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to the table of contentsPresident's Message | MCDS Board of Trustees / Committee Reports | Treasurer's Report Detail
NJDA State Board of Trustees Report | Articles | Announcements
The tribute to Sy Symanski does not appear on this page because it could not be scanned from the newsletter. I will be obtaining the tributes and pictures shortly and will post a permanent page dedicated to Sy.
The decade of the 90's is turning out to be the greatest period of value growth in investment history.
This successful period is not unique to the financial markets only, but is in fact representative of the upward spiral of MCDS/NJDA services to its members.
• Hey, I just sent in my relicensure to the State Board and all of my Continuing Education requirements were provided through membership in organized dentistry . . . that's a home run. (Thanks to Phil and Ethan).
• My office manager just updated our office manual with a list of up-to-date information from the newly published employee manual from NJDA . . . that's a goal in the upper right corner of the net. (Art Meisel spearheaded this one).
• Throughout the year, I've received third party insurance claim resolutions through NJDA . . . don't you just love a birdie? (Mary Moskal is the pro).
• Our own personal dental-issue legal expert at our fingertips, just a phone call away . . . another ace.
• I can't wait for the soon to arrive Membership Directory and Member Resource Directory that will put everything that's important at my fingertips . . . that's a touchdown.
Well I guess you get the point. Your involvement in NJDA/MCDS really pays off and as far as I'm concerned, it's a slam-dunk.
Sincerely, - Cavan Brunsden, D.M.D., President
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-April 14, 1998-
Attendance: Bloom, Clemente, DeSciscio, Engel, Fertig, Glickman, Katz, Kline, Krantz, Leizer, Livanos, Perlmutter, Prabhu, Rosen, Schambra, Silverstein, Weiner
Acceptance of Minutes-3/10/98-Accepted with changes: Dr. Kline's name spelled incorrectly, dental video library is located at St. Peter's Hospital, not JFK Hospital.
Treasurer's Report: Previous Balance $43,560.28
C. Bloom, Treasurer Income - Expenses - 385.16
Current Balance $43,174.87
NJDA Council Reports:
Council on Dental Benefits-D. Krantz
BC/BS has retained a firm to do audits of participating providers to determine if they have inappropriately billed the company. This is most commonly found with crown and bridge procedures where the insurance may have been submitted on the date of preparation rather than date of insertion. They are requesting that all monies due to them be paid within four days after receipt of notice, and have also implied that the participating dentist would be reported to the State Board of Dentistry.
Nationwide Dental Plan is listing dentists as participants in their plan without the knowledge and permission of the dentist.
A motion was made by the council to have ADA drop their direct reimbursement program. Approximately five million dollars has been spent on promoting this program in the last two years, but the statistics show that of the 3337 requests for information on the program, only 48 plans have been implemented.
Membership Council-N. Villa
NJDA mailed a copy of the cover page of the Jan/Feb Capsule along with a benefit list and application to nonmembers this past month.
NJDA mailed a duplicate bill to those members who have not yet made payment arrangements for their 1998 dues. In addition, a letter from Joel Gelbman and from each component president stressing the importance of membership was enclosed.
Relief-E. Glickman
An $850/month stipend was granted to requesting dentist.
New Dentists-M. Weiner
The council is pushing to begin having residency lunches (funded by NJDA) to introduce dental residents to organized dentistry.
A course will be sponsored by the New Dentists Council at the Annual Session.
Annual Session-P. Engel
The council is looking into renting the convention hall for next year's Annual Session to enable it to go back to a weekend event. A block of rooms would be reserved at the Sheraton, which is five minutes away from the convention hall by shuttle.
Council on Government Affairs-J. Leizer
The Assignment of Benefits bill calls for assignment to be made to any practitioner regardless of participation in any plan. Thus far, it appears that this bill will not pass legislation.
Electronic claim legislation will provide for claims to be paid in 17 days, but must be submitted by the practitioner (not the patient) and the practitioner will be able to have assignment regardless of participation. This a great step in the right direction for ultimately getting assignment on all claims in the future.
NJ auto insurance carriers are looking at a new, lower cost policy that would reduce the PIP benefit from $250,000 to $10,000. This would provide only a minimum of coverage.
Dentists must keep their cancelled checks for medical waste fees to prove that they are in compliance with state law.
MCDS Committee Reports:
Membership Committee-N. Villa
There are 18 new members for 1998. MCDS was reimbursed for expenses associated with the field service recruitment efforts of the membership task force. The program lasted from mid-1996 until December, 1997, and thanks to Erin Murphy, our membership recruitment and retention skills have reached a much higher level.
Life Member Recognition-One of our members who attained life member status this year brought an important matter to our attention. It was his opinion that the current protocol followed by the ADA and NJDA for honoring life members was inadequate. After reviewing his comments and the current protocol, the MCDS executive board decided that it is time for a change. These changes are:
1. The membership council representative will be responsible for implementing the new protocol.
2. The president will inform the membership council representative of the names of the life members to be honored after receiving notification from NJDA.
3. A framed certificate will be created for each honoree.
4. A brief biography will be obtained for each honoree and will be published in the newsletter and read before certificate presentation at our meeting.
5. A photo will be taken of the life members present at the meeting and will be published in the newsletter (and the website).
6. This event will take place at the NJDA officers visitation meeting.
Continuing Education Committee-P. Engel
The Seltzer full-day course will be held on May 20th. A mailing has been sent statewide to advertise this event. There are two confirmed sponsors for this course.
Mentor-E. Glickman
A course on medical savings accounts is on April 28th.
PAC-H. Katz
A fundraiser will be held on April 25th (Saturday) to support the legislators that support healthcare concerns. Not only is it important to raise significant funds for their campaigns, but the quantity of members in the contributor's Diamond Club demonstrates the strength of the dental community.
MCDS Website-R. Silverstein
There will be a web page posted and dedicated to the memory of Sy Symanski. There will also be a new section dedicated to Life Members. A copy will be sent to the members, as some do not have internet access.
Editor's Report-Weiner
The President's Message was deleted from the last newsletter to make room for the obituary of Sy Symanski. A large portion of next month's newsletter will be devoted to him, including anecdotes and memories from those that knew him best.
Program-P. DeSciscio
Next week is the Sy Symanski Lecture. Sy's son has been invited to present the plaque that is given to the evening's lecturer. Registration continues for Staff Appreciation Night. There are about 200 people registered so far. Early registration is recommended to assure preferred seating.
Old Business
Nominations-Discussion was made to determine what to do with the Secretary position that is now vacant due to the passing of Sy Symanski. The Constitution and Bylaws states that the Board of Trustees should make a nomination recommendation to the membership and/or the membership can make a nomination from the floor. A motion was made to make a recommendation to the membership. (Vote unanimous) The Board's recommendation for Secretary is Dr. Bruce Huberman.
New Business
A motion was made to include provisions in the Constitution and Bylaws for a MCDS nominating committee to be composed of the current President, the incoming President, and the immediate past President. The nomination committee would start the process earlier in the year and provide a more streamlined process for the nominations. The vote was tabled, and will be r-eaddressed in October when several other amendments to the Constitution will be presented.
A dental office employee manual has been compiled by NJDA and is available to all member dentists at no charge.
Sy Symanski Recognition Plan-The Sy Symanski Lecture will be changed to the Sy Symanski Memorial Lecture, a portion of the next newsletter will be dedicated to him, and a web page will be created for him. A motion was made to make a donation in his name to the Masonic Home for the Aged, as listed in his obituary.
Budget- A proposed budget was prepared by Dr. Bloom for 1998-1999. This proposal will be printed in the newsletter.
A videotape from the ADA was played which highlighted the benefits of the massive nationwide ad campaign they are proposing. This campaign will cost $90 million over the next three years, which will translate to a $300 dues increase per member per year for three years. Two proposed television commercials were included in the video.
Respectfully submitted,
Mark Schambra, DDS
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April 1, 1998
Treasurer's Report May 1, 1998
Charles H. Bloom D.M.D.
Previous Balance: $43,174.87 (4/1/98)
Income/Expenses: $10,298.31 / -2,507.86 (4/1/98 - 4/30/98)
Current Balance: $50,965.32
Profit & Loss Statement 4/1/98 - 4/30/98
Category Description
Income/Expense
Income (Total) 10,298.31
Expenses
Newsletter 1,759.67
Name Badges 389.71
Phone 47.68
Secretarial 120.00
Board Meeting/Catering 190.80
Speaker 500.00
Total Expenses: 2,507.86
Total Income/Expense 7,790.45
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Components societies are no longer allowed to separately post minutes of the State Board of Trustees Report. You can now find the reports at http://www.njda.org/member/board_minutes/index.html.
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Life Member Recognition
One of our members who attained life member status this year brought an important matter to our attention. It was his opinion that the current protocol followed by the ADA and NJDA for honoring life members was inadequate. After reviewing his comments and the current protocol, the MCDS executive board decided that it is time for a change. l.The membership council representative will be responsible for implementing the new protocol.
2.The president will inform the membership council representative of the names of the life members to be honored after receiving notification from NJDA.
3.A framed certificate will be created for each honoree.
4.A brief biography will be obtained for each honoree and will be published in the newsletter and the website and read before certificate presentation at our meeting.
5. A photo will be taken of the life members present at the meeting and will be published in the newsletter and the website.
6. This event will take place during the NJDA officers' visitation meeting.
Dr. Nancy Villa
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Assignment of Benefits Bill
On March 26, the Senate Health Committee considered legislation to foster the use of electronic claims by insurers and providers. While the bill contained some good provisions, such as a requirement that insurers pay electronically submitted claims in 17 days, it also mandated that health care providers, including dentists, would have to file all health insurance claims on behalf of their patients - regardless of whether the practitioner accepted insurance or not.
NJDA testified that if our members were going to be forced to file all claims, in return they should be assured of getting the benefit sent directly to them if the patient wished to assign it. The Bill's sponsor, Senator Robert Littell (R-Sussex) agreed, and the committee unanimously voted to release the bill with our assignment of benefits language in it. This bill now proceeds to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee for further consideration.
MCDS WELCOMES OUR NEWEST MEMBERS
Dr. Alla Z. Fishbeyn
Dr. C. Robert Montgomery
Dr. To Choy
Dr. Sunil Porecha
STAFF NIGHT IN MAY OPEN TO ALL!
Staff Night, always a well attended and entertaining evening, is
sometimes looked at as a "Doctor's with staff only"
event. In reality, Staff Night is open to ALL of our members,
regardless of whether they bring their staffs or not.
Staff Night has and always will be an opportunity for everyone to
come together for a non-academic entertaining event.
We hope you can attend on May 19, 1998.
A MCDS Special Event
STAFF NIGHT
Tuesday, May 19
- An Evening of Fine Food and Entertainment-
A Murder Mystery will be Presented
by the Acclaimed
Actors Mystery Tour
This event is provided for ALL members, regardless of whether they bring staff members or not. In the best interests of proper organization based on the large turnout of this event, pre-registration will be Mandatory this year. A financial incentive will be provided to encourage prompt return of reservations.
MCDS STAFF NIGHT REGISTRATION FORM
Doctors Name ___________________________________________________________________________
Names of Staff Members ________________________________ _________________________________
________________________________ _________________________________
________________________________ _________________________________
________________________________ _________________________________
________________________________ _________________________________
I wish to sit with Dr. ________________________________________and staff. (Note: There are 10 seats to a table. When reserving a table alone or with another office, there must be 10 or fewer seats occupied. Seats cannot be added to a table to accommodate more than 10).
MCDS Member Dentists No Charge
Staff Members: $30. p.p. by April 1st. $32. p.p after April 1st (No Exceptions!)
TOTAL # of Staff Attending: _____________
TOTAL Remittance: __________________
CUT-OUT AND SEND CHECK FOR TOTAL PAYABLE TO MCDS TO:
DR. PETER DeSciscio 283 High Street Perth Amboy, NJ 08861
The Council on New Dentists
will be sponsoring
a course by
DR. ROBERT NIXON
on
Advanced Esthetics and Laminates
at the NJDA Annual Session
on
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3RD
Pre-registration is mandatory. Call NJDA at 821-9400 for details.
PEER REVIEW UPDATE
After twelve years at the helm of your Peer Review Committee,
I am stepping down and passing the baton to Dr. John Fahsbender.
John will be taking the reins of this hardworking and vital
committee. He will follow in the footsteps of his mentor, Doug
Levy, who was also my mentor. Doug was one of the pioneers and
driving forces in Peer Review in New Jersey.
I would like to thank those members who have served on this
committee with me over the past dozen years; Drs. Doug Levy, Phil
Feinberg, Steve Kaplan, Joe Fertig, John Fahsbender and Fred
Naddleman.
Through the years I have held many positions in MCDS, BUT Peer
Review has been my passion. I will remain on the committee to
help John carry out our work.
Thank you the membership, for giving me the opportunity to serve
our society.
Keep good records!
BILL FROMKIN
RETIREMENT TRIBUTE
Dr. Arnold Goldberg retired December 31, 1997, after 29 years
of practice with the Mid Jersey Endodontic Group. Arnie graduated
University of Pennsylvania Dental School and completed his
Endodontic training at Temple University School of Dentistry. He
served in the Navy for two years.
I would personally like to thank Arnie on behalf of my patients
and myself, as well as the many practitioners in Middlesex and
Somerset Counties, which he served so professionally all those
years.
Good luck and enjoy your well deserved retirement. May you have
many days of "tight lines."
- Bill Fromkin-and MCDS
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