Dr. Ziccardi earned his dental degree from Columbia University, and his MD degree and certificate in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery from the University of Pittsburgh. He currently serves as Chair of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Chief of Dental Medicine at UMDNJ (now the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine), and holds a co-terminus position in the Division of Plastic Surgery. Dr. Ziccardi is extensively published and a nationally and internationally recognized speaker and expert on trigeminal nerve microsurgery.
Sensory disturbances to the peripheral branches of the trigeminal nerve can be a debilitating disruption to patients leading to problems with speech, mastication, food and liquid incompetence and difficulty with activities of daily living. These injuries may arise from a number of causes, the most common being from the removal of impacted third molars. Other causes include orthognathic surgery, endodontic surgery, implant placement, fractures, preprosthetic surgery and treatment of maxillofacial pathology.
Some of these etiological factors are unpreventable. However, more precise surgical techniques and better imaging modalities may help reduce the incidence of these injuries. It is important for practitioners to explain the risks of thi type of injury to patients as part of the informed consent process, and to recognize and document the presence of nerve injuries. Patients should be treated in a timely fashion or referred to practitioners skilled in microsurgical techniques for optimal sensory improvement. This lecture will review the etiologies of trigeminal nerve injury, neurosensory testing and documentation, classification schemes, indications for treatment and referral, microsurgical techniques and outcome assessments.

Last month I began my address with some words of support for the communities impacted by hurricane Sandy. With disbelief, we have all heard about the fire that has devastated a large portion of the Seaside Boardwalk. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to the businesses and people impacted by this occurrence.
At Middlesex County Dental Society, our September Board meeting was filled with enthusiasm. The board members have been actively working on activities for our members. The main talking points that keep resurfacing lead toward membership. I encourage members to reach out to non-members and tell them about the benefits of joining the ADA, NJDA and their local society. I have found being an active member of Middlesex County Dental Society has enriched my professional career from a business perspective and clinical perspective. Any members or potential new members are welcome to attend the monthly board meetings and I encourage you to do so. The society functions on the volunteer efforts of the board members and with more board members we can do great things. Again, we have been putting more emphasis on programs that address the needs of new dentists who have recently graduated dental school or their respective residency programs. Dentists that have recently purchased new or existing practices can benefit greatly by communicating with members that are seasoned and may have insight that can help the new owners.
In addition to my involvement with MCDS, I have recently begun teaching part time at the former University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. UMDNJ recently merged with Rutgers University. The atmosphere at the school seems to be one of excitement and I wish the school much success into the future. It is rewarding to see the new faces of dentistry and I hope to encourage the students to keep excited about their new careers.
The New Jersey Political Action Committee had some exciting news this summer. Thanks to the efforts of Jim Schultz, Governmental Affairs and NJPAC, The Assignment of Benefits Bill was signed by the Governor and is now Law. This was a great accomplishment, however, the importance of being involved in organized dentistry and contributing to the PAC, should be embraced by all practitioners. As they say “Power in Numbers”.
Again, I would like to welcome everyone back and please enjoy the upcoming presentations that Middlesex County Dental Society has arranged. I would also like to say that the Middlesex County Dental Society Board continues to work very hard to continue providing quality benefits to our members.

Attendance: Dr.’s Stein, Goldstein, Krantz, Kahn, Weiner, Satwah, Prabhu, Modi, Mir-Madjlessi, Fernandes, Vitale, Brunsden, Villa, Glickman, Vora, Rosen, Schambra, Simos, Silverstein, Ashmen, and Desai.
Acceptance of 5/14/13 Minutes- vote unanimous
President’s Report- Dr. Stein
During the Summer, I attended a Middlesex County College meeting. Their hygiene program is going strong with a high completion and pass rate. Some upgrades to the facility are planned in the future.
Treasurer’s Report-Amit Vora
See detailed report on page 3.
$ 5,000 has been allocated to support Maxine Feinberg’s campaign ($2,500/ year in 2012 and 2013).
Secretary’s Report-Devang Modi
Art and Nicole will take part in the next MCDS board meeting in October. They want to discuss developing a marketing plan with all the components to increase membership.
Educational Coordinator’s Report-Genevieve Fernandes
All the speakers are confirmed for the 2013-2014 educational year. A list will be included in the next newsletter.
Dr. Brunsden will present the Sy Symanski award to Dr. Chris Hughes at the March 18, 2014 lecture.
ADA Delegate’s Report-Daniel Krantz
Former President Bill Clinton will be the keynote speaker at the ADA Annual meeting in New Orleans this year. Maxine Feinberg is running against 2 other people. Any personal donation to support Maxine’s campaign can be sent to NJDA. There is no proposed dues increase. You can go to ADA.org to register.
We won the lawsuit against Beach Bum tanning salon at the appellate division. This means they CANNOT provide teeth whitening. They can only sell teeth whitening products. If you notice anyone providing teeth whitening anywhere other then a dentist, report them immediately to NJDA.
NJDA Trustee’s Report-Mark Vitale (report by Mitch Weiner)
See full report on page 8 under “NJDA Noteworthy News,”
NJDA Council Reports:
Annual Session-Nainesh Desai
The Council on Annual Session met on August 15, 2013. Chairman Michael Dzitzer thanked Dr. Delson for his service as previous chairman and went on to ask the council to become more vocal in expressing opinions regarding the conference and to think about the meaning and purpose of the event. Dr. Dzitzer proposed that a new vice chair be chosen, by election, each year.  He asked for nominations with the election held at the next council meeting.
I Nominees:
Jeffrey Mermelstein nominated by Gregory LaMorte
Jeffrey Delson nominated by Kathy Sinatra and Steven Goldstein
Stuart Wallet was nominated by Russel Fraiman, but declined the nomination. 
Subcommittees were discussed; members volunteered as follows: 
Speaker subcommittee:  Will represent the Council on Annual Session on the Continuing Education Committee. Volunteers: Michael Scalia and Dipika Shah.
Sponsorship:  To identify revenue-generating opportunities for the annual session and to identify company leads for staff follow-up.  Volunteers: Araceli Ziemba and Steven Goldstein.
Table Clinics/GPR Fair:  Stuart Wallet will continue to organize table clinics; Nainesh Desai will work on promoting the GPR fair.  In addition, this is an area that Dr. Dzitzer feels the council’s student rep, Ms. Gupta, may be of assistance.
Exhibitors:  To identify appropriate industries/products/services for the expo floor.  No one stepped forward to chair. Dr. Ziemba suggested that each council member give a list of their sales reps to staff for follow up.
II 2013 Wrap-Up:  Revenue & Feedback
Revenue:  To date, it appears the conference will show a slight net increase in revenue. However, Stan Orenstein stressed that the accounts were not settled yet.  Maureen said it usually takes several months for the hotel and Association to resolve final accounting. In 2012 the conference showed a slight loss, which may have been due to less revenue generated by featured speaker, Linda Miles, whose main audience consisted of auxiliary staff. The dinner dance, although a buffet, was actually no less expensive to produce than a traditional sit-down dinner. The Association did not save money.
Feedback: 
Exhibit floor -- Some attendees noted that there was not enough time after the Chiche lecture to spend time on the floors. Not being able to print CE verification on site was a minus and generated additional staffs work after the conference.  This was due to the speaker showcase. Certificates could not be printed on site since attendees did not have to pre-select the showcase course(s) they would attend.  Therefore the database program used in the past to immediately generate certificates could not be used this year.
Maureen noted that having printing kiosks on the exhibit floor again in 2014 will help pull attendees to the exhibits.  Dr. Delson asked if that meant in 2014 that the showcase should be dropped or the on-site printing.  Dr. Dzitzer said it was up to the council. 
A question arose as to whether the Association should continue to work with the state specialty organizations, as conflicting management styles came into play this year.  Dr. LaMorte stressed that this is the NJDA conference and other groups should conform to NJDA’s style and guidelines.  However, he also noted that it is an opportunity to bring in additional attendees.  Dr. LaMorte suggested that presidents and president-elect of the state societies be invited to meet with NJDA; Maureen suggested the council set up guidelines prior.
III 2014:  Revenue & Speakers
Revenue generation – Maureen noted that over time the one area that needs to improve is revenue generation beyond ticket sales and booth rentals. 
Comments re: registration fees:  Dr. Shah, who has been to other conferences with such fees, suggested two options:  Include lunch with registration, or include lunch with continuing education fees.  Dr. LaMorte suggested the former. Dr. Dzitzer noted a need to explore lunch prices (box lunch likely) and said that being in a new venue this may be a good year to experiment with this type of change.
Question – would lunch & learns be dropped?  This was likely, in favor of bringing lunch to a product demo in the theater instead. Breakfast & learns might still be done before exhibit hours – to be considered at next meeting.
Other ideas revenue & events -- Dr. Messana suggested some type of live demos, possibly with cadavers.  Dr. Goldstein mentioned having had a good experience with a 3D demo of live surgery via TV and 3d glasses. Dr. Clemente noted there is “portable” technology that is never seen at conferences and might be a good draw.
Exhibits were reviewed; as of August 15, 16 Partner booths, 19 regular business booths, 1 suite & 2 tables had sold.
Speakers –
Featured speaker is David Garber, cost is $14,500. To date NJDA does not have a sponsor for him. 
The invitation to speaker Ernesto Lee was withdrawn due to lack of communication on his part. Maureen was unable to reach him to discuss his presentation and contract.
The CE committee is exploring collaboration with Rutgers to put on a faculty program of 4 speakers in one day at the conference.  It would not be a showcase; attendees would purchase one package of four programs.
Allied Dental Educators would like to have their annual conference and CE at the GSDC&E, as their only annual event.  Over the years their course (breakfast, panel CE, lunch & meeting) has lost money. This year it may break even, after Carolyn Breen agreed to a modest price increase and food and beverage changes. Dr. Mermelstein suggested the relationship continue as long as the Association does not lose money. Dr. Dzitzer agreed that the Association be explicit in conveying that message to Dr. Breen. She will be invited to attend a future meeting to discuss the relationship.
Eva Grayzel – oral cancer survivor, may be paired with a clinically-focused program by Hillel Ephros. Henry Schein may sponsor the program. Her honorarium is $3500. Dr. Goldstein questioned the price as he has seen her speak at his component for a much lower price.
Upcoming Council Dates:
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Give Kids a Smile-Cavan Brunsden
GKAS day will take place on Friday, February 7, 2014. This will be our 12th year. Over 36,000 kids have benefited and more than 6 million dollars of dental services have been donated. On September 11, the 1st of our 4 workshop meeting took place. There were 137 sites in NJ last year. This year the goal is to have 150 sites. NJDA plans to communicate directly with past sites for continued participation but you can go to NJDA.org website, click GKAS day logo and register now. You can also contact Maureen Barlow at 732-821-9400. Please view the video made by Delta Dental of NJ.
Dental Benefits-Jeff Chustckie, Devang Modi (report by Mitch Weiner)
Ms. Mary Moskal reported that although it has taken an inordinate amount of time, the Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) has taken action on several issues presented to them by NJDA:
MetLife has reprocessed COB claims going back six years, resulting in supplemental payments to New Jersey dentists in the total amount of $763,000.  This follows last year’s payments by Guardian for six years worth of underpaid claims, also reported to DOBI by NJDA.
As a result of several calls to NJDA reported incorrectly denied, misrouted and underpaid claims, DOBI entered into a consent order with UHC imposing a penalty in the amount of $117,500.  The problems began in October 2009 and all claims were reprocessed by July 15, 2013.
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield (medical) was directed to stop denying claims from dentists with the denial reason “not eligible if performed by this type of provider”.  Claims denied for this reason in the past are being reprocessed, some of which may be paid but some may deny for other reasons.  The Commissioner also issued a bulletin to all carriers on May 3, 2013 warning that New Jersey’s Unfair Claims Settlement Act requires that carriers identify and explain all reasons why a claim is denied or disputed, and that state law provides that benefits for a covered service must be paid regardless of the degree of the provider as long as the service is within the provider’s scope of practice.
NJDA is still receiving calls from dentists confused about the “silent PPO” issue that developed after Dental Wellness Partners merged its network with Maverest and then joined forces with Stratose.  The merged network now has agreements with MetLife, Aetna, CIGNA and others, resulting in dentists receiving discounted fees from these plans.  By way of history, many New Jersey dentists originally signed agreements with Dental Wellness Partners (DWP) going back six years or more.  DWP was formed to be a “middleman” to market the network to various other payers and third party administrators.  The DWP agreement allowed it to both assign the agreement and make other entities third party beneficiaries to the DWP agreement.  Dentists may terminate the agreement with 30 days written notice.  Dr. Vitale noted that Aetna has been negligent in updating its files with the names of those who have terminated the Maverest contract, and claims are still being paid on the discounted fee well after terminations are effective.
The transition problems with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield dental plan’s administration seem to have subsided.  Dr. Brian Bastecki, Dental Director (and NJDA member), has been very responsive to problems and has been instrumental in resolving them.
Although the NJ Health Insurance Exchange (operated by the federal government) is scheduled to begin enrollments on October 1, 2013, few details are available on what plans will be offered, other than Delta Dental of NJ which is developing a plan for the pediatric dental services defined as essential (the CHIP dental benefit).
Governmental Affairs-Mitch Weiner
Dr. Mitch Weiner thanked Jim Schulz and Art Meisel for all of their outstanding efforts in getting the Assignment of Benefits legislation enacted.  We have done great things with the passing of the Assignment of Benefits and General Supervision laws and we have used our PAC money well and political relationships well.  Horizon and Delta Dental have to comply with the new law as of September 18th.    
Other items discussed are featured in “NJDA Noteworthy News” on page 8.
Membership-Tara Savage, Genevieve Fernandes
The membership council will meet on September 25, 2013
This meeting is of particular importance as we enter the latter half of the year. All of the NJDA officers will be in attendance at this meeting and together with Dr. Batastini hope to work collaboratively with each component to leave the meeting that evening with an established recruitment and retention strategy for the remainder of the year. Each council member will have an integral role in implementing these discussed strategies to prevent any loss in membership. NJDA must remain viable long into the future. Any loss of members not only weakens dentistry’s voice in the legislative and regulatory arenas, but also further stresses the Association’s budget being considered by NJDA leadership this fall.
An update on these strategies of member retention and recruitment will be provided in the next newsletter.
Peer Review-Sandy Goldstein
We had one case successfully mediated and one new case assigned over the summer months.
Committee Reports:
Corporate Sponsorship-Ira Rosen
This year we have Biomet 3i returning as a Gold sponsor and Kuwata Pan Dent returning as a Bronze sponsor. Benco Dental Supply Company has increased their sponsorship from Silver to Gold and DSG Laboratories has reduced their sponsorship from Silver to Bronze. The Tulsa Division of Dentsply will be sponsoring our full day course on April 11, 2014.  The speaker will be Dr. Clifford Ruddle and his topic is “Creating Endodontic Excellence”. We are pleased to have two new corporate sponsors this year:  TD Bank will be joining us as a Silver sponsor and Scientific Metals will be joining us as a Bronze sponsor.
There will again be two $50 gift cards raffled at every meeting. In order to be eligible, you must obtain a card from Marlene at the registration desk, visit EVERY sponsor and have it stamped by them and return it to Marlene prior to the start of the meeting. 2 lucky winners will be chosen. The card must be stamped by ALL sponsors.
Mentor-Nima Mir-Madjlessi
The summer bi-annual OSHA recertification course was held at JFK Medical Center. The course was well attended by 30 doctors and 54 members of their staff. On a personal note, I would like to really thank Dr. Amit Vora, Dr. Devang Modi, Dr. Ethan Glickman and Mrs. Marlene Glickman for managing the course instead of me due to a medical emergency. I would not have been able to have the course without them.
Our next bi-annual OSHA program that satisfies the OSHA standard on Occupational Exposure to Blood Borne Pathogens, which is required annually for dentists and staff, will be given on November 14, 2013 at St. Peter’s Medical Center, New Brunswick. Two CEU credits are awarded to the Dentists & staff members attending these 2-hour seminars. These seminars are available to our members & staff for $25/pp as a member benefit of MCDS.
A very big “Thank You” to Dr. Joe Fertig, Director of Dental Services - St. Peter’s Medical Center, for arranging all our room accommodations for the MCDS OSHA-Mentor programs at St. Peter’s Medical Center in New Brunswick.
There will be some upcoming courses coming in the fall and spring. Please look for the notifications in the very near future. Please see the insert in this newsletter for additional information and registration for the Mentor/OSHA program.
New Dentist Committee-Sanjeev Satwah, Genevieve Fernandes
Dr. Satwah attended the ADA New Dentist Convention in Denver this summer. The workshops were great and informative. Information received at this convention will be expanded upon at our New Dentist Committee meeting on 10/1.
Oral Cancer Screening & Education-Constantine Simos
On June 10th , I attended an oral cancer screening at the NJ Statehouse sponsored by NJDA and faculty from Rutgers Dental School. Approximately 75 people were screened and information was provided regarding oral cancer awareness.
Budget and Finance-Ira Rosen
The budget committee is comprised of the current president, the immediate past president, the current treasurer, and the immediate past treasurer and me as the chairman of this committee.  I will prepare a preliminary 2014 MCDS budget and e-mail it to the committee for input and approval.  The budget will be presented to the executive board at our October meeting for input and approval.  It will then be presented at the October general meeting and published in the November newsletter.  Finally, it will be presented to the membership at the November general meeting to be voted upon. 
Dental Shadowing-Maha Kaga
There are currently 10 students from Rutgers participating in the Shadowing program and the feedback has been excellent. If you would like to volunteer your office please inform Marlene Glickman 732-238-1255.
Hygiene Study Club-Alyssa Bernstein
The Central New Jersey Dental Hygiene [CNJDH] Study Club will be having its first lecture of the 2013-2014 year on Wednesday September 25, 2013 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Edison. The speaker will be Dr. Hal Cohen and he will be speaking on “caring for your pregnant patient”. Two CEU credits will be awarded for this seminar. This CNJDH study club is available to our hygienists as a Dentist-member benefit of MCDS. Please see the registration form in the newsletter to register for this year. Please contact Marlene Glickman, our Executive Secretary for MCDS, at 732-238-1255 for additional information and registration in advance for the program.
New Business
Dr. Nima Mir Madjlessi was elected to co-chair the Council of Membership. Thank you Dr. Tara Savage for your years of dedicated service to this Council.
Good and welfare
Congratulations to Dr. Cavan Brunsden who was on the cover of P.D.T. a magazine of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.
Dr. Tarnow is doing a memorial lecture in honor of Dr. Howard Shwartz on 10/2/13 in Washington Township from 6:30-9:30 for $125/ person.
Respectfully Submitted, Devang Modi, Secretary

As those of you who have registered your email addresses with us know, the Board is becoming more pro-active in notifying you with timely unformation, such as upcoming early registration deadlines, reminders about the change in date for the April General Meeting, course reminders, etc.
By having your email address, we can get such vital and timely information to you.
Register by going to our web site (www.MCDSofNJ.org), then the member page, then “Of Current Interest.” It’s the third link down.

By Dr. Richard Kahn

Dr. Carl G. Langbert, more than Just an NJDA Past-President

Dr. Carl Langbert passed away on September 17, 2013 after a long illness. It is fateful that the members of MCDS were gathered for our September general meeting when Carl parted this world. Carl always had a strong affinity for organized dentistry. His distinguished service included a Presidency of MCDS in 1981 and subsequently he served as the NJDA Speaker of the House (1985-1987) prior to becoming NJDA President in 1988. His professional passion was clearly in the political arena where he was Chair of the ADA Council on Government Affairs. I remember him proudly recounting his testimony before Congress on behalf of the ADA and his debate with the future Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. Carl was also a decorated Vietnam War Veteran as well as an honored alumnus of Colgate University.

While one’s professional career accomplishments help define the individual, it is the other side that really defines the person. I am honored to be asked to share my relationship with Carl Langbert over the last forty plus years, sort of the big brother that I never had.

The first time I met Carl has always stayed with me. I vividly remember standing outside my parents’ home in Highland Park when Carl and his lovely wife Barbara pulled up in a Pontiac Grand Prix, the luxury muscle car of the late 60’s. I must apologize to Barbara but this newly licensed driver was completely focused on that car. Carl sensed that and in something right out of a James Dean movie, he tossed me the keys and told me to take it for a ride. Hello Carl.

That was the beginning of a long friendship. During the years I was away at school, there was always that summer invitation to his home for some very entertaining dinners. As I sit at my desk, I look up to see Gray’s Anatomy front and center in my bookcase, a gift from Carl when I was accepted into dental school. My career in private practice began as Carl’s associate. The invitations to his home continued but now I wasn’t the partner’s kid anymore. I was in partnership negotiations when I was accepted into perio school. That led to the next phase of our relationship, a professional referral relationship. Carl now looked to me as someone who could offer specialty expertise to help his patients. That continued for almost thirty years until he was taken ill in early March 2011.

Early in my involvement in organized dentistry, it was Carl who made the recommendation to the MCDS board that I be offered the program chair. Then one day I got the chance to play in Carl’s game, I became the MCDS Trustee. Knowing Carl’s experience I tapped into him about everything relating to that position and NJDA leadership. Most of his conversations started with “Back then we…..”. I realized that Carl was reliving his glory days through me. It doesn’t get any better than that.

As the NJDA 2010 Annual Session was approaching I was asked for the name of the person to install me as President. While there were many that I would have liked to ask, there was only one clear cut choice. I remember the call to Carl and he was completely taken aback. As he stood before the House and spoke that day I sensed how much my honor meant to my big brother. As we parted Atlantic City Carl told me that he really missed his participation with NJDA and that he would be returning. Unfortunately a few months later Carl was stricken.

At that meeting in Atlantic City I introduced Carl to my son. Carl knew about Barry through me but the two never met. Later Barry told me that Carl was one of the coolest guys he ever encountered. One day I’ll remember to tell Barry the story of that Grand Prix.

OLD BUSINESS and BUDGET
Art Meisel and Nicole Schneekloth will be attending an executive committee meeting in each component to discuss and develop a component-specific plan to each component.
An amendment to the Budget was made. A motion to have a Budget line item up to $24,000 rather than to take it from Reserves. This was seconded and unanimously ADOPTED by the Board (Vote 1 BT-13-8-18) to have a Budget line item up to $24,000 to invest in a component marketing plan. The Board then made a motion, seconded and unanimously ADOPTED by the Board (Vote #2 BT-13-8-19) to approve $24,000 to a Marketing Plan, allocating $2,000 to each component.
A motion was made, seconded and ADOPTED by the Board (Vote # 3 BT-13-8-20) to approve the 2014 Budget as amended and recommend its approval to the House of Delegates in November 20, 2013.
It was brought to the attention of the Board that the Committee on Long Range Planning and the Committee to Cooperate with Special Olympics should be eliminated due to the fact they no longer meet or have a purpose. A motion was made, seconded and ADOPTED by the Board (Vote #4 BT-13-8-21) to eliminate the Long Range Planning Committee and the Committee to Cooperate with Special Olympics.
Ms. Nicole Schneekloth reported that the Website remake is still on schedule. Presently, we are in the testing phase.
Membership – Ms. Tricia DeCotiis
Ms. Tricia DeCotiis reported that membership is tracking about 50 members down compared to this time last year. Although recruitment efforts are ongoing, retention is of particular concern. The Membership Council will meet on September 25th here at the Association headquarters. All officers will be present. All Council members need to be present or appoint a substitute member.
Annual Session and upcoming CE – Ms. Maureen Barlow
Ms. Maureen Barlow reported that the CE courses start in September. On September13th, there is a course on “Million Dollar PPO”, the speaker is Dr. Matthew Krieger. This is sponsored by Henry Schein. To date we have 59 registrants. We also have three w/e Study Club courses. There is an additional course scheduled for November 5th that is not listed in the brochure, entitled ‘Going Chartless’.
Dr. Tom Rossi reported that the CE Committee met last week. It is working on the 2014 selection for the Week End Study Clubs. The Council on Dental Education will make selections from submissions. The ADA offers online CE and we are waiting to get numbers back from the ADA as to how many NJDA members actually participated.
Ms. Barlow reported that of the two speakers lined up for the 2014 Annual Session, one will not participate. Dr. Ernesto Lee has not returned any calls. Dr. David Garber remains the featured speaker. We are also planning on a Showcase with Rutgers Dental School facility; Four faculty members will speak at Annual Session. The speakers are: James Albani, Pam Alberto, Louis DiPede, Paul DiJardins.
The Council is planning a “Member’s Day” in October 2014. This will be a one day event to cover CE courses, networking and to highlight the value of membership and the advantages to the tripartite . It is hoped to put sponsors in contact with large groups of people. She is working with sponsors so that a minimal cost to members can be achieved. Ms.DeCotiis added to the report that the Member Day Revenue Streams will be written up to be presented to the ADA for a Grant Application.
Ms. Barlow reported that Give Kids A Smile has started and the national day for GKAS is February 7, 2014.
They are working on the Partner’s Program and discussing the allotted costs to everything; i.e., what we want from the partners and what we are giving our partners. She also reminded everyone to mark their calendar for the Business to Business Breakfast on October 9, 2013.
Ms. Barlow was happy to report the she received a lot of positive feedback from the vendors at this years annual meeting in Long Branch and the same for going to Revel in 2014. The vendors are very excited and we have already sold 30 booths for 2014.
Lastly, she reported that Dr. Michael Dzitzer is the newly appointed Chair to the Council on Annual Session. They are working on creating subcommittees within the Council.
REPORT OF DEPARTMENT OF DENTAL CARE PROGRAMS – Ms. Mary Moskal
Ms. Mary Moskal reported that although it has taken an inordinate amount of time, the Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) has taken action on several issues presented to them by NJDA:
· MetLife has reprocessed COB claims going back six years, resulting in supplemental payments to New Jersey dentists in the total amount of $763,000. This follows last year’s payments by Guardian for six years worth of underpaid claims, also reported to DOBI by NJDA.
· As a result of several calls to NJDA reported incorrectly denied, misrouted and underpaid claims, DOBI entered into a consent order with UHC imposing a penalty in the amount of $117,500. The problems began in October 2009 and all claims were reprocessed by July 15, 2013.
· Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield (medical) was directed to stop denying claims from dentists with the denial reason “not eligible if performed by this type of provider”. Claims denied for this reason in the past are being reprocessed, some of which may be paid but some may deny for other reasons. The Commissioner also issued a bulletin to all carriers on May 3, 2013 warning that New Jersey’s Unfair Claims Settlement Act requires that carriers identify and explain all reasons why a claim is denied or disputed, and that state law provides that benefits for a covered service must be paid regardless of the degree of the provider as long as the service is within the provider’s scope of practice.
NJDA is still receiving calls from dentists confused about the “silent PPO” issue that developed after Dental Wellness Partners merged its network with Maverest and then joined forces with Stratose. The merged network now has agreements with MetLife, Aetna, CIGNA and others, resulting in dentists receiving discounted fees from these plans. By way of history, many New Jersey dentists originally signed agreements with Dental Wellness Partners (DWP) going back six years or more. DWP was formed to be a “middleman” to market the network to various other payers and third party administrators. The DWP agreement allowed it to both assign the agreement and make other entities third party beneficiaries to the DWP agreement. Dentists may terminate the agreement with 30 days written notice. Dr. Vitale noted that Aetna has been negligent in updating its files with the names of those who have terminated the Maverest contract, and claims are still being paid on the discounted fee well after terminations are effective.
The transition problems with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield dental plan’s administration seem to have subsided. Dr. Brian Bastecki, Dental Director (and NJDA member), has been very responsive to problems and has been instrumental in resolving them.
Although the NJ Health Insurance Exchange (operated by the federal government) is scheduled to begin enrollments on October 1, 2013, few details are available on what plans will be offered, other than Delta Dental of NJ which is developing a plan for the pediatric dental services defined as essential (the CHIP dental benefit).
Council on Government & Public Affairs – Dr. Mitch Weiner & Jim Schulz
Dr. Mitch Weiner thanked Jim Schulz and Art Meisel for all of their outstanding efforts in getting the Assignment of Benefits legislation enacted. We have done great things with the passing of the Assignment of Benefits and General Supervision laws and we have used our PAC money well and political relationships well. Horizon and Delta Dental have to comply with the new law as of September 18th.
The recent classification of some cone-beam machines as tomography has prohibited dental assistants with x-ray licenses in using those machines as current state regulations expressly prohibit dental x-ray technicians from using tomography. Only licensed dentists and licensed dental hygienists are allowed under the current DEP rules. NJDA and the Bureau of x-ray compliance have had conversations as to what type cone beam machines can be used, and the Bureau is currently undergoing a review of all manufacturers in NJ (currently 18 manufacturers and 182 dental offices have machines according to the DEP) to determine what machines can be used. The Commission on Radiation Protection meets in September and may be addressing this matter.
The State Board of Dentistry has requested that the NJDA look into amending the current Dental Practice Act to allow dentists from other states to obtain a NJ license with five years of cumulative licensure in other states. The current law requires out-of-state dentists to be licensed in the same state for 5 years in order to be eligible to obtain a NJ license.
It is an election year in NJ. The governor and all 120 legislative seats are up for election. Organized dentistry is positioned well for the upcoming elections regardless of the outcomes. NJDPAC has been focused on supporting candidates who support organized dentistry’s positions.
GUEST
Dr. Shahid Aziz, Professor in Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at Rutgers, School of Dental Medicine addressed the Board on the dangers of young people abusing the use of Betel Nut. This abuse may cause Oral Submucous Fibrosis which is a precancerous condition affecting the oral cavity, oro-pharynx, upper esophagus. He further explained that this condition is commonly found in people of the Indian subcontinent and Pacific Rim.
Dr. Aziz was seeking assistance from the NJDA to outlaw the sale of this product to minors. Dr. Vitale asked the Board for its approval to further explore the subject. The Board gave its approval.