January 2001 Newsletter

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MCDS Reduces Dues by $13

-November 14, 2000-

Attendance: Brunsden, Chustckie, Engel, Glickman, Huberman, Kahn, Kline, Krantz, Leizer, Livanos, Perlmutter, Prabhu, Schambra, Silverstein, Villa, Weiner
Acceptance of Minutes – 10/10/00-vote unanimous.
President’s Report-C. Bloom
• Dr. Paul Belvedere’s course, Common Sense Composites, presented on November 8th was a great success due to the efforts of Dr. Ross Kline, Dr. Jeff Chustckie, and our Executive Secretary, Marlene. Dr. Belvedere expressed how impressed he was with the way the course was organized and that a county component would undertake such a venture.
• The survey, which was in the November newsletter and is included again in this newsletter, asks for information that patients commonly request when calling MCDS. Please take a moment and fill out the survey, which will help MCDS direct the public to the dental offices that can best accommodate them.
• The Board voted to continue the $13 dues reduction from the year 2000 to the year 2001. This $13 dues reduction was implemented to offset the $13 increase from the ADA in the year 2000.
• The Board unanimously approved the development of the Job Bank Program, which is a member benefit to MCDS members. The program enables dental personnel to find positions at dental offices by responding to an advertisement in the newspaper. We look forward to implementing this program in the year 2001.
• A correspondence from the NJDA was received regarding the council on nominations representatives. As it stands now, our NJDA trustee, Dr. Daniel Krantz, is a voting member on this council. NJDA has asked that we choose a second voting member. Dr. Joseph Perlmutter, who is our alternate trustee, will take on the position as the second voting member on that council.
Program-R. Kline
• Attendance at the General Meeting of the MCDS on October 17th at the Pines Manor was approximately 20% higher than usual. We happily added tables to accommodate the extra number of dentists who attended the meeting. The General Meetings takes place on the third Tuesday of the month at the Pines Manor and includes as a member benefit, dinner and a speaker. Please come out and join us at the next General Meeting on January 16, 2001.
• The November 8th Dr. Paul Belvedere course was a resounding success. There were approximately 135 attendees and the course material was very practical and relevant to every day general practice. At $45 per MCDS doctor, this course was a tremendous subsidized benefit for our members. Five corporate sponsors were in attendance and helped us to significantly offset the cost of the course. These companies were Kerr, Americus Dental Laboratory, A Titan Dental Instruments Co., ProDentec, and Premier. They were happy with the attendance and participation of our members, as well as with the course content.
NJDA Council Reports:
Board of Trustees-J. Perlmutter
• Dr. Arnold Rosenheck reported that UMDNJ tied for 3rd place in performance on the May NERBS and 4th place in the August NERBS. The overall performance among the 14 states of the region was very poor.
• Dr. Rosenheck announced new construction at the Methany School and Hospital in Peapack/Gladstone New Jersey, of a dental wing for the creation of a center of excellence for dental health, which will treat the mentally challenged. The facility will be available for treatment of a portion of the mentally challenged patients on Medicaid, as well.
• The Board approved the Council on Communications recommendation that beginning January 1, 2001, the Journal of the NJDA should focus on member news, events and other matters. The Journal should not, as a general rule, include scientific, practice management, or magazine-type articles and should be “reader friendly”, typically about 18 to 26 pages in length.
Annual Session-P. Engel
• Dr. Gordon Christensen will speak on Friday, May 18, 2001 at the Parsippany Hilton.
• The Annual Session will be held on Friday, June 1, June 2, and June 3, 2001, at the Sheraton Convention Center in Atlantic City. The NJDA has invited the New Jersey Hygienist Association and the New Jersey Dental Assistants Association to attend.
ADPAC-P. DeSciscio
A tentative date of May 2, 2001 is slated for the Annual Fair Fund Raiser, “Night at the Races.” It is to be held at Pegasus in the Meadowlands.
Dental Education-P. DeSciscio
• The Member-Benefit CE Course will be held on December 6, 2000 at the Ramada Inn, Regency Palace in Mt. Laurel. The course will feature Dr. Dale Miles lecturing on Digital Radiography. Tuition is only $40 per person to cover the lunch.
• It is recommended that the Council on Dental Education involve the Council on New Dentists and form a Statewide Study Group.
Peer Review-J. Fahsbender
There were no peer review cases handles this month.
MCDS Committee Reports:
Mentor-E. Glickman
The Mentor Committee has arranged four seminars for the year 2001:
• On Thursday evening, February 8, 2001, we will be presenting “Transitional Implants and the Construction of Immediate Restorations.” The Dentatus USA Company is sponsoring the program. This will be a hands-on program with ALL materials supplied by the Dentatus USA Company. Two CEU credits will be awarded for this course. This seminar will be made available to our members free of charge, as a member benefit of MCDS.
• On Thursday evening, March 29, 2001, we will be presenting “Off the Shelf Dental Digital Imaging.” The speaker for this program will be Dr. Martin Jablow. Both beginners and techies will learn the latest technology from hardware to web pages and computer imaging. This presentation will show you how to use these technologies with off the shelf products thus saving you thousands of dollars. Digital imaging helps the patient understand and accept treatment while helping the dentist treatment plan the case. You will be amazed to discover that you can do digital computer imaging for less than $100 using your family’s camcorder. Two CEU credits will be awarded for this course. This seminar will be made available to our members free of charge, as a member benefit of MCDS.
• On Thursday evening April 12, 2001, we will be presenting “Lasers in Dentistry.” Topics covered in this course will be Laser history, physics & mechanics, case presentations and clinical applications followed by Q. & A. The speaker for this seminar is Dr. William Fromkin of North Brunswick, NJ. Two CEU credits will be awarded for this presentation. This seminar will be made available to our members free of charge, as a member benefit of MCDS.
• Our forth program will be our “Annual OSHA Seminar.” We will present this course on Thursday evening May 10, 2001, at St. Peters Medical Center. This program will satisfy the OSHA standard on Occupational Exposure to Blood Borne Pathogens, which is required annually for dentists and staff. Each office person trained will receive certification that they have been properly instructed for this OSHA regulation on Infection Control. Two CEU credits will be awarded for all those attending the seminar. The fee for this required OSHA seminar will be $15 per person and the instructor is Joyce Koenig, RNC, APIC.
Contact Marlene, our MCDS Executive Secretary at 732 -238-1255 if you have any questions regarding these exciting programs.
See Registration Forms for these programs inside this newsletter (insert).Respectfully Submitted,
Dr. Mitch Weiner, Secretary

January 1, 2001
Nancy Villa, DMD

Previous Balance (11/1/00)
62,132.48
Current Balance (1/1/01)
52,778.16

PROFIT & LOSS STATEMENT
11/1/00 through 1/1/01
INCOME:
Continuing Education 3,845.00
Corporate Sponsorship
Cont. Ed. Courses 1,500.00
Monthly Meetings 750.00
Dues 1,338.20
Insurance (Rebate) 12.56
Interest 139.54
TOTAL INCOME 7,572.74

EXPENSES:
Continuing Education 13,702.00
Dinner Meetings 1,804.80
Lecture Fees 500.00
Name Badges (new blanks) 614.31
Newsletter 212.00
Office Supplies 102.00
Secretarial 483.50
Telephone 113.72

TOTAL EXPENSES 17,519.77
Net (9,947.03)

AMERICAN DENTAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL SESSION
OCTOBER 14-18, 2000

Highlights reported by our ADA Delegate, Dr. Joel Leizer
1- Elected officers are the following:
ADA President-Elect - Greg Chadwick from North Carolina.
First Vice-President – Dr. Richard Simms of California
Second Vice-President - Dr. Terry Grubb of Washington State
Treasurer - Dr. Mark Feldman of New York
2- Dues for 2000 $ 40. Assessment for renovations $ 30 for six years
3- Voted to continue Children’s Dental Health Month, Dental Minute and Public Opinion Research- Cost for programs $ 231,650
4- Resolution to develop and implement protocols to identify web sites where member dentists are openly evaluated and rated. The purpose of this is to enable the member dentist to challenge any inaccurate evaluation by way of posted rebuttal. We will also seek Federal and State Legislation that holds the postings on the website subject to defamation of character and libel laws.
5- Encourage constituent societies to contact the state licensing boards to establish a system for notification of additions and cancellations of dental licenses. This information will then be reported to the ADA Council on membership in order to ensure accuracy of the tripartite database.
6- Ensure processing of new member application in 30 day timeframe.
7- Encourage patient health literacy and offer technical advice and assistance to organizations developing health literacy resources programs.
8- Opposes marketing of soft drinks in schools. Develop materials to educate school districts and the public in the health implications of consuming these drinks.
9- Resolution calling for payment from third parties to be based on the procedure performed, not the doctor performing the service. Wants the methodology used in determining fee schedule/UCR etc. to rely on current data and should be readily available to patients, plan purchasers, and dentists. Calls for the elimination of profiling to cut costs.
10- Seeks legislation to allow a non-dentist such as a surviving spouse to maintain ownership of a practice until he/she can arrange an orderly transfer of the practice so as not to harm the patients of record. It calls for a period of up to 2 years to complete the transfer.
11- Denied recognition of Orofacial Pain as a specialty. They did not meet all six criteria.
12- ADA supports the right of properly trained dentists to administer conscious sedation, deep sedation and general anesthesia for patient management.
13- Passed guidelines for use of conscious and deep sedation as well as general anesthesia for dentists. Passed guidelines for teaching the comprehensive control of anxiety and pain in Dentistry.
14- The policy of the ADA is that the licensure of dental assistants is not warranted.
15- Develop and distribute recruitment and retention materials regarding allied personnel for use by constituent and component dental societies, Dentists and career counselors.
16- Passed a resolution calling for the elimination of human subjects on board exams.
17- At the request of newly installed ADA President Robert Anderton, the House passed a resolution that called for a Dental Education Summit Meeting in 2001.
18- ADA to track and advocate privacy laws governing the Internet in its application to the privacy of patient records.
19- Agencies of the ADA support the development of state legislative models to be used by constituent societies to resolve issues related to dental care for the underserved, indigent and special needs.
20- ADA opposes any change from currently used intra-oral injection devices (to prevent needle sticks) until a safer device has been developed, tested and proven to be safe.
21- Created a 17th Trustee District. This is the Sate of Florida which has the necessary 6000+ members to be its own district. Florida leaves the current 5th district.
22- Defeated a motion that called for a delegate to the House to either reside or work in the state that he/she represents. It was felt that this was purely a state issue and the House should not dictate policy regarding this.
23- Passed a resolution calling for development of laboratory protocols to test amalgam separators as amalgam/mercury reduction devices.
24- Created a task force to study amalgam in dental office wastewater.
25- Study of Xerostomia including how to communicate with physicians, Patients, pharmaceutical manufacturers, insurance industry and membership.
26- Passed a resolution calling for legislation requiring parental consent regarding intraoral/perioral piercing of minors.
27- Passes resolution calling for publicity regarding Report 16 of the Board of Trustees: AIDS Update 2000. This report demonstrates how successful we were in dealing with AIDS in the dental office. We want the salient parts of the report given to the public.

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