2023 Spring ODA Membership Events

Women In Dentistry 2023

The annual ODA Women in Dentistry CE Brunch was held on February 17, 2023 at the Ambassador Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City. Attendees enjoyed a brunch buffet from Café Cuveé, coffee, and mimosa bar while earning 2 hours of CE from Tracy Butler, CRDH, MFT, who presented the course, Heart of Practice Growth with a Systemic Approach. Thank you to our sponsors, Straumann and First Liberty Bank. Look for more information on the next Women in Dentistry event next spring!

Thunder Up with the ODA!

On March 3, 2023, the ODA hosted new dentists and dentists who work in large group practices at an Oklahoma City Thunder Game versus the Utah Jazz. Members and non-members were invited to enjoy snacks, refreshments and a Thunder win at the Paycom Center! There were 19 attendees including ODA President Dr. Robert Herman and ODA New Dentist Trustee Dr. Mary Temple-Goins.

Match@ODA

The ODA’s annual Match@ODA event was held on April 20, 2023, at PARLOR OKC in downtown Oklahoma City. At this casual networking event potential employees and potential employers met and discussed similar interests, and future professional endeavors. We would like to thank our sponsors First Liberty Healthcare Banking, Henry Schein Dental Practice Transitions, Lewis Health Profession Services, Mariner Wealth Advisors, Positive Impact Dental Alliance, and Specialty1 Partners for helping make this a successful event for all! We can’t wait to host this event again next year.

Interested in attending future ODA Membership events? Check your email, ODA social media, and okda.org for upcoming events!

Oda Member Benefit Corner

Why is a membership with the ODA/ADA so valuable?

The ODA/ADA supports all members at the national, state, and local levels. From helping you manage your practice more efficiently and advocating on your behalf to offering you tools and resources that help you find the answers for you’re looking for, we’re there every step of the way.

HIPAA Compliance and Online Reviews

Many prospective patients turn to online reviews to help them evaluate potential dentists. In fact, 84% of the public trust online reviews to help them make decisions. With a majority of people turning to the internet to find a dentist, it is more important than ever for dental practices to maintain and respond to online reviews professionally and promptly – while ensuring they maintain HIPAA compliance.

Data revealed that 88% of dentists reported receiving online patient reviews, yet 39% of them felt they were unable to respond to reviews due to HIPAA regulations, according to a December 2022 survey by the ADA Health Policy Institute. While dental practices can be fined thousands of dollars for responding to online reviews with sensitive information, such as a patient’s name, insurance information, treatment plan, and/or cost information, they might also violate HIPAA for simply acknowledging a patient was at their practice.

Remember this: Just because a patient identifies themselves in a review, they have NOT waived their HIPAA protection—patient confidentiality must always be maintained!

Dental practices should consistently monitor their presences on major review sites to be aware of what’s been posted, whether positive or negative. To equip dentists with resources to help manage comments left on their social media accounts, review sites, or other platforms, the ADA has created a toolkit with information about navigating online reputation in a digital age.

This new resource discusses critical questions for dental practices, including:

• How should I monitor my online reputation?

• How does HIPAA apply to online reviews?

• How should I respond to negative reviews?

To learn more about online reputation management and see sample responses to positive and negative reviews, visit ADA.org/socialtoolkit. copyright © 2023 American Dental Association. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission.