Guest Editorial
C D A J O U R N A L , V O L 5 0 , Nº 4
Who We Are and Where We Are Going Ariane Terlet, DDS Editor’s Note: Dr. Ariane Terlet was installed as the 2022 CDA president at the 2021 virtual CDA House of Delegates meeting. Her inaugural address is presented here in an adapted form.
M
y practice consists of two worlds: private and public health. All of us work in the service of the public even though our practice settings, payers and patient demographics may be different. Public health is the reason that I joined CDA. My decision to join CDA after five years of practice was in reaction to the threat of geographic managed care to both private practice and our public health clinics. I learned to appreciate the advocacy arm of our organization. Our dues do not come close to what it would cost us as individuals to hire attorneys to represent our practices in insurance and regulatory arenas. After 30 years, it is gratifying to see the working relationship that CDA has with public health and our state legislature. Our profession is founded on responsibility and integrity. We are all members of a healing profession and have a covenant with the public to improve the oral health of our patients as well as the advancement of the profession of dentistry. As individual members, we are the heart and soul of our association. Our CDA leaders and staff team members perform the magic behind the scenes. We work in collaboration to support and promote our successful practice in our service to our patients and the public. As delegates and members of the CDA House of Delegates, we are the leadership
We are all members of a healing profession and have a covenant with the public to improve the oral health of our patients as well as the advancement of the profession of dentistry. of CDA. We are charged with making the best decisions for all of our collective and diverse members. The 2021 CDA House of Delegates gave direction for a new governance structure. So, where do we go from here? Max De Pree’s quote on leadership has guided me throughout this pandemic: “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the two, the leader must become a servant.” In order to be successful, we must have good communication. In order to have communication, we must share the same reality. Our reality is COVID-19. It has imposed itself on practically every aspect of our lives. It has imposed itself on our plans. It has caused us to change course, adapt and in some cases delay our plans. Though COVID-19 is still impacting our lives and the practice of dentistry, it is now time to move away from the emergency mode and get back to business in this, our new normal. Our strategic plan needs to be reviewed and updated. COVID-19 impacted several of our revenue streams. We need to continue to be fiscally responsible as we plan for the future. We need to prepare for challenges to existing insurance reform legislation, the Medical Injury Compensation Reform
Act (MICRA). This is a major threat to our practices and could lead to increased costs for our patients. We need to explore the increased overhead costs that we are experiencing due to COVID-19. We need to be more involved in grassroots actions. The ADA has reported that only 65% of dentists are registered voters and fewer actually vote. Please register and vote. Our collective futures depend on it. We have increased costs that are not going away anytime soon. Our pre-COVID-19 concerns about thirdparty reimbursements continue. Sometimes the tax category “nonprofit” is mistaken for a business model that achieves no profit margin. In public health, our common saying is “no margin, no mission.” This is true for all of our practices. No margin, no mission. We will explore ways that our governance structure might work more effectively to meet the changing needs of our members while continuing to be fiscally responsible. We will continue to address dental practice staffing shortages by developing partnerships in recruitment and training. The pool of dental assistants must be grown to fill the critical need felt locally, statewide and nationally. APRIL 2 0 2 2
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