A few weeks ago, an inspector from the Department of Health
called my North Brunswick office and asked if he could come to
the office the next day for a medical waste inspection. Although
we would have preferred some advanced notice to be sure that all
of our paperwork was in order, we figured it would be best to
let him come at his convenience, not ours. It was a wise choice
- he only wanted to see our medical waste tracking forms and our
sharps containers. Less than fifteen minutes later, the paperwork
was completed and he was gone. Two weeks
later, another inspector from the Department of Health called
my Somerville office and he also asked if he could come to the
office the next day for a medical waste inspection. Of course
we said he could, and after scanning our medical waste tracking
forms, he asked me a dental question (he had an appointment with
his dentist that afternoon) and cordially wished me a good day
and left.
What a different experience this time around! Approximately four
years ago, it was an inspector from the Department of Environmental
Protection and Energy (DEPE) that did the medical waste inspection.
It was a rigorous ordeal that lasted well over an hour. He wanted
to see the copy of every tracking form from the transporter, each
intermediate hauler and the final destination site. He wanted
to see the yearly registration form hanging on the wall in the
office. But the biggest nuisance was maintaining those logs! All
medical waste had to be separated by category, weighed and logged
onto those forms every month. The evaluation form that he needed
to complete for my office was quite lengthy and, although I was
in compliance, he had numerous suggestions as to how I could be
better.
Thank goodness for organized dentistry and our PAC. The DEPE fees
for medical waste generators were reduced, the inspections less
frequent, the paperwork less overwhelming and the inspectors more
reasonable. All of this was a result of our efforts in Trenton.
Bill Prentice and the Council on Governmental Affairs are continually
monitoring all legislation in Trenton that affect dentistry. Having
Arthur Meisel as our legal counsel has made NJDA a force to be
reckoned with.
In reality, there is no better reason to belong to organized dentistry
than to have a unified, powerful voice protecting our interests
in the public and political arenas. There is no better state to
practice dentistry than New Jersey because of the efforts of the
New Jersey Dental Association on our behalf. If any of our members
have any issues or concerns on a local, state or national level,
please call me, voice your sentiments, make your thoughts and
opinions heard. If you have a "gripe", you are probably
not alone in your feelings and the officers and Board of Trustees
will be happy to consider your concerns and act accordingly. I
hope to hear from you.
Sincerely,
Ira S. Rosen, D.M.D.
President, Middlesex County Dental Society
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Attendance: Bloom, Brunsden, Chustckie, DeSciscio, Engel, Habas, Kline, Krantz, Perlmutter, Prabhu, Rosen, Schambra, Silverstein, Villa, Weiner
Acceptance of Minutes-1/12/99-Vote unanimous.
Treasurer's Report: P. DeSciscio, Treasurer
Previous Balance $35,711.81
Income/Expenses -11,320.31
Current Balance $47,241.05
NJDA Council Reports:
NJDA Board of Trustees-D. Krantz
The Board approved several new non-dues revenue proposals,
including Care Credit (a dental credit card) and Microflex latex
gloves. A special announcement about these newly endorsed products
and services will be made to the membership.
The US Department of Labor is holding a public hearing on employee
plan benefits in Washington, DC on February 12-19. NJDA will give
testimony.
Beginning March 25, 1999, Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners
will require that silver from photochemical processing be recovered.
Areas affected include parts of Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Bergen
counties. Mr. Millstein will be visiting these components with
more detailed information. An agreement has been worked out with
Solid Waste Technologies to sell chemical recovery containers
to our members at a reduced cost. NJDA has not endorsed this company
and will receive no moneys for the use of the program. Units will
cost approximately $80 and should last 9-12 months. A mailing
will be sent to members affected within the next few weeks giving
details. Other areas of the state are expected to be affected
in the future.
The Board approved a resolution establishing a policy on wearing
mouth protectors for athletes.
Membership Council-N. Villa
The ADA's Outreach program met last month to formulate an action plan for future R&R activities. Each of the component representatives described their current activities relating to membership and their "wish list" for the future. MCDS's list of R&R activities shined compared to those presented by most of the other components thanks to everyone's combined efforts.
Council on Communications-R. Silverstein
The Council voted to approve adding e-mail addresses to the
information about members provided on NJDA's web site.
An exposure control manual will soon be posted on the NJDA web
site.
The Council will be asking the NJDA Board of Trustees what parameters
(financial, etc.) would be acceptable for us to develop a public
awareness campaign.
A membership directory is currently being printed and should be
released soon.
The Bylaws of the NJDA are being revised. It is hoped that they
will be presented to the House in May.
Council on New Dentists-M. Weiner
UMDNJ is about to become a component member of NJDA.
The Council on New Dentists will be sponsoring a full-day CE course
at the Annual Session.
A full-day seminar for new dentists was discussed with topics
that are pertinent to them, such as buying a practice, consolidating
debt, etc. Further discussion was tabled until the next meeting.
Council on Dental Benefits-D. Krantz
The Council was provided with cumulative statistics for the
1998 year indicating the total number of complaints received against
insurance companies. Aetna/US Healthcare generated the most complaints.
The Council reviewed comments submitted by NJDA to the United
States Department of Labor concerning the proposed amendments
to the ERISA regulations. The Department of Labor has invited
NJDA to provide oral testimony on February 19, 1999. The ADA has
also been contacted. Staff stressed the importance of this issue,
since the proposed rule would shorten the deadline for initial
benefit determination to 15 days from the current 90 days.
Delta Dental Plan wrote to the State Board of Dentistry regarding
their position that dental consultants are not subject to the
jurisdiction of the State Board when they make dental benefit
determinations. The Council reviewed the subsequent, and very
persuasive, rebuttal submitted by NJDA, which included the fact
that the State Board has already gone on record with its position
that dental consultants require a license. NJDA continues to urge
that the proposed regulation be published for comment.
The Council reviewed a letter from Oxford Health Plan which stated
that they are still evaluating its current policy of "bundling"
general anesthesia with the surgery performed. NJDA's initial
request to Oxford that its policy be changed was in July 1998.
The Council discussed the possible ramifications of the pending
sale of Prudential's health care business to Aetna. The sale has
yet to receive regulatory approval.
The Council reviewed information received from ADA concerning
Rep. Norwood's newly introduced "Access to Quality Care Act
of 1999", which is an updated version of PARCA.
The Council discussed the rehabilitation of American Preferred
Provider Plan and the court order that requires practitioners
to continue to provide services to APPP members.
The Council reviewed a comparison of the Medicaid fee-for-service
rates in New Jersey versus other states. By far, New Jersey has
the lowest fee schedule of any other state.
Children's Dental Health Month-C. Brunsden
This year's activities include the following:
County-wide School Poster Contest
Pediatricians Awareness Program
County Nurses Continuing Education-March 10, 1999
NJDA at the Circus-"A Family Affair"-March 14,
1999
Dental Health Fair and Awards Ceremony-April 11, 1999
MCDS Committee Reports:
Editor's Report-M. Weiner
This month there were problems getting labels for the newsletters from NJDA. Perhaps in the future we can get the membership roster on disk and print the labels ourselves.
Website-R. Silverstein
The latest newsletter has been uploaded and should be posted soon. The Bylaws have been placed in the Archives section of the site. There are links included to download the Bylaws in Microsoft Word format for both the Mac and PC. These files contain formatting not possible with HTML. As soon as the Board provides them, the "Rules of the Board" will be included in the Archives section.
Membership-N. Villa
NJDA reimbursed MCDS $304.77 for last month's dinner expenses
associated with life member attendees, nonmember, and NJDA staff.
MCDS member, Craig Hescheles, was announced as the winner of the
prompt dues payment contest. He is entitled to an all expense
paid weekend at our Annual Session in Atlantic City this year.
MCDS already has 16 new members for 1999.
Dinner Dance-H. Habas
Final arrangements are being made for the dinner dance. NJDA sponsored vendors were contacted for the ad journal. Dental labs that the members use can also be contacted. Members are asked to contribute names of other vendors or retailers that they are familiar with.
Good & Welfare
Congratulations to Dr. Ross Kline on the birth of his daughter, Melissa.
Respectfully submitted,
Bruce Huberman, DMD
Secretary
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| Previous Balance | |
| (12/31/98) | $35,763.20 |
| Reimbursement from NJDA Excecutive Committee Dinners | 208.93 |
| Adjusted Balance | 35,920.74 |
| Income / Expenses | |
| (1/31/99 - 2/28/99) | $ 14,543.49 |
| (- 3,223.18) | |
| Net Profit: | $11,320.31 |
| Current Balance | |
| (2/28/99) | $47,241.05 |
| PROFIT & LOSS STATEMENT | |
| 1/31/99 Through 2/28/99 | |
| INCOME: | |
| Total | $ 14,543.49 |
| EXPENSES: | |
| Dinner Meetings | 2569.45 |
| Executive Committee Meetings | 210 |
| Dinner Dance | 200.94 |
| Secretarial | 98 |
| Name Badges | 52.47 |
| Telephone | 43.40 |
| Office Supplies | 33.92 |
| Taxes | 15 |
| TOTAL EXPENSES | (3,223.18) |
| Net Profit | $11,320.31 |
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Components societies are not 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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Dr Daniel Krantz
A. Complaints: The council was provided with cumulative statistics for the 1998 year indicating the number of com received against insurance companies. Aetna/ US HealthCare generated the most complaints, surpassing the former #1 in complaints, Blue Cross/Blue Shield.
B. NJDA Comments on Proposed ERISA Regs: The council reviewed the comments submitted by NJDA to the United States ERISA regulations. While NJDA urges adoption of the proposal, comments were directed at enhancing the provisions by extending to initial benefit determinations the protections required for appeals of adverse benefit determinations. Included among these is the requirement for consultation with an appropriately trained and licensed professional when the claims decision involves a medical or dental judgment. The Department of Labor has invited NJDA to provide oral testimony on February 19, 1999. ADA has also been contacted. Staff stressed the importance of this issue, since the proposed rule would shorten the deadline for initial benefit determinations to 15 days from the current 90. Further, state insurance statutes allow 60 days (self-insured plans and union trust funds are exempt from state regulation due to ERISA preemption).
C. ADA Statement on Posterior Composites: The council discussed the ADA statement on posterior resin-based composites which resulted from the conference sponsored by ADA's Council on Dental Benefit Programs and Council on Scientific Affairs. NJDA had urged the ADA to revisit its previous report on this issue, because some dental benefit plans had been denying posterior composites (both direct and indirect) citing the ADA position paper. The current ADA statement on this issue, based on a consensus of the work group, is that the use of current resin-based composites is not supported for teeth with heavy occlusal stress, sites that cannot be isolated, or in patients who are allergic or sensitive to resin-based composite materials. This statement was published in the November 1998 JADA and. based on subsequent Letters to the Editor appearing in the January 1999 JADA, appears to have generated a great deal of controversy.
D. Letter to State Board re: Dental Consultants: Staff reported
that legal counsel for Delta Dental Plan had written to the State
Board of Dentistry, citing four out-of-state attorney general
opinions to substantiate Delta's contention that dental consultants
are not subject to the jurisdiction of the State Board when they
make dental benefit determinations. The council reviewed the subsequent,
and very persuasive, rebuttal submitted by NJDA, which included
the fact that the State Board has already gone on record with
its position that dental consultants required a license. NJDA
continues to urge that the proposed regulation be published for
comment.
E. Delta Dental: Response on COB Issue: The council reviewed a letter from Delta stating its position that it will continue to reduce benefits to the PPO level, even if the PPO is secondary coverage, until the Department of Banking and Insurance issues the final regulation on this matter.
F. Oxford Health Plans: Status of Reimbursement for General Anesthesia: The council reviewed the letter from Oxford, stating that it is still evaluating its current policy of "bundling" general anesthesia with the surgery performed. NJDA's initial request to Oxford that its policy be changed was in July 1998.
CONTRACT DENTAL ORGANIZATIONS:
A. Prudential Letter re: Sale to Aetna/US Healthcare: The council discussed the possible ramifications of the pending sale of Prudential's health care business to Aetna. The sale has yet to receive regulatory approval and staff reported that AMA has written to the Department of Justice to request that it challenge the deal as anti-competitive. Consumer groups are also opposing the sale. In New Jersey, it is estimated that the combined insurers would provide medical coverage for 40% of the 2.45 million HMO customers, with certain counties having an even bigger market share. On the dental side, the transaction would more than double Aetna's national dental membership from about 7 million members to more than 15 million.
MEDICAID:
A. American Preferred Provider Plan (Medicaid HMO): The council discussed the rehabilitation of American Preferred Provider Plan and the court order which requires practitioners to continue providing services to APPP members.
B. Medicaid Fee Comparison: The council reviewed, as informational,
a comparison of the Medicaid fee-for-service rates in New Jersey
versus other states. By far, New Jersey has the lowest fee schedule
of any other state. Even though the majority of Medicaid beneficiaries
are enrolled in managed care plans, many of the state-contracted
HMOs use the Medicaid fee schedules as a basis for their compensation
to participating providers.
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NJDA reimbursed MCDS $304.77 for last month's dinner expenses
associated with life member attendees, non-members, and NJDA staff.
The ADA's Outreach program met last month for formulate an action
plan for future R&R activities. Each of the component representatives
described their current activities relating to membership and
their "wish list" for the future. MCDS's list of R&R
activities shined compared to the presented by most of the other
components thanks to everyone's combined efforts.
MCDS already has 16 new members elected in for 1999.
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MCDS members may attend general meetings of all component societies in the state and receive continuing education credit for the program (course) portion of the evening. Component Societies are providing this feature as a benefit Of membership. Individuals wishing to purchase dinner must reserve prior to the meeting by calling the contact person indicated. A complete listing of programs can be found in the members only CE section of the NJDA website (www.njda.org). Be advised that programs involving NJDA officers and staff may not be eligible for credit. Licensees may utilize 7 credits per licensing cycle in practice management courses.
Congratulations to Dr. Craig Hescheles of East Brunswick, NJ
who has won NJDA's 1999 Prompt Dues Payment Contest. The name
of Dr. Hescheles, a member of Middlesex Count Dental Society,
was drawn from 1,229 entries by Dr. Carmine LoMonaco, Secretary,
NJDA and Chair of the Council on Membership at the January 27,
1999 Board of Trustees meeting.
Dr. Hescheles will receive a room for three nights at the Sheraton
Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel during NJDA's 129th Annual
Session, May 21 to 23, and three full days of free admission to
any continuing education course at the Annual Session.
The January OSHA course sponsored by the Mentor Committee was
cancelled due to inclement weather. It has been rescheduled for
Thursday, April 15, 1999 at St. Peter's Hospital. Registration
will be from 6:30-7:00 pm and the course will follow from 7:00-9:00
pm.
Limited space remaining - call immediately to register (mandatory).
Dr. Ethan Glickman
732-572-4244 or fax to 732-572-4274
The NJDA Council on New Dentists will be sponsoring a reduced fee course at the annual session in Atlantic City, Saturday, May 22nd. Featuring Dr. Karl Leinfelder: "Clinical Evaluation of Restorative Systems"
All members 10 years out of dental school or less can attend the full day course for only $90.
More details to come in future issues.
Middlesex County Dental Society
CHILDREN'S DENTAL HEALTH MONTH
"A Great Smile is Always in Fashion"
• County-wide School Poster Contest
• Pediatrician Awareness Program
• County Nurses Continuing Education -Mar. 10, 1999
• NJDA at the Circus - "A Family Affair" -Mar. 14, 1999
* Dental Health Fair and Awards Ceremony - Apr. 11, 1999
MCDS members actively support the concept of early preventive dental health education for children. If you wish to participate in the Children's Dental Health Program contact:
CAVAN BRUNSDEN, DMD at 732-679-2323
Don't Forget These Great Member Benefits
MCDS WEB SITE - (password and user name assigned by Diane Davis at NJDA: 732-821-9400).
MCDS VIDEO LIBRARY - at St. Peter's Hospital - all you need as a MCDS member is a valid ADA membership card to access the extensive video collection.
LAWLINE - Remember LAWLINE if you have a legal question related to your dental practice. As a continuing member benefit, NJDA's General Counsel, Arthur Meisel, Esq. is always available to confer, at no cost, with members.
If you have a question or need assistance, call Mr. Meisel at his direct-dial number (732) 422-2730 or (732) 821-9400 (NJDA).
EDITOR'S NOTE:
Invitations have been mailed out for MCDS Dinner Dance coming in April. The honorees will be our two recent past Presidents, Phil Engel and Cavan Brunsden, and our current President, Ira Rosen.
The dedication and time that these gentlemen have invested on our behalf should not go unrecognized. They have not only worked hard to expand upon the services that MCDS offers to its members, but they have also made crucial long range planning decisions that will assure the fiscal health of MCDS and continuation of quality member benefits for years to come.
The Dinner Dance has been in the making for almost one year, under the guidance of Hugh Habas, whose direction made our last dinner dance 3 years ago so successful. The band, menu, and room decor have been carefully selected to assure us a memorable evening.
Your prompt reply to the invitation will assure us adequate
preparation time for the Dinner Dance Committee to organize table
and seating arrangements. We hope that you and your spouse/guest
will attend this MCDS special event.
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