Committee on Dental Benefits



Committee on Dental Benefits

October 27, 2010

Conference call

Present Absent

Dr. Tad Glossner (5) Chair Dr. Joseph Yatko (6)

Dr. David Fox (2) Staff

Dr. Robert Callahan (7) Marisa Swarney, Director Government

Dr. Naila Naseem-Elkassas (8) Relations

Dr. Gino Pagano (10) Ivan Orlovic, Committee Liaison,

Dr. Thomas Donahue (3) Government Relations Coordinator

Dr. Lauri Passeri (2) ADA Consultant

Dr. Jon Johnston (8) ADA Consultant

Dr. Ronald Helminski (9)

Dr. Donald Stoner (10) Trustee/Liaison

Call to Order

Dr. Glossner took attendance and called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

Approval of Minutes

The Committee on Dental Benefits (CDB) amended the minutes from the June 25, 2010, conference call. Line 177 was amended to more accurately reflect the discussion. A majority of CDB agreed PDA should continue lobbying for the passage of the non-covered services bill without amendments. The minutes from the June 25, 2010 conference call were approved as amended by unanimous vote.

Follow Up on Outstanding Issues From Last Meeting

UCCI sent a letter to all of its participating providers statewide, stating that general dentists are now required to submit X-rays for all periodontal claims. CDB received complaints from several PDA members that the language in the letter was discriminatory. Before deciding whether to challenge UCCI’s new policy, the CDB decided to contact the three PA dental schools to discuss whether they agreed with UCCI’s new policy. Two of the three dental schools agreed with UCCI. At the time of this conference call the CDB had received no additional complaints from PDA members. CDB decided that if it received any more complaints from PDA members it would revisit taking action at that time.

Dr. Passeri reported that she tried to contact Trojan Professional services and Insurance Solutions Newsletter to inquire whether they would offer their services to PDA members at a discount. Trojan Professional services is a company that sells dental office management software and Insurance Solutions Newsletter is a newsletter that provides dentists with tips on how to better interact with insurance companies. Both companies were non-responsive. The CDB decided to cease efforts to contact these companies at this time.

The CDB asked if the Q&A session with UCCI from the last meeting on June 25, 2010 would be published. Dr. Glossner stated that the Q&A would be published in the November/December issue of the Pennsylvania Dental Journal.

Discussion of CE Course for Dental Coding

CDB discussed developing a CE course for dental coding that would be combined with a clinical component to be eligible for CE credit. The reason for developing this course is the number of complaints from dental insurance companies stating dentists were improperly coding claims. Dr. Glossner directed staff to organize all information necessary to host this course and present the information to CDB at its next conference call. (10/27CDBDA1)

Assignment of Articles and Topics

Staff will be assigning article topics to CDB members, the articles will be published in the Pennsylvania Dental Journal and Transitions newsletter for 2011. (10/27CDBDA2)

Legislative Update

Marisa Swarney updated the committee on the most recent outcome of the non-covered services bill. The bill had stalled in the appropriations committee pending a language compromise. The chairman of the appropriations committee asked PDA to drop the maximum plan allowance issue from the bill. When PDA finally agreed to change the language in the bill, time had expired in the legislative session. According to PDA’s lobbyists the insurance lobbyists had persuaded Senator Corman to stall PDA legislation. The CDB discussed PDA’s renewed effort to pass the bill in the next legislative session. CDB will suggest language and will forward its recommendation to the Board of Trustees. PDA also plans on reintroducing legislation on assignment of benefits and general anesthesia for children under seven and special needs patients.

New Business

The committee discussed a letter Delta Dental sent to its participating dentists reflecting a new policy. As of February 1, 2011 Delta Dental will be instituting a policy of non-covered benefits. The language in Delta’s letter was ambiguous and caused confusion amongst PDA membership. Dr. Glossner stated he and PDA staff would meet with Delta Dental senior management on November 3, 2010. Dr. Glossner will publish the results of the meeting on PDA’s website. (10/27DBCDA3)

Discussion of Committee Meeting During Leadership Symposium

The committee agreed to meet on May 20, 2011, during PDA’s Leadership Symposium. The committee believes there may be opportunities to meet with other committees to discuss issues of mutual concern.

Staff will forward a request to the Board of Trustees to identify issues of mutual concern among the committees meeting during the Leadership Symposium on May 20, 2011. The staff will contact the appropriate committee chair to arrange a time that the committees can meet during the May 20, 2011 Leadership Symposium. (10/27DBCDA4)

Election of Chair and Vice Chair

Dr. Glossner reminded the committee that it needs to nominate a new chair and vice chair at the next meeting. He reviewed the election process with committee members and explained which committee members are eligible to vote.

Next Meeting

The committee agreed to hold its next conference call at 7:00 p.m. on February 9, 2011

Adjournment

The conference call adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

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