: Click the Live Chat button on the right to The ADA is working with SKYGEN USA to engage speak to a representative. their subsidiary Scion Dental, which provides dental payment solutions to government and commercial payers. By completing your credentials in this portal, the ADA can leverage your support to secure the participation of additional payers.
Will my credentialing information be verified? At this time, the ADA credential registration service will not perform verification. Verification would be performed by the payers, hospitals and employers once they have retrieved your information from the credentialing service.
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(continued from page 12) Is there a fee to use this credentialing service? Registering credentials will be free for all ADA members and non-member dentists. Are my insurance companies using this service? Right now, the service is available to all dentists to input their credential information. Access for the payers, hospitals and employers are in the final development stages and we plan to make dentists’ information available to them now. Once you have registered your credentials, encourage payers you work with to contact the ADA about the service. Can I print the information that I input? Yes. After you attest and authorize consent of your credentials, it will be saved to the portal. When you login, click “view existing application” to download a PDF and print. Who should I contact if I would like more information or need help? Both our Member Service Center and Credentialing Services will be happy to help you. If you are looking for help with your ADA user ID, please contact the Member Service Center.
Contact:
Member Service Center | Phone: 800.621.8099 | Email: msc@ada.org Credentialing Services | Email: credentialing@ada.org | Fax: 312.587.5118 You owe it to yourself to investigate this great new member benefit. Take advantage of organizing and simplifying your credentials all in one place.
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1. My name: Austin Baruffi 2. Childhood ambition: I grew up ski racing and wanted to race at
the World Cup level. Also, I wanted to be an astronaut. Who didn’t?
3. What was your first LP or CD? Big Willie Style 4. Wildest Dream: I had this one dream where I was driving a motor boat
through the snow down Alpental and I could control it like a snowboard. At the bottom my brother was declared king of the mountain and we had a feast.
5. Biggest Challenge: Running a happy and successful office.
Teeth are easy but the management aspect of a dental practice has been an interesting learning curve. I am getting much better.
6. First Job: Lacrosse Summer Camp Coach 7. Last Purchase: I just bought some new cleaning supplies for the office on Amazon Prime. 8. Favorite Movie: A Few Good Men. 9. What is your idea of perfect happiness? That first sip of a cold Corona while in a hot tub after a day of skiing. 10. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Tim Hess
11. Which living person do you most admire? My father. It has been an absolute treat to be able to work with
him in our office. He has taught me a tremendous amount and his preps still look better than mine.
12. What is your greatest extravagance? 13. What is your favorite journey?
I have a boat that is amazingly fun and repeatedly breaks down.
I spent 2 months backpacking through Southeast Asia before dental school.
14. Which talent would you most like to have? I have never been able to do that loud two finger whistle. I have had
a ton of people try to teach me and I can’t figure it out.
15. What is your most treasured possession? Probably my phone. 16. What do you most value in your friends? Honesty and fun.
14 l 2016 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY
It is the key to organizing my life.
(continued from page 11) dental practice may now have to pay damages to the debtor/patient. It is particularly important that practices keep the collection up to date on payments because failure to update the current balance is a common error. Financial Damages? How much money are we talking about here? This is difficult to quantify as each case presents a different set of facts and circumstances. What is important to appreciate here is that “damages” will be alleged and trumped up to encourage the practice to back away from the balance and the fight. Are there any other penalties that a practice could be assessed? Statutorily, a fee/fine of up to $1,000 per offense may be assessed against the practice and if litigation is involved, the patient may also have their attorney’s fees awarded. Generally, the CFPB will not impose the fines unless there is gross misconduct or patterns of complaints. Any words of advice for our members? As you can imagine, there is a lot of new litigation surrounding all these new rules. While many complaints can come down to “he said; she said,” the courts and the Bureau are pre-disposed to favor the consumer. This is one of the reasons that P & D records all telephone calls we make to the consumers to alleviate the “he said; she said” aspect. Your members—and especially the staff contacting the patients—are going to want to extensively document all contacts made where you are trying to resolve unpaid balances. What should our members do about unpaid debt now? As I mentioned above, the rules have changed and are now far more ‘pro-consumer’ than they have been. If I were running a practice, I would consider making one written contact with the debtor/patient giving them the opportunity to resolve payment within a certain timeframe. I would then immediately turn it over to a collection agency. We spend literally hundreds of hours in compliance training with our staff, and we work hard to protect you and ourselves from litigation and fines. I would let professional debt collectors do the work for you. If you are interested in learning more about the CFPB, their website is www.consumerfinance.gov. If you would like to talk to a representative at P & D about moving your delinquent accounts to them to manage, you can call 888.824.7322 or email info@physndent.com.
WDIA: AT YOUR SERVICE At the Washington Dentists' Insurance Agency, service is our specialty. We're prompt and efficient, and we know the business of dentistry like no other broker in the state. With a wide array of policies at our disposal, we're ready to tackle all of your insurance needs whether you're just starting out, building your practice, or anticipating retirement. And, we're the sole broker of NORDIC in the state.
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Ph: 206-441-6824 · 1-800-282-9342 info@wdiains.com · www.wdiains.com 2016 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY l 15
The New Facebook Business Page – What It Means For Your Practice Have you looked at your Facebook business page lately? If not, you should take a look. Facebook quietly rolled out a new business page design that will impact the layout of your page. It is essential that dental practices keep up with the constant changes in social media, and this is the latest example of why people need to stay on top of their social media marketing efforts. Think of Facebook as one of the doors to your practice. When potential and current patients are visiting your page it’s important for them to see the best possible reflection of your practice. Staying current on the updates, ensuring you’re implementing any necessary changes and working with new tools to increase patient conversion can help boost your practice above the competition. We have outlined the latest changes below, and offered some suggestions on how best to use them to your advantage. 1 – Logo The practice logo used to sit on top of the cover image and it was always tricky to create cover images that integrated nicely with the logo placement. No more! Now your logo stands alone in the upper left of your business page. Likely you won’t need to make any changes to the logo section on your page since the image size has stayed the same. 2 – Cover image Now that the logo has its own area you have additional creative space on the cover image. This image helps tell the story of your practice. You might want to use an image of the front of your office, a full staff picture, highlight an award you’ve won, or use something similar that speaks to your brand. The cover image is the same size as before, but now that the logo has been moved you’ll want to redo this image to take advantage of the extra space. 3 – Tabs The tabs have moved from under the cover image to the left column. The good news is that you can now add even more tabs to your pages. You can create tabs for reviews, contests, events, etc. If you’ve created tabs in the past, you might want to take a few minutes to clean up the tabs that are listed. If there are tabs that are no longer relevant, delete them. 4 – Page Interactions These buttons are now far more prominent to the page. Like, message, share, etc. are easier for your patients to see and interact with so you don’t need to take action in this section. 5 – Call-to-Action Button This is one of the most important areas of your page. The call-to-action button has changed position and gotten bigger which makes it far more visible. That’s good news for lead conversion. You’ll want to spend time making sure the correct call-to-action button is implemented for your page. You can choose between “book now,” “call now,” “shop now”, “watch video,” “request appointment,” “send email,” and a few more. We suggest using “call now,” “request appointment,” or “book now” for the best results. (continued on next page) 16 l 2016 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY
6 – Search Posts It’s now possible to search posts from a business page. Searching in this box only returns results from the business page the patient is on. You won’t need to take any action here but it’s good to know that your posts will have a “life” online and could be visible for a longer period of time now that people can search for and find them. 7 – About Section The About section used to be a tab under the cover image but in the new layout it is in its own section on the right. This allows your information to have increased visibility on the page. As long as your about information is up-to-date you won’t need to take any action. If your information is outdated though, it’s a good time to clean it up.
By hovering over the “Like” button, your patients can select “See First.” By These changes all lead to a cleaner, more organized business page with a much stronger focus making this selection they well always see your updates in their newsfeed. on the call-to-action button and therefore increasing your new patient lead conversion. As an aside, with the newsfeed algorithm changes Facebook has recently made, we strongly suggest you formulate a post that instructs your followers how to always make sure your posts show in their newsfeed. If you have any questions related to social media, websites or online marketing please contact us today: info@weomedia.com or call 888.246.6906.
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Congratulations!
We wish to congratulate some SKCDS members for their recent honors and/or elected offices. We are very proud of all of you, and we are grateful for all that you do for dentistry! Washington State Dental Association recently elected the following: Dr. Cynthia R. Pauley, president elect Dr. Linda Edgar, board of directors & ADA delegate Dr. Christine Kirchner, Board of Directors Dr. Gregory Ogata, ADA delegate Dr. Daniel Tremblay, Committee on Government Affairs member Pierre Fauchard Academy Dr. Barry A. Feder, International President American College of Dentists New Fellows Dr. Daniel C. Chan Dr. James D. Johnson Dr. Kevin R. Suzuki Dr. Patrick E. Taylor Dr. Carrie York
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International College of Dentists New Fellows Dr. Aravind Buddula Dr. R. Scott Cahoon Dr. Grant T. Chyz Dr. Mark T. Drangsholt Dr. Sarah D. Fraker Dr. Dat-Phuc P. Giap Dr. Cynthia R. Pauley American Association of Dental Editors Dr. Mary S. Jennings, vice president
Congratulations to all!
(continued from page 10) designation is also determined by whether or not you are receiving fees for dentistry. If you are working, even just one day a year, you cannot be considered retired. What You Need to Do: Frequently, members are not aware that they will benefit from declaring their retired status. This is unfortunate because retirement is a great time to stay involved. The ADA created the Retirement Affidavit form for this purpose. However, we find that members are not aware of this and drop their membership all together. You can request a Retirement Affidavit from SKCDS or find it on our website. Fill out the form and return it to SKCDS for processing. The SKCDS website (www.skcds.org) is a good resource for staying informed about volunteer opportunities. Maybe you plan to move out of state part of the year; volunteering occasionally with the Medical Teams International dental van might be perfect for you. Maybe you are looking for a chance to keep your skills sharp close to home; consider volunteering one or two days a week with the Swedish Clinic. You could connect with students at the UW School of Dentistry or any one of several Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting programs in the area by teaching and mentoring. You can also share your experience with a young student through the WSDA Mentor program. Volunteers are matched with students to provide support and consultation throughout the school year. Do you have a knack for mediation? The Peer Review Committee needs members for dispute resolution several times a year. For those who prefer to play outdoors or travel, stay connected to the local dental community through our publications and email newsletters. As retired members, you will continue to receive these benefits along with much more. Dr. Patrick McKenzie, who has been a member of organized dentistry for over 45 years, retired in 2007. Since retiring, he has been involved with both international missions and teaching at the UW SOD. As a University of Washington SOD Alumnus, Dr. McKenzie feels a great deal of appreciation to his alma mater. “I am deeply grateful to the UW because I wouldn’t have had this satisfying career without the university.” He goes on to add that he enjoys working with the young students who are so enthusiastic. Teaching and mentoring in the Department of Oral Medicine one day a week gives him the chance to stay connected to his profession and keep his skills strong. He says “I’m challenged to remember a certain medication or procedure.” This not only helps the dentist stay connected, but it also assists the school in keeping up its vital role of teaching new dentists and thus maintaining the high standard of dental care in our state. Opportunities for working in the UW SOD can be as little as half a day and parking is free. SKCDS is happy to direct members to the best contact person. As a volunteer it is important to make sure you are covered by malpractice insurance as well as making sure your license renewals are up-to-date. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) will pay the license renewal fees for licensed health care providers (including dentists and hygienists) who only wish to use their Washington State professional license for volunteer work. However, the dental professional cannot be paid for dental work in any venue and must be currently licensed when they apply for this program. This program is managed through the Western Washington Area Health Education Center. The Western Washington Area Health Education Center can also extend malpractice insurance to volunteers through its “Volunteer/Retired Providers Program” however; the volunteer cannot be retired to take part in this. The processing for both free licensing renewal and malpractice insurance takes about two to three weeks. To apply for the free licensing fee, the dentist must be within three months of a license renewal. For more information contact the Western Washington Area Health Education Center (WWAHEC) at www.wwahec.org or ask for Kelly Copp at 206.441.7137. If you are interested in more information on volunteer opportunities, please contact SKCDS and we can direct you to the appropriate contact person. Retirement dreams and wishes are as varied as the people who imagine them. If retirement is approaching and you are starting to give some thought to “what now?,” please contact Sandra Anderson, director of membership services, at 206.448.6620 or sandra@skcds.com.
2016 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY l 21
66 By Al Munk DDS My last birthday, I turned 66. This is one digit short of the devil’s number, but is really not such a bad age. And I really don’t concern myself much with satanic references, as my Catholic pals tell me I’ll meet him soon enough if I continue my pagan ways. I have enough trouble managing this life, without worrying about managing the next. I can start to use references from my own father. He used to say “I get up in the morning, pick up the newspaper, and if my name is not in the obituaries, I have breakfast.”
EXPOSURES
I occasionally read the names of my peers in the obits, but so far, can eat my oatmeal most every morning. I do have to take a bodily inventory each morning to make sure all the parts are working. That first barefoot trip to the bathroom in the morning is not exactly a ballet of movement. It takes a while to warm up the metatarsals and their associated tendons and muscles before graceful movement is achieved. Then it’s off to work. I still like to get up and go to work each day. Call me crazy, but that’s the way it is. I do remember days 30 years ago when I didn’t know if I could stand another day, but here I am after 41 years still at it. My lease is up this year and I’ll be signing another 10 year special. Part of this reasoning is that if you don’t tie up your space in Seattle, they will sell the building to developers and tear it down in about 5 minutes. It’s anyone’s guess whether I’ll make it through this decade-long lease, but at least I’ll have a place to go each morning. And if I do hang up the handpiece in the meantime, my successor will have a shot at Ballard longevity in my place. In 1934, when they started Social Security with paydays starting at age 65, the life expectancy of a man in the U.S. was 64. They didn’t think they would be paying many people this particular annuity. But I don’t know if you have noticed this, but I have 90 year olds in my dental chair every day. I did a root canal on a 98 year old the other day, and an implant on a 91 year old woman. The geezers are everywhere, making us sixty-somethings seem like kids.
and Seahawks. But onward we go, carrying our clubs on our backs like we did in high school. The motorized golf cart is there in waiting when our legs and backs finally give up in a few years, but for now, we delight in being beasts of burden. We constantly buy new drivers in hopes of launching Tigeresque moon shots far down the fairway, but alas, the fantasy is not wellgrounded in the reality. Our golf swings are beginning to resemble shovels of dirt from our rigid bodies. But hope springs eternal, and there is a special joy in standing on the first tee on a summer morning with the sun and wind at your back, and your aged pals at your side. There is usually one of us sidelined with an injury and we lament his misfortune, wishing him a speedy return to action. This age brings with it another joy, grandfatherhood. I have a 3 year old granddaughter who brings a smile to my face each morning, since she is living upstairs in my house at the moment. This is fun, but is a little too close for comfort. So I am building a little house in my backyard at the moment to provide at least 50 feet of separation between my daughter and her mother. They have always been oil and water and for my own well-being, I need to transport this young family to the backyard to prevent familial world war. My granddaughter calls me Ba-Ba, which seems a simple enough expression, but thrills me every time I hear her say it. It is the little things that light my fire at this stage of life… That’s all for now from Ballard.
I am the youngest guy in my golf group. We are all the walking wounded. There is as much talk of orthopedics and urologists, as there is about Huskies The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or official policy of the Seattle-King County Dental Society. 22 l 2016 SKCDS FALL QUARTERLY
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