October 2016
Journal of the Georgia Dental Association
GDA Health Plan: The Right Choice for You, Your Family, and Team Visit www.gadental.org/health for details
HELPING CLENTS NAVIGATE THE EVER CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF DENTALANDSCAPE PRACTICE OWNERSHIP Oberman Law Firm is comprised of a team of individuals possessing the knowledge, expertise and experience to address the myriad of regulatory, business and ethical issues facing the health care industry today. We can help you piece it all together so you can focus on what really matters, your practice.
Practice Sales & Acquisitions Joint Ventures OSHA/HIPAA Compliance Employment Law Partnership Agreements Lease Negotiations Dental Board Defense Associate Contracts Intellectual Property
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OBERMAN LAW FIRM 2 • October 2016
147 Lee Byrd
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GDACONTENTS features 20 2016-2017 SOURCEBOOK
october 2016 • volume 35, no. 8
OPEN ENROLLMENT STARTS NOV. 1!
Leadership contact information, committees, benefits+ partners.
29 HEALTH LITERACY MONTH How to help patients understand information about their health.
30 GOVERNANCE REVIEW
What is the best way to grow an effective governance structure?
34 GDA HEALTH PLAN
Find out why the GDA health plan is the right choice for you.
39 BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Highlights from the Sept. 10 meeting of the GDA Board.
departments 11 THE PRACTICE
Tools and tips to help you manage your business.
13 FINDING SUCCESS
Helping you achieve personal and professional growth.
14 SEEN & HEARD
Members making news and news for GDA members.
46 LAST WORD
Commentaries, letters, and last minute member news.
in every issue 4 5 5 7 9 41
Calendar of Events Benefits Plus Savings Contact GDA Staff Editorial Director's Commentary Classifieds
COVER FEATURE: Your GDA health plan support staff shares tips about choosing a health plan that is right for you, your family, and your team on page 34. The GDA is excited about the options we can offer members during this health plan choice season. Three major insurers have pulled out of the market in Georgia, prices on the health care exchange are skyrocketing, and no other insurer can offer the benefit-rich plans that the GDA will offer! Join your colleagues who are enjoying the value and security provided by the GDA. Call your GDA health plan team at (800) 432-4357 or (404) 636-7553 for information, or visit us at www.gadental.org/health to see complete plan information. October 2016 • 3
GDA ACTION (ISSN 0273-5989; USPS PE-590290) The official Journal of the Georgia Dental Association is published 10 times per year. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to GDA Action, 7000 Peachtree Dunwoody Road N.E., Suite 200, Building 17, Atlanta, GA 30328.
GDAEVENTS 2016 Wed, Nov 2:
Western District Legislative Reception & Officer Visit.
Fri, Nov 4:
Spokesperson Training Event, GDA Office.
Fri, Nov 4:
GDA Health Plan Webinar for 2017 Open Enrollment.
Sat, Nov 5:
Legislative Dental Kit Assembly Event, GDA Office.
Tue, Nov 8:
GDA Lunch & Learn at DCG/Augusta University.
Ms. Delaine Hall GDA Managing Editor 7000 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd NE Suite 200 Bldg 17, Atlanta, GA 30328 delaine@gadental.org
Thur, Nov 10:
Southwestern District Legislative Reception (Albany).
Sat, Nov 12:
Northwestern District Tailgate Event, KSU Stadium.
Tue, Nov 15:
Eastern District Legislative Reception (Athens).
Wed, Nov 16:
Eastern District Legislative Reception (Augusta).
Dr. Ben Jernigan, GDA President 315 West Ponce De Leon Avenue, Suite 340, Atlanta, GA 30030 president@gadental.org.
Thur, Nov 17:
Southwestern District Legislative Reception (Valdosta).
Fri, Nov 18:
Annual Convention Committee Meeting, GDA Office.
Mon, Nov 21:
GDA Officer Visit to Northern District, 103 West
Mr. Frank Capaldo, GDA Executive Director 7000 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd NE Suite 200 Bldg 17, Atlanta, GA 30328 frank@gadental.org
Nov 24-25:
GDA Office Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday.
Mon, Nov 28:
Northern District Executive Committee, GDA Office.
Tue, Nov 29:
Central District Legislative Reception.
Dr. Kumar Patel, GDA Editor 3417 Canton Road, Suite 401 Marietta, GA 30066 drkay71@gmail.com
______________________________ GDA ACTION seeks to be an issuesdriven journal focusing on current matters affecting Georgia dentists and patients accomplished by disseminating information and providing a forum for commentary.
___________________________________________________________ Thur, Dec 1:
Southeastern District Legislative Reception & GDA Officer Visit, Savannah Golf Club.
Thur, Dec 1:
Northern District Hall County Branch Holiday Party.
Fri, Dec 2:
GDIS Board Meeting, GDA Office.
Fri, Dec 2:
GDA Finance Committee Meeting, GDA Office.
Fri, Dec 2:
Atlanta Dental Study Club Event, Buckhead Ritz.
Closing date for all editorial and advertising materials: First of the month preceding the publication month.
Sat, Dec 3:
GDA Board of Trustees Meeting, GDA Office.
Sat, Dec 3:
GDA Alliance Holiday Party, Flint House, Norcross.
Sun, Dec 4:
GDA House of Delegates Meeting, Atlanta.
Subscriptions: $17 of GDA membership dues is for the journal; all others, $75 per year. Periodicals postage paid at Atlanta, GA.
Wed, Dec 7:
Northwestern District Legislative Fish Fry, Cartersville.
Mon, Dec 26:
GDA Office Closed for Christmas Holiday.
Š Copyright 2016 by the Georgia Dental Association. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission. Publication of any article or advertisement should not be deemed an endorsement of the opinions expressed or products advertised. The GDA expressly reserves the right to refuse publication of any article, photograph, or advertisement, and illustrate, reduce, or revise any article submitted.
4 • October 2016
___________________________________________________________
2017
Mon, Jan 2:
GDA Office Closed for New Years Holiday.
Mon, Jan 9:
Opening Day of 2017 Georgia Legislative Session.
Wed, Jan 18:
LAW Day: Northern, Eastern, GDA Alliance.
Fri, Jan 20:
Southwestern GDA Officer Visit & CE, Tifton.
___________________________________________________________ Wed, Feb 1:
LAW Day: Southwestern, Western, Hall County Branch.
Fri, Feb 3:
Give Kids A Smile Day, Statewide.
Wed, Feb 8:
LAW Day: Northwestern.
Thur, Feb 23:
LAW Day: Southeastern, Georgia Dental Society. Health Plan Open Enrollment Starts Nov. 1
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Visit www.gadental.org/health for details
REACHUS GDA EXECUTIVE OFFICE
7000 Peachtree Dunwoody Road NE Suite 200 Building 17 Atlanta GA 30328-1655 Toll Free Phone (800) 432-4357 Metro Atlanta Phone (404) 636-7553 GDA Fax: (404) 633-3943 GDIS Fax: (404) 634-6099 FRANK CAPALDO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR > Amy Kuhn, Chief of Staff x-131 or amy@gadental.org > Patrice Williams, Administrative Assistant x-125 or patrice@gadental.org DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT ... “Because I Saw My Dentist” or Media/PR? > Carol Galbreath, x-119 or carol@gadental.org Benefits Plus Partners or GDA Website? > Laura Kuechenmeister x-190 or laura@gadental.org Continuing Education Courses? > Joanne Singletary x-128 or joanne@gadental.org Dues or Membership? > Katherine Torbush x-126 or katherine@gadental.org Exhibit Booths, Sponsorships, or Endorsed Products and Services? > Rogers Beasley, x-106 or rogers@gadental.org GDA Action, Classifieds, or Alliance? > Delaine Hall, x-104 or delaine@gadental.org GDA Convention & Expo? > Amy Kuhn, x-131 or amy@gadental.org GDA Business Insurance Plans? > Michele Amatulli x-127 or michele@gadental.org GDA Health Insurance Plans? > Christy Biddy, x-113 or christy@gadental.org Give Kids A Smile Day? > Megan Capaldo, x-101 or megan@gadental.org Governmental affairs/LAW Day? > Scott Lofranco, x-103 or scott@gadental.org > Sheila Watson, x-189, sheila@gadental.org Integrity Dental Buyers Group? > Lisa VanZandt, x-105 or lisa@gadental.org Medicaid, PeachCare, or Insurance Issues? > Stephanie Lotti, x-108 or stephanie@gadental.org
October 2016 • 5
6 • October 2016
Health Plan Open Enrollment Starts Nov. 1
EDITORIAL: CHANGES & EXPECTATIONS
By Dr. Kumar Patel GDA Editor
“Most of us are professionals too busy providing oral care; adding the business of dentistry is sometimes more stressful than providing the care itself."
DR. KUMAR PATEL GDA Editor Phone (770) 429-1545 drkay71@gmail.com
Visit www.gadental.org/health for details
Strength lies in numbers and diversity— diversity of members and diversity of ideas. All of the collective ideas of dental specialties, sub-specialties, and interest groups add to our strength. Likewise, we hope that each one of us individually would similarly contribute to our strength. Let’s keep in mind our brand-new GDA mission statement: “Helping Georgia Member Dentists Succeed.” Our organization has adopted a multi-fold strategic plan to reach our goal. Traditionally, most of our efforts have been geared towards advocacy, protecting and promoting the profession in the legislative arena. This is an extremely valuable membership service and without it I feel that we would be reduced to oral “health care providers” and not “professionals.” We cannot let our guard down with these efforts, but there are other places where we need to devote our time as well. Most of us are professionals too busy providing oral care; adding on the business of dentistry is sometimes more stressful than providing the care itself. This is an area where we could be more beneficial to our members. We are exploring a new idea of becoming a business support system to take the stress of management out of our lives. This should be just as important as protecting and promoting the profession. Dental professionals at every stage of their career are faced with business challenges. Let's observe some of the proposed changes across the nation and you can easily see where business opportunities in dentistry are being developed in ways that are not always in the best interests of patients. If left unchecked, this could reduce our profession to a “trade” and dentists to “providers.” Gladly, we have noticed these signs, and change is on horizon. We must devote resources to help dentists at every stage of their career. Our efforts should be geared towards facilitating the transition of students
to practice, including facilitating forums which provide them guidance on setting up or acquiring a practice. Think about the usefulness of a forum where we can facilitate networking, the hiring of associates or office staff, or the selling or purchasing of practices. We must continue to focus on helping practitioners with HIPAA and OSHA regulations, contract analysis, marketing and public relations, and ethics and peer review. In addition, we must focus on building the value we offer, everything from group buying for supplies to personal financial management. Some of these benefits have been offered for some time; however, not every member utilizes them. The truth is we have the talent, skills, and expertise among our members to make this vision all possible. What is required is more participation from members and better communication from our leaders. Failure to provide this backbone of a support system will have a detrimental effect on our ability to recruit and retain members. This in turn will affect our strength which lies in numbers and diversity. This is one area where individuals and organizations outside of our profession could create dramatic change, and it requires just as much attention as our traditional agenda. Change is an ongoing phenomenon. Preserving what is good, and navigating through the tide of change while using its force should be our goal.
October 2016 • 7
8 • October 2016
Health Plan Open Enrollment Starts Nov. 1
CHAMPIONS OF GIVING BACK
By Frank Capaldo GDA Executive Director
" ... the downside to this sort of silence is that the wider public, our policy makers, and our legislators do not see what dentists do in the community to give back and make a difference." FRANK J. CAPALDO GDA Executive Director Phone (404) 636-7553 frank@gadental.org
Visit www.gadental.org/health for details
Dentists provide charitable care every day across this state. You are champions of giving back, but you don’t typically talk about charitable care. You simply give, and give again, and then give some more. You provide care in your offices. Maybe a long-time patient and friend asks you to consider treating an elderly individual without charging. Maybe your church supports a family about to go into the mission field that needs to have a firm foundation of good oral health before they travel, and you take care of dad, mom, and all three kids. Maybe your family immigrated to America when you were young, and now that you can give back as a dentist, you give back to an immigrant family trying to put down roots in your town. Maybe you work with a group that helps addicts get back on their feet, and you give them the smile that erases broken teeth and helps them take a step forward. Maybe you work with victims of domestic violence who are afraid to look up and smile until you offer them a hand. Actually, there is no maybe here. These are only a small handful of real-life examples from your colleagues who give back daily in their offices, without hesitation or regret. Then you have dentists who provide care in their offices, then use their personal time to give back in charitable clinics or during their own mission trips. Can I tell you that getting doctors to talk about their charitable efforts can be, to use a phrase that gets overused, like pulling teeth? You don’t blow your own horn. And that is understandable. You want to and need to protect the personal information of your patients. And many of you consider the charitable care you provide to be nothing that needs a spotlight. I am personally a great believer in the proverb that states, “pride comes before the fall” and so I personally appreciate your humility! But, the downside to this sort of silence is that the wider public, our policy makers, and our legislators do not see what dentists do in the community to give back and make a difference for Georgians every single day. In addition to all you do with clinics, GMOM, Give Kids a Smile Day, and the GDA Action for Dental Health, we have
another way we can change that silence into Gideon’s Trumpet. The Board of Trustees has voted to support a program called Donated Dental Services (DDS). DDS helps individuals with disabilities or who are elderly or medically fragile and suffer from serious dental problems because they cannot afford treatment. Medicare does not include dental care for seniors, Medicaid in Georgia covers only emergency dental care for adults, and the Veterans Administration only provides dental care if it is service-related. As a result, many of these individuals suffer in agonizing pain from serious dental problems and have nowhere else to turn. A big part of the DDS program is the volunteer dentists who see these patients in their offices and provide them with the oral health they need. We already have a small DDS program in Georgia led by Dr. Richard Weinman, but we want to grow the program over three years. Our aim is to provide some funding and in-kind resources in the GDA office to a program coordinator hired by DDS program parent Dental Lifeline Network, and expand our volunteer network around the state. With the patient data gathered by the program coordinator, our GDA member dentist volunteer feedback, and Dental Lifeline Network staff and communication resources, we can tell these patients’ stories, and your stories about giving back. Our GDA President, Dr. Ben Jernigan’s theme for his year is "Better Together." By supporting this program together, we will make life better for individuals in critical need. When we tell our stories about the complexities that go into establishing good oral health for medically fragile individuals, we improve the perception of our profession with the public, the media, and with our lawmakers at the State Capitol.
October 2016 • 9
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10 •15PT4374_7.5x4.875-BW-Family October 2016 Ad.indd
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Health Plan Open Enrollment Starts 1 8/6/15Nov. 3:01 PM
THE
PRACTICE
Data Breach: Protect Yourself Against This Daily Occurrence By Michele Amatulli, Vice President, Georgia Dental Insurance Services Data breach is a daily occurrence. Yahoo confirmed earlier this year that hackers have stolen information from at least 500 million of their user accounts. The computers of the Democratic National Committee were hacked this summer. But while these massive data breaches received lavish media attention, other, smaller breaches, including breaches of dental practices, received less attention. However, the consequences of a "smaller" breach can be devastating to a small business, like a dental practice, without the financial resources to satisfy regulatory demands should a breach occur. A September 23, 2016, story on Databreaches.net reported on a dental practice that purchased another dentist’s practice in 2012. The practice found itself needing to notify their current patients and the seller's former patients after the theft of a server from a storage facility. In a letter to patients, Dr. Justin Newberry of Napa Valley Dentistry in California stated that on August 11, 2016, the office discovered that a password-protected server with patient information had been stolen from a secured storage unit. Databreaches.net reported that Dr. Newberry wrote: "In December 2012, Dr. Justin Newberry, DDS, purchased Napa Valley Dentistry, including this server, from Dr. C. Michael Quinn, DDS. The server may therefore contain personal information of Dr. Quinn’s former patients who may not currently have a relationship with Napa Valley Dentistry. While there is no indication that your personal information was, in fact, accessed without authorization, we are notifying you out of an abundance of caution and offering you identity protection services." The information stored on the stolen server reportedly included patient names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and dental insurance information. In response to the theft, and in addition to notifying patients and regulators, the practice was required to offer those affected credit monitoring services, and assess all information security practices within their dental office.
When a possible data breach occurs, quick action is important to help restore the public’s confidence if your business is victimized by a cyber attack. Cyber liability insurance and data breach insurance from our Georgia Dental Insurance Services' partner The Hartford can help cover costs like notification, identity protection solutions, public relations, legal requirements, and more depending on the coverage you choose. The data breach and cyber liability coverages also include access to services that can assist your practice in preventing a breach by helping ensure that proper security measures are in place before there is an incident. These services can help businesses with network security, employee training, developing appropriate privacy and network policies and procedures, identifying and managing company assets, and incident response planning. The Hartford also offers 24/7 access to a data breach preparedness website for easy-to-understand prevention and response guidelines that outline the steps practices can take to help prevent a cyber intrusion event. Most dentists understand that the personally identifiable patient health information they have on their computers is a target for hackers and that their online presence leaves them open to liability claims. However, far fewer take adequate measures to protect their practices These optional data breach and cyber liability insurance coverages can be added to a GDIS client's current Business Owner's policy and General Liability Choice® policy with The Hartford. The data breach and cyber liability coverages are stand-alone policies that allow businesses to tailor coverage to their specific data privacy and network security insurance needs. I encourage you to contact your Georgia Dental Insurance Services agency at (800) 432-4357 or (404) 6367553 with questions about this security coverage, or visit www.MyGDIS.com for details on all of our coverages. We look forward to helping our members succeed.
We want to share tools and tips for managing your business! Need us to address a particular topic? Email delaine@gadental.org. Visit www.gadental.org/health for details
October 2016 • 11
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Brenda Fritz, DMD has acquired the practice of Joshua Foulk, DMD in Jasper, Georgia. Dr. Foulk purchased this practice in Jasper in 2007 after graduating from MCG in 2005. After nine very successful and fulfilling years there, he and his wife decided it was time to move home to coastal Georgia where they could be closer to family. Dr. Fritz had already purchased and sold one dental practice and was ready to get back into ownership. She wanted her second practice to be in a more rural setting where the lifestyle was a little more relaxed. When she met Dr. Foulk and saw his beautiful practice, she knew she had finally found "the one".
Congratulations to both Dr. Josh Foulk and Dr. Brenda Fritz! We wish you continued success and happiness in the future!
PRACTICE TRANSITIONS
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IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT US AT 877-432-0921 OR info@cpsllcms.com www.cpsllcms.com 12 • October 2016
Health Plan Open Enrollment Starts Nov. 1
FINDING
SUCCESS
Typography in the Dental Office: Rethinking Your Patient Materials By Darron Miya
Times New Roman. Arial. Comic Sans. Most of us are familiar with these fonts due to their prolific use in media we see daily. But, have you ever stopped to consider how font choice, size, and style can impact your choices, especially in the context of a dental office? Typography is defined as the style, arrangement, or appearance of printed letters on a page. However, it encompasses more than just being able to change the color of letters or bolding important words. Much of the graphic design software we use today offers the user unrestricted autonomy in not only the font style used, but also individual character spacing (kerning), spacing between lines (leading), spacing between letters within a single word (tracking), and more. A clear understanding of typography is essential to good design because it helps to present your content in a way that is easy to read. It’s easy to associate typography solely with the design and aesthetics behind marketing, but in certain contexts, such as the readability of road signs, good typography can mean the difference between life and death. The same considerations extend to minimizing patient risk in the medical field: a 2006 study in Healthcare Quarterly investigating the role of typography in similar-sounding and similar-looking drug names noted that the use of all uppercase characters was not distinctive enough due to its decreased variation in form compared to lowercase characters. Rather, the use of a design that allowed for a higher degree of visual contrast between similar-sounding drug names made them more distinctly recognizable. With all the dental materials that we encounter in the operatory, it’s easy to take for granted the many design principles were taken into consideration in order to allow us to maximize the utilization of each product. In contrast, when it comes to marketing or creating printed materials for your dental practice, balancing professionalism and novelty through typography can be a difficult task. Whether the patient realizes it or not, a welldesigned health questionnaire form or post-op instruction
sheet could not only improve patient health literacy, but also potentially reflect how they perceive the quality of your practice. However, fonts can vary widely between operating systems and there are many conflicting opinions on what fonts are the “best” to use. So before you decide to pull out your trusty WordArt, here are some general concepts to consider when designing printed materials for your patients: 1. Legibility refers to how easily you can recognize and distinguish between individual letters. Highly legible font is generally comprised of lines that are neither too thin nor too bold and have consistent stroke widths. 2. Readability is the way text is laid out on a page and how easily the text can be understood by the reader. In a highly readable text, the reader should not notice the font. There are many facets that can make a text more readable, such as black-on-white contrast, proper use of text hierarchy, restricting line length to 65-75 characters to prevent fatigue, left-alignment of paragraphs and utilization of white space to prevent creating large blocks of text. 3. Size. Font sizes between 9 and 12 points are generally recommended. (This body font is a size 10.) Fonts that are too large or too small have been found to decrease reading speed. However, consider increasing your font size to 1214 points for elderly patients. 4. Serif vs. Sans serif. Serif fonts (like Times New Roman) are generally easier to read when used in printed materials due to increased contrast on individual letter forms, making them more distinctive and easier to recognize. Sans serif fonts (like Arial) are recommended for titles or headings in printed works, or even on the Web because the lower resolution of computer monitors can make serif fonts more difficult to read. Darron is currently a third-year dental student at the UCLA School of Dentistry. He is the immediate past co-Editor-inChief of UCLA ASDA's newsletter, the Diastema. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball, painting, watching sports, and catching Pokemon.
We want to offer you guidance in achieving personal and professional growth. Have an idea to share? Email delaine@gadental.org. Visit www.gadental.org/health for details
October 2016 • 13
SEEN&HEARD
(L to r): Lauri Adams-Fresh, Sophia Heath, Ellen Avery, Dawn White, Fran Nieves, Dr. Laura Braswell, Angela Lawrence, Michelle Webber, and Michele Edwards.
Kudos to Dr. Laura Braswell and the Buckhead Periodontics Team By Katherine Torbush Member Relations Manager Thank you to all of the dental offices that responded to our survey about interest in a potential Allied Membership Program. The incentive? One office that submitted a completed survey would win lunch courtesy of the GDA! On September 14th, GDA staff members were delighted to bring Jason's Deli treats to the office of Buckhead Periodontics and Dr. Laura Braswell. Thank you to Dr. Braswell and her staff members (above) for answering our survey and for the outstanding hospitality! 14 • October 2016
Past President David Allen Named by Gov. Deal to Board GDA Past President Dr. J. David Allen was recently named to the Georgia World Congress Center Authority Board of Governors. Dr. Allen accepted the appointment in a ceremony with Governor Nathan Deal on August 17. As a member of the Board of Governors, Dr. Allen will be jointly responsible for the management of the authority's business, including the development and operations of the Georgia World Congress Center, the Georgia Dome, Centennial Olympic Park, and related facilities. Dr. Allen currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Emory University, the Woodruff Health Sciences Board, and the Emory
Clinic and Emory Healthcare Boards. He is the founding and emeritus chairman of the Georgia Natural Resources Foundation, which supports the efforts of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to conserve, protect, and enhance the state's natural, historic, and cultural resources. In 2015, he was selected as one of Georgia Trend's "100 Most Influential Georgians" for his work with the Foundation.
Kudos: Scott LoFranco Congratulations to GDA General Counsel and Director of Government Affairs Scott LoFranco. He has been named by James Magazine in its "Top Lobbyists" issue as a "Rising Star" lobbyist in Georgia! The Governmental Affairs team is deeply appreciative of his hard work at the Gold Dome in Atlanta and throughout the state.
Health Plan Open Enrollment Starts Nov. 1
In Memoriam: GDA Dentists The GDA notes the passing of these dentists, and offers condolences to their colleagues and friends. Dr. E.C. "Pat" Patterson, age 76, died on August 28, 2016. He was a Central District past president and GDA Honorable Fellow. Donations may be made to St. Vincent de Paul Society, c/o Christ Our King and Savior Catholic Church; American Academy of Periodontology, c/o Dr. E. C. "Pat" Patterson Scholarship Fund, N. Michigan Ave, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60611; or Adopt A Golden Atlanta, P. O. Box 420256, Atlanta, GA 30342. Dr. Robert W. Vedder, age 68, passed away on August 29, 2016. He was a Central District past president and GDA Honorable Fellow. Donations may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Milledgeville; Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation, P.O. Box 871847, Kansas City, MO 64187; or individuals are encouraged to register as organ donors. Dr. Theodore Levitas, age 92, died on September 15, 2016. The long-time member was known nationally in the pediatric dentistry field. After receiving his pediatric certification from Emory in 1959, Dr. Levitas spent the next 45 years treating young patients, who called him Dr. Teddy Bear. He served as president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Society of Dentistry for Children, as well as of the Southeastern Society of Pediatric Dentistry, which holds an annual lecture in his name. He was also a president of the Northern District Dental Society and Hinman Dental Society. Dr. Levitas became a frequent lecturer on children's dentistry and contributed numerous articles to dental literature. He was part of the staff of Scottish Rite Children's Hospital, now Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and was the first dentist to become president of the hospital's medical-dental staff. Throughout his career, Dr. Levitas provided free dental care one morning a week at the Ben Massell Dental Clinic, where he was chief of staff for many years and chief emeritus beginning in 1998. His multitude of honors included the GDA Award of Merit in 1991 for outstanding service to the association and wider world of dentistry. Donations be made to the Ahavath Achim Synagogue in Atlanta or the Ben Massell Dental Clinic. Visit www.gadental.org/health for details
GDA Lunch & Learn at AU Focuses on Value The GDA places great value in building bridges with the faculty and students at The Dental College of Georgia. One of the ways we achieve this is through Lunch & Learn events. The event on September 29 featured Dr. Paul Trotter, the president-elect of the Eastern District, and Dr. Ryan Vaughn, the president of the Northern District. The doctors spoke about the value that the GDA provides to its members, including through advocacy, continuing education, networking, public relations campaigns, business partners like Integrity Dental Buyers Group and Georgia Dental Insurance Services, and much more. Thanks to the students who made time before seeing patients to stop by, eat, and get some great information! The students also gave us great feedback about the types of topics they would find most useful to hear about in the future. The GDA is now scheduling Lunch & Learns for 2017! If you are interested in speaking, please email your name to Member Relations Manager Katherine Torbush at katherine@gadental.org.
At left: Dr. Paul Trotter with fourth-year dental student Quynh Spicer; at right: Dr. Ryan Vaughn with third-year dental student Reid Popple. GDA staff members Katherine Torbush, Joanne Singletary, Christy Biddy, Michele Amatulli, and Delaine Hall also attended the Lunch & Learn. October October 2016 2016 • 15• 15
SEEN&HEARD GDA Business Plus Partner Harris Gignilliat Honored for Investment Expertise and Guidance After partnering with the GDA for over 15 years, Harris Gignilliat is often considered the closest thing to a dental professional that a financial advisor can be. This is, of course, without ever practicing dentistry. Harris was born in Gainesville, Georgia, with his father's small mouth and his mother's large teeth. As a result, his first auto-tightening retainer came at age six. That quickly evolved into five rounds of braces that culminated with orthognathic surgery two days after his senior prom. In the span of 12 years, Harris had been treated by almost every type of dental professional. But, he is quick to mention that dentistry has had a profound positive impact on his life. Prior to his surgery, you cannot find a picture where Harris is smiling. But that has changed and as dentistry has continued to be a part of his life, Harris now sees his relationships with dentists as equally personal and professional. Harris and the Wile Consulting Group have partnered with more than 250 individual dentists, providing them with retirement plan, wealth management, and financial planning assistance. Their team has executed more financial plans for dentists than any other team in Georgia and has established an unrivaled understanding on how to provide service to dentists. They have also created a network of professionals who specialize in helping dentists outside of financial services. When Harris first started working with the GDA, he was relatively new to the financial services industry. Since then, Harris has earned both the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMAÂŽ) & Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist (CRPSÂŽ) certifications. These industry designations are awarded to individuals who complete rigorous course
16 • October 2016
work, examinations, and continuing education. Coupled with his earned certifications, Harris has been recognized individually and as part of his team in several independent rankings, including two just this year: Barron's Top 1,200 Financial Advisors (2015), Barron's Top Institutional Consultants (2015-2016), Financial Times 401 Top Retirement Plan Advisors, and PLANADVISER's Top 100 Retirement Plan Advisers (2012-2016). Harris's passion for the dental profession can be seen with his involvement educating dental students. He serves as an adjunct professor at Augusta University and lectures at The University of Alabama Birmingham. After years of interacting with dental professionals, Harris found that basic financial guidance is not commonly offered to dental students prior to graduation and now lends his knowledge probono to future dentists. Your financial health is important, and who you work with matters. The GDA can attest to the Wile Consulting Group's expertise as they have managed the GDA's own retirement plan for 13 years. The Wile Consulting Group offers their financial planning services to GDA members at no cost. They have also created a retirement plan for dental practices at a group discount that is exclusive to members as well. But most of all, Harris acknowledges that the work he does for the GDA is nothing more than a payback for the work that the dental profession has done for him and his family. As a result, the GDA has benefited greatly from this long-standing partnership and encourages members to take advantage of the resources available to them through Harris and the Wile Consulting Group at UBS. You can find out more on the GDA website www.gadental.org in the Benefits+ section.
Health Plan Open Enrollment Starts Nov. 1
Tips on Satisfying the Oct. 16 Section 1557 Rule Under the ACA On May 18, 2016, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published a final rule under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act to protect individuals from discrimination in health care on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and sex. The final rule requires a covered dental practice to post two kinds of notices in the office, on the practice's website, and in significant publications and communications, by October 16, 2016: (1) a notice of nondiscrimination, and (2) taglines in the top 15 nonEnglish languages spoken in a state indicating that language assistance services, free of charge, are available. Covered practices are permitted to use up existing stocks of preprinted publications. Practices are not required to create a website if they do not currently have one. A dental practice is covered by Section 1557 if it receives certain kinds of government funds, such as reimbursement under Medicaid or CHIP, receives Electronic Health Record Incentive Program "meaningful use" payments, or receives reimbursement under Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C). Section 1557 does not apply to practices that only accept reimbursement under Medicare Part B, including Durable Medical Equipment or DME that is reimbursed under Part B. Visit www.gadental.org/health for details
Covered dental practices are also required to take reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to individuals with Limited English proficiency, and to take appropriate steps to ensure that communications with individuals with disabilities are as effective as communications with others. The GDA understands that Amerigroup and WellCare will offer language line assistance to help their contracted providers comply with Section 1557. Amerigroup providers may access a language line by calling Member Services at
1-800-600-4441. WellCare (Avesis) is preparing documentation on their translation line. Providers may visit the Georgia Department of Human Services website for help identifying translation service vendors. Please remember that all translation services, including electronic or virtual, must meet the standards of confidentiality and secure data transmission. The ADA provides impacted members with sample taglines along with guidance on satisfying the other provisions of the rule. Visit ADA.org for additional details.
October 2016 • 17
Get Free 2017 ADA Session Registration! The GDA would like to hear from members interested in volunteering at the ADA Annual Session in Atlanta Oct. 19-22, 2017. Volunteers will receive free ADA session registration among other perks. Email a member of the GDA volunteer committee to sign up! Dr. Karyn Stockwell: kstoc@aol.com Dr. Sidney Tourial: stourial@comcast.net Dr. Tom Jagor: tcjdds@yahoo.com Dr. Becky Weinman: beckyweinman@gmail.com Dr. Kristina Dawson: dawsonkristina@gmail.com Dr. Mayur Nayee: mayur_nayee@yahoo.com
Let’s grow! Immediate career opportunities and flexible practice transition options available. 25+ years experience. There’s strength in our numbers.
855.979.3524 DentalCareAlliance.com 18 • October 2016
Dental Medicaid Alert for Pregnant Patients The Georgia Department of Community Health has issued a clarification for dentists in response to reports that some pregnant patients are not getting appropriately referred for dental services. In Georgia, Medicaideligible pregnant patients are entitled to dental services during their pregnancy whether covered by a Fee-For-Service provider or a Care Management Organization. These are benefits above and beyond the standard dental benefits available to adult members. The dental benefits end on the day the member delivers; however, some patients (depending on their eligibility category) may be entitled to continue receiving regular adult dental benefits following delivery. Visit the Dept of Community Health at dch.georgia.gov for details. Health Plan Open Enrollment Starts Nov. 1
SEEN&HEARD Clarification on the New Federal Overtime Rule in Effect Dec. 1 Starting December 1, 2016, a new rule from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) could affect the bottom line of your practice by raising the minimum salary necessary to qualify for overtime pay. Subject to certain exemptions, the rule increases the salary threshold below which most white-collar, salaried workers are entitled to overtime from the current $455 per week (or $23,660 for a full-year worker) to $913 per week (or $47,476 for a full-year worker). Certain types of employees, aka "White Collar Employees," are not subject to the overtime pay requirements under the FLSA. Workers employed in a "bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacity" are considered "White Collar Employees" under the FLSA and are therefore exempt from the new overtime rule if they meet certain criteria, including: (1) They must be paid on a salary basis not subject to reduction based on quality or quantity of work ("salary basis test") rather than, for example, on an hourly basis; (2) Their salary must meet a minimum salary level, which after the effective date of the final rule (December 1, 2016) will be $913 per week, which is equivalent to Visit www.gadental.org/health for details
$47,476 annually for a full-year worker ("salary level test"); and (3) The employee's primary job duty must involve the kind of work associated with exempt executive, administrative, or professional employees (the "standard duties test").
Additional information on this new rule may be found at the U.S. Department of Labor's website DOL. gov. The Georgia Dental Association website gadental.org contains updated and expanded information on the exemptions for each type of employee.
Please note that the article on Another big change to the the GDA website, as well as the overtime rule adjusts the exemption details in this article, have been threshold to every three years, updated to reflect that this law will setting it at a level equal to the impact salaried workers earning up to $47,476 a year, or $913 per 40th percentile salary level for fullweek when it takes effect Dec. 1. time salaried workers in whichever The amount of $455 per week as Census region of the nation is deemed to have the lowest salaries previously reported is the current for those employees. Currently, that amount that will be superceded in region is the South. December.
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Practice Sales & Purchases Over $3.2 Billion October 2016 • 19
SOURCEBOOK 2016-2017 STATE OFFICERS
Ben Jernigan Jr., DMD PRESIDENT 315 W Ponce De Leon Ave Ste 340 Decatur GA 30030 Phone (404) 378-1466 bjerni4080@aol.com
Robin Reich, DDS PRESIDENT-ELECT 4849 S Cobb Dr SE Ste 111 Smyrna, GA 30080 Phone (770) 435-5450 robin@reichdentalcenter. com
David Bradberry, DMD VICE PRESIDENT 1070 Woodlawn Dr NE Ste 250 Marietta GA 30068 Phone: (770) 977-8644 drbradberry@bellsouth.net
Jay Phillips Jr., DMD SECRETARY/TREASURER 209 24th St East Tifton GA 31794 Phone (229) 382-8711 j.phillips@tiftregional dentalgroup.com
Kumar Patel, DMD EDITOR 3417 Canton Rd Ste 401 Marietta GA 30066 Phone (770) 429-1545 drkay71@gmail.com
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The state officers, above and these volunteers:
Immediate Past President Dr. Tom Broderick Phone (912) 355-7022 thomas.broderick@ comcast.net Speaker of the House Dr. Jay Harrington Phone: (478) 453-8666 jfhdds@windstream.net TRUSTEES Central District Dr. Mike Loden (7/18) Phone: (478) 923-0253 smldmd@bellsouth.net Eastern District Dr. Erik Wells (7/17) Phone: (706) 548-7373 docwells7@yahoo.com Northern District Dr. Chris Adkins (7/18) Phone: (770) 506-2443 chrisadkinsdds@bellsouth.net
20 • October 2016
Northwestern District Dr. Jason Oyler (7/19) Phone: (706) 235-1186 droyler@romedentistry.com Southeastern District Dr. Byron Colley (7/17) Phone: (912) 355-5901 hacolley@gmail.com Southwestern District Dr. Jeff Singleton (7/18) Phone: (229) 432-6751 jrsdmd@bellsouth.net Western District Dr. James Lopez (7/19) Phone: (706) 324-1834 lope3017@bellsouth.net PRESIDENTS ELECT Central District Dr. Tommy Peterson Phone (478) 742-4254 tlpeterson80@gmail.com
(From left, standing): Drs. Adkins, Wells, Schulman, Harrington, and Colley. (From left, seated): Drs. Bradberry, Phillips, Jernigan, Broderick, Reich, and Patel. Eastern District Dr. Paul Trotter Phone: (706) 860-2442 paul.g.trotter@gmail.com Northern District Dr. Troy Schulman Phone (770) 396-7545 drtroy@troyschulmandds.com Northwestern District Dr. Kumar Patel Phone (770) 429-1545 drkay71@gmail.com
Southeastern District Open Position Southwestern District Dr. Heather Colson Hardy Phone (229) 242-2449 drcolson@bellsouth.net Western District Dr. Scott McLaurin Phone (706) 596-1895 mclaurin1@gmail.com
Health Plan Open Enrollment Starts Nov. 1
SOURCEBOOK 2016-2017 HOUSE OF DELEGATES Central Delegates Dr. Lindsay Holliday Dr. Amy Loden Dr. Mike Loden Dr. Nancy O’Brien Dr. Don Spillers
Dr. David Remaley Dr. Richard A. Smith Dr. Sidney Tourial Dr. Richard Weinman Dr. Marvin Winter Dr. Carol Wolff
Central Alternates Dr. Vin Bhasin Dr. Vincent Carey Dr. Pinkney Gilchrist Dr. Amber Lawson Dr. Michael Wright
Northern Alternates Dr. Evis Babo Dr. Sarabess Baumrind Dr. Henry Benson Dr. Neil Browning Dr. Ron Cavola Dr. David Carithers Dr. Kristina Dawson Dr. Ben Hawkins Dr. Vivian Hudson Dr. Ken Hutchinson Dr. Janet Kearns Dr. Linda King Dr. Amy Kuhmichel Dr. Joyce Lee Dr. Lynn Livingston Dr. Joseph Looper Dr. David Marion Dr. Greg Marks Dr. Heather McGee Dr. Troy Schulman Dr. Marie Schweinebraten Dr. Richard Sugarman Dr. Victor van Greuningen Dr. Ryan Vaughn Dr. Rebecca Weinman
Eastern Delegates Dr. David Brown Dr. Celia Dunn Dr. Brad Hall Dr. Carole Hanes Dr. Lewis Petree Dr. Jason Sayer Dr. Rhoda Sword Dr. Paul Trotter Eastern Alternates Dr. Andy Allgood Dr. Lee Andrews Dr. Greg Clepper Dr. John Crumpton Dr. Grant Loo Dr. Bill Newell Dr. Erik Wells Northern Delegates Dr. Chris Adkins Dr. Daren Becker Dr. Donald Brown Dr. Brook Corbett Dr. Jonathan Dubin Dr. Max Ferguson Dr. Hank Goble Dr. James Granade III Dr. James Granade Jr. Dr. Brad Greenway Dr. Kathy Huber Dr. Tom Jagor Dr. Ben Jernigan Dr. Jeff Kendrick Dr. Paul Kudyba Dr. Matt Mazzawi Dr. Roy McDonald Dr. Bob O’Donnell Dr. David Pumphrey
Northwestern Delegates Dr. David Bradberry Dr. Hank Bradford
Visit www.gadental.org/health for details
Dr. David Drew Dr. Brenda Fritz Dr. Casey Hart Dr. Ben Knaak Dr. Elizabeth Lewis Dr. Wendy Mitchell Dr. Jason Oyler Dr. Kumar Patel Dr. Chris Rautenstrauch Dr. Peter Shatz Dr. P.J. Schaner Northwestern Alternates Dr. William Bennett Dr. Jack Bickford Dr. Bruce Camp Dr. Celeste Coggin Dr. Narisa Cramer Dr. Stan Halpern Dr. Kay Kalantari Dr. Dave Mason Dr. Rob McGhee Dr. Todd Mullikin Mayur Nayee Dr. Freddy Padilla Dr. Alex Patrick Southeastern Delegates Dr. Mark Dusek Dr. Ryan Fulchi Dr. Zach Powell Dr. Matt Rosenthal Dr. Donihue Waters
Dr. Will Faulk Dr. Stephanie Skinner Dr. Ron Smiley Southwestern Delegates Dr. Bo Broadfoot Dr. Jeff Cox Dr. Heather Colson Hardy Dr. David Howington Dr. Bonita Richter White Southwestern Alternates Dr. Lou Ann Best Dr. Jay Cranford Dr. Ed Green Dr. Erica Greene Dr. Brett Hester Western Delegates Dr. Jeff King Dr. James Lopez Dr. Scott McLaurin Western Alternates Dr. Robert Carpenter Dr. Brett Helton Dr. Rene Roberts ASDA Delegate Abby Halpern ASDA Alternate Eric Anderson
Southeastern Alternates Dr. Hugh Armstrong Dr. Steven Berwitz
October 2016 • 21
SOURCEBOOK 2016-2017 CENTRAL
EASTERN
NORTHERN
NORTHWESTERN
Drs. Mitchell and Benton.
Drs. Sword, Petree, Trotter, and Wells.
Drs. Adkins, Hawkins, Vaughn, Schulman, van Greuningen, and King.
Drs. Mitchell, Drew, Oyler, and Shatz.
Dr. Jamie Mitchell President Office (706) 468-6394 jamitchelldmd@bellsouth.net
Dr. Lewis Petree President Phone (770) 867-2277 lhpdmd@gmail.com
Dr. Ryan Vaughn President Office (678) 450-7011 ryvaughn@att.net
Dr. David Drew President Office: (770) 832-2353 rdaviddrew@bellsouth.net
Dr. Tommy Peterson President Elect Office: (478) 742-4254 tlpeterson80@gmail.com
Dr. Paul Trotter President Elect Winder, GA Office: (706) 860-2442 paul.g.trotter@gmail.com
Dr. Troy Schulman President Elect Office: (770) 396-7545 trschulman@comcast.net
Dr. Kumar Patel President Elect Office: (770) 429-1545 drkay71@yahoo.com
Dr. Victor van Greuningen Vice President Office: (404) 262-1456 drvictorvg@yahoo.com
Dr. Hank Bradford Vice President Office: (678) 560-4100 cesendo@yahoo.com
Dr. Ben Hawkins Secretary / Treasurer Office: (770) 536-1229 blhawkins@gmail.com
Dr. Peter Shatz Secretary Office: (770) 422-0642 petershatz@gmail.com
Dr. Linda King Editor Office: (770) 898-8872 lindaking@lindakingdds.com
Dr. Wendy Mitchell Treasurer Office: (770) 941-5323 wmitch03@bellsouth.net
TRUSTEE Dr. Chris Adkins (7/18) Office: (770) 506-2443 chrisadkinsdds@bellsouth.net
Dr. Mayur Nayee Editor Office: (770) 452-7358 mayur_nayee@yahoo.com
Dr. Ash Walker Vice President Office: (478) 477-2761 ashwalker10@gmail.com Dr. Don Benton Secretary / Treasurer Office: (478) 475-1980 t.doc@cox.net Dr. Amy Lee Editor Office: (478) 757-5826 dramylee@bellsouth.net TRUSTEE Dr. Mike Loden (7/18) Office: (478) 923-0253 smldmd@bellsouth.net
Dr. Vasco Lowery Vice President Office: (706) 886-8472 vblowerydental@windstream.net Dr. Rhoda Sword Secretary / Treasurer Phone (706) 721-2881 rsword@gru.edu TRUSTEE Dr. Erik Wells (7/17) Office: (706) 548-7373 docwells7@yahoo.com
TRUSTEE Dr. Jason Oyler (7/19) Office: (706) 235-1186 droyler@romedentistry.com
22 • October 2016
Health Plan Open Enrollment Starts Nov. 1
SOURCEBOOK 2016-2017 SOUTHEASTERN SOUTHWESTERN WESTERN
ALLIANCE
Drs. Powell, Rosenthal, Waters, Broderick, Fulchi, Dusek, and Colley.
Drs. Broadfoot, Best, Richter, and Howington.
Drs. Lopez, King, McLaurin, Carpenter, and Roberts.
Mr. Anderson, Ms. Davis, Ms. O'Donnell, Ms. Benson, and Ms. Patterson.
Dr. Steven Berwitz President Office: (912) 355-5004 sberwitz@stevenberwitzdmd.com
Dr. Jeff Cox President Office: (229) 686-5525 drjcox1@windstream.net
Dr. Rene Roberts President Office: (706) 494-2679 rwroberts@bellsouth.net
Julia Davis President Cell: (404) 641-7976 juliadavis@bellsouth.net
Dr. Rebecca Martin Secretary Office: (912) 355-7790 beckylmartin@gmail.com
Dr. Heather Colson Hardy President Elect Office: (229) 242-2449 drcolson@bellsouth.net
Dr. Scott McLaurin President Elect Office: (706) 596-1895 mclaurin1@gmail.com
Korey Anderson President Elect korey.a.anderson@gmail.com
Dr. Justin Damron Treasurer Office: (912) 352-2324 jbdamron@gmail.com
Dr. David Howington Vice President Office: (229) 985-8504 dental31768@yahoo.com
Dr. Brett Helton Vice President Office: (706) 563-3225 bhelton37@me.com
Dr. Darron Alvord Co-Editor Office: (912) 352-2021 darron@savannahdental.com
Dr. Lou Ann Best Secretary/Treasurer Office: (229) 432-0893 louannbestdmd@bellsouth.net
Dr. Caroline Jerrell Secretary / Treasurer Office: (706) 327-6262 jarrell.caroline@gmail.com
Dr. Felix Maher Co-Editor Office: (912) 352-0546 maherdmd@aol.com
TRUSTEE Dr. Jeff Singleton (7/18) Phone: (229) 432-6751 jrsdmd@bellsouth.net
TRUSTEE Dr. James Lopez (7/19) Phone: (706) 324-1834 lope3017@bellsouth.net
Dr. Beth Sheridan Co-Editor Office: (912) 354-5559 bethsheridan@bellsouth.net
Lesley Benson Vice President Cell: (404) 775-4156 lesley@bensondentalgroup.com Cheryl O'Donnell Secretary rjodon@bellsouth.net Pam Patterson Treasurer Cell: (678) 231-0302 ppatterson66@me.com Lesley Benson Editor Cell: (404) 775-4156 lesley@bensondentalgroup.com
TRUSTEE Dr. Byron Colley (7/17) Phone: (912) 355-5901 hacolley@gmail.com
Visit www.gadental.org/health for details
October 2016 • 23
SOURCEBOOK 2016-2017 ADA DELEGATION Dr. Marshall Mann (NW), Chair Office: (706) 235-1186 marshallmhm@aol.com DELEGATES (10) Dr. Tom Broderick (SE) Dr. Robert Carpenter (W) Dr. Ed Green (SW) Dr. Jim Lopez (At-Large) Dr. Kara Moore (C) Dr. Donna Thomas Moses (NW) Dr. Annette Rainge (E) Dr. Julie Ann Routhier (SE) Dr. Richard Weinman (N) Dr. Carol Wolff (N) ALTERNATES: (10) Dr. Chris Adkins (N) Dr. Evis Babo (N) Dr. Henry Benson (N) Dr. Jack Bickford (NW) At Large Dr. David Bradberry (NW) Dr. Jay Harrington (C) At Large Dr. Ben Jernigan (Officer) Dr. Marshall Mann (NW) At Large Dr. Robin Reich (Officer) Dr. Erik Wells (E)
EX OFFICIO Dr. Jay Phillips (SW) Dr. Kumar Patel (NW) ___________________________
AWARDS Dr. Marvin Winter (N), Chair Office: (404) 373-2667 marvinwinterdds@gmail.com Dr. Deena Smith (C) Dr. David Brown (E) Dr. Tom Jagor (N) Dr. Elizabeth Lewis (NW) Dr. Russ Clemmons (SE) Dr. Holland Wright (SW) Dr. Mark Zwickey (W) ___________________________
CONSTITUTION & BYLAWS Dr. Amber Lawson (C), Chair Office: (478) 741-0046 amberplawson@gmail.com Dr. Ched Smaha (C) Dr. Bill Newell (E) Dr. Richard Sugarman (N) Dr. Rob McGhee (NW) Dr. Mark Dusek (SE) Dr. Dan Carlon (SW) Dr. Janice Joyce (W) Dr. Marshall Mann (NW), At-Large
ANNUAL CONVENTION & EXPO JULY 20-23, 2017 The Omni Amelia Island Resort Amelia Island, Florida Dr. Henry Benson, General Chairman Office: (770) 394-3114 hbbensonjr@gmail.com Dr. Richard Sugarman (N) Registration Drs. Katie & Cameron Garvin (C) New Dentist Ms. Julia Davis/Mr. Korey Anderson Alliance Events Dr. Clayton Davis (N) Clinical Program Dr. Ken Hutchinson (N) Exhibit Hall Dr. Ryan Vaughn (N) Children’s Program Dr. Celia Dunn/Dr. Annette Rainge (E) Door Prizes Dr. Ben Hawkins (N) Kickoff Breakfast Dr. Troy Schulman (N) Saturday Night Event Dr. Chris Adkins (N) Awards & Installation Breakfast Dr. Jim Hall (C) Memories Presentation Dr. Richard A. Smith (N) Volunteers Party Dr. Jeff Kendrick (N) Golf Tournament Dr. Tom Jagor (N) Tennis Tournament Dr. Don Benton (C) Fishing Excursions Dr. Linda King (N) Tours & Special Events
24 • October 2016
COUNCIL ON DENTAL HEALTH Dr. Byron Colley (SE), Chair Office: (912) 355-5901 hacolley@gmail.com Dr. Samer Othman (C) Dr. Andy Chandler (E) Dr. Jennifer Wells (E) Dr. Lindsey Anderson (N) Dr. Aaron Schwartz (NW) Dr. Chris Shim (NW) Dr. Stephanie Skinner (SE) Dr. David Howington (SW) Dr. Alex Cranford (W) LIAISONS: Dental Health Month: Dr. Ryan Vaughn (N) Fluoridation: Dr. Joe Alderman (N) Medicaid: Dr. Jim Hall (C) __________________________
FINANCE
Dr. Robert Moss (SW) Dr. Edward Paris (W) At Large, Dr. Jack Bickford (NW) At-Large, Dr. Nelson Conger (NW) At-Large, Dr. Ed Green (SW) At-Large, Dr. Ty Ivey (C) At-Large, Dr. Ben Jernigan (N) At Large, Dr. Donna Thomas Moses (NW) At-Large, Dr. Cathy Cook (W) LIAISONS: Washington Leadership Conference: Dr. Michael Wright (C) Contact Dentist Program: Dr. Troy Schulman (N) Dr. Jack Bickford (NW) Board of Dentistry Liaison: Dr. Donnie Brown (N) __________________________
GADPAC BOARD Dr. Henry Benson (N), Chair
Dr. Ed Green (SW), Chair Office: (229) 883-3071 dr.green@mchsi.com Dr. Kendrick Mathews (C) Dr. Craig Taylor (E) Dr. Victor van Greuningen (N) Dr. Peter Shatz (NW) Dr. Justin Damron (SE) Dr. Brett Hester (SW) Dr. Jeff King (W) __________________________
FORENSIC DENTISTRY Dr. Tom David (NW), Chair Office: (770) 977-0364 tjd214@comcast.net Dr. Ash Walker (C) Dr. Brad Hall (E) Dr. Tom Jagor (N) Dr. Jim Hutson (NW) Dr. Angela Canfield (SE) Dr. Kent Simmons (SW) Dr. Jim Lopez (W) _________________________
GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS Dr. Richard Weinman (N), Chair Office: (404) 266-1300 weinmandmd@aol.com Dr. Bill Argo (C) Dr. Amber Lawson (C) Dr. Brian Olson (E) Dr. Beau Upshaw (N) Dr. Ben Knaak (NW) Dr. Byron Colley (SE)
Office: (770) 394-3114 hbbensonjr@gmail.com
Dr. Michael Wright (C) Dr. Craig Taylor (E) Dr. Richard Weinman (N) Dr. Jack Bickford (NW) Dr. Ben Knaak (NW) Dr. Byron Colley (SE) Dr. Robert Moss (SW) Dr. Matt Adams (W) Mrs. Julie Vaughn (Alliance) __________________________
MEMBERSHIP SERVICES Dr. Bo Broadfoot (SW), Chair Office: (229) 244-3700 jcbdmd@acfd.com Dr. Tommy Peterson (C) Dr. Greg Griffin (E) Dr. Erin Pickwick (N) Dr. Richard Raymond (N) Dr. Jason Oyler (NW) Dr. Kim Turner (SE) Dr. Heather Hardy Colson (SW) Dr. David Fagundes (W) LIAISONS: Dental Recovery Network: Dr. Gary Bartholomew (N) Expanded Duties for Assistants: Dr. Joe Hair (NW) Wastewater and BMPs: Dr. Tom Jagor (N)
Health Plan Open Enrollment Starts Nov. 1
SOURCEBOOK 2016-2017 ORAL HEALTH IN INSTITUTIONAL SETTINGS Dr. Carol Wolff (N), Chair Office: (404) 237-0497 drcwolff@bellsouth.net Dr. Samer Othman (C) Dr. Celia Dunn (E) Dr. Deidra Rondeno (N) Dr. Wade Diab (NW) Dr. Richard Thomas (SE) Dr. Bo Broadfoot (SW) Dr. Nancy Gallagher (W) __________________________
PEER REVIEW & ETHICS Dr. Roy McDonald (N), Chair Office: (770) 667-6453 info@drroymcdonald.com Dr. Greg Burns (C) Dr. Tom McDonald (E) Dr. Marvin Winter (N) Dr. Randy Phillips (N) Dr. John Sieweke (N) Dr. Stan Halpern (NW) Dr. Tom Graham (SE) Dr. Barclay Woodward (SW) Dr. Bruce Boretsky (W) LIAISON: Ethics: Dr. Joe Dufresne (NW) __________________________
PUBLIC RELATIONS Dr. Robin Reich (NW), Co-Chair Office: (770) 435-5450 robin@reichdentalcenter.com Dr. Richard A. Smith (N), Co-Chair Office: (404) 213-3770 rasmith10@me.com Dr. Leigh Bennett (C) Dr. Lindsay Holliday (C) Dr. Andy Allgood (E) Dr. David Pumphrey (N) Dr. Becky Weinman (N) Dr. Jason Young (NW) Dr. Cara DeLeon (SE) Dr. David Howington (SW) Dr. John Scuba (W) LIAISONS: Allied Personnel & Specialties: Dr. Keith Crummey (SW) Fisher Foundation: Dr. William Bennett (NW) IT: Dr. Erik Wells (E)
College of Dental Medicine Faculty: Dr. Celia Dunn (E) Internal Communications: Dr. Becky Weinman (N) __________________________
RECRUITMENT & RETENTION Dr. Katie Garvin (C), Chair Office: (478) 825-3315 katiemgarvin@gmail.com Dr. Greg Clepper (E) Dr. Sarabess Baumrind (N) Dr. Erin Pickwick (N) Dr. Hank Bradford (NW) Dr. Walker Pendarvis (SE) Dr. David Howington (SW) Dr. Lance Collier (W) Dr. Jay Harris (W) LIAISONS: Dental Student Relations: Dr. Carole Hanes (E) Necrology: Dr. Henry Benson (N) New Dentist: Dr. Cameron Garvin (C) __________________________
TASK FORCES LEADERSHIP GDA Dr. Chris DeLeon (SE), Chair Office: (912) 355-7022 chrisedeleon@gmail.com
GEORGIA MISSION OF MERCY STATE CO-CHAIRS: Dr. Karyn Stockwell (NW) Office: (770) 424-9292 kstoc@aol.com Dr. Jonathan Dubin (N) Office: (404) 636-2763 jsdubin@aol.com ________________________
TELEDENTISTRY Dr. Robert Moss (NW), Chair Office: (229) 432-2103 wireyguy@bellsouth.net ________________________
GOVERNANCE Dr. Marshall Mann (NW), Chair Office: (706) 235-1186 marshallmhm@aol.com Dr. Tom Broderick (SE) Dr. Jay Harrington (C) Dr. Amber Lawson (C) Dr. Mike Loden (C) Dr. Celia Dunn (E) Dr. Ben Jernigan (N) Dr. Richard Weinman (N) Dr. Byron Colley (SE) Dr. Matt Rosenthal (SE) Dr. Ed Green (SW) Dr. Jay Phillips (SW) Dr. Jeff King (W)
Committee Organizational Chart House of Delegates
Executive Director
Convention & Expo Planning Committee Constitution & Bylaws Nominating Committee All GDA Task Forces
Executive Office Staff
President Elect
Areas of Responsibility
Vice President
Areas of Responsibility
Council on Dental Health
ADA Delegation
Membership Services Committee
Awards Committee
Oral Health In Institutional Settings Committee
Forensic Dentistry Committee
Peer Review and Ethics Committee
Secretary/Treasurer Areas of Responsibility
Finance Committee
Dr. Jim Hall (C), Chair Office (478) 743-0901 drjbhall@gmail.com Dr. Brian Hall (E) Dr. Suhayl Rafeedie (N) Dr. Howard Jones (NW) Dr. Jay McCaslin VI (SE) Dr. Hank Cook (SW) Dr. Brett Helton (W) ________________________
GEORGIA DENTAL INSURANCE SERVICES (GDIS) BOARD Dr. John Ferguson (C), Chair Cell: (478) 457-5115 docganmama@aol.com Dr. David Brown (E) Dr. Jim Granade Jr. (N) Dr. Marshall Mann (NW) Dr. Matt Rosenthal (SE) Dr. Jay Cranford Jr. (SW) Dr. William DeNamur (W) ________________________
GDA FOUNDATION FOR ORAL HEALTH BOARD Dr. Mike Vernon (E), Chair Office: (706) 860-0518 movdmd@gmail.com Dr. Jim Hall (C) Dr. Richard A. Smith (N) Dr. John Dooley (NW) Dr. Byron Colley (SE) Dr. Jay Phillips (SW) Dr. Nancy Gallagher (W) Frank Capaldo, Ex-Officio ________________________
INTEGRITY DENTAL BUYERS GROUP BOARD
Board of Trustees GDA President
GEORGIA DENTAL HOLDING COMPANY (GDHC) BOARD
Governmental Affairs Committee
Dr. Jim Hall (C), Chair Office (478) 743-0901 drjbhall@gmail.com Dr. Mike Loden (C) Dr. Paul Trotter (E) Dr. Matt Mazzawi (N) Dr. Hal Wilson (NW) Dr. Ryan Fulchi (SE) Dr. Bo Broadfoot (SW) Dr. Brett Helton (W)
Editor
Areas of Responsibility Public Relations Committee
Recruitment & Retention Committee
Visit www.gadental.org/health for details
October 2016 • 25
SOURCEBOOK 2016-2017
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Phone: Phone: Fax: Web:
(800) 432-4357 (404) 636-7553 (404) 633-3943 www.GADENTAL.org
BENEFITS+ PERSONAL SERVICES
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AHI TRAVEL AHI, a privately held company specializing in member-based travel offers deluxe travel programs. American Dental Association trips in 2017 include Cuba, Legends of the Nile, and Mystique of the Maya.
BANK OF AMERICA For almost two decades, Bank of America Practice Solutions has helped dentists across the nation reach their goals through smart financial solutions* and expert guidance. *All programs are subject to credit approval and loan amounts are subject to credit worthiness. Some restrictions may apply.
LENOVO Lenovo Computers is the business- and home-use computer products provider for ADA members, who receive special pricing and discounts from Lenovo's entire line of technology products. MERCEDES-BENZ Whatever your heart and driving style desire, now you can make it yours—at significant savings—thanks to this fabulous ADA Member incentive. UBS GDA partner UBS Financial Services provides retirement planning and wealth management programs customized for GDA members. Find out how to make this partnership work for you. U.S. BANK This is your opportunity to earn more with every purchase, while enjoying the perks and rewards that come with the ADA Visa Signature Card. Earn 5 points for every net $1 you spend on ADA purchases* and 2 points for every net $1 you spend on your state dues, as well as other ADA Business Resources-endorsed providers, like Lands’ End and Whirlpool*. (*Account must be open and in good standing to earn and redeem rewards and benefits. Net purchases are purchases minus credits and returns. In order to qualify for additional points purchases, the purchases must be from designated ADA-endorsed providers, as determined by the provider.) The creditor and issuer of the ADA Visa Signature Card is U.S. Bank National Association, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. © 2016 U.S. Bank National Association. All rights reserved. WHIRLPOOL As an ADA and GDA member, you have an opportunity to receive substantial savings along with special promotions using the Inside Pass Program from Whirlpool® Corporation. You can choose from hundreds of popular consumer products for your home from recognized brands such as KitchenAid®, Maytag®, Amana®, Whirlpool® and Gladiator® GarageWorks.
26 • October 2016
CARECREDIT CareCredit Practice Development Managers can help you improve patient communication, empower your team to help patients, increase long-time patient loyalty, attract new patients and increase referrals, and help more of your patients receive recommended treatment. CLAIMX ClaimX is an electronic insurance management system that will help your practice with claim processing, claim status, eligibility checking and reporting so your office runs more efficiently. THE DIGITAL DENTAL RECORD Increase productivity and security with The Digital Dental Record which includes DentForms by MedicTalk. This digital signature software solution allows you to keep completely paperless patient records. HEALTHFIRST HealthFirst, the leading provider of dental compliance products and services including dental waste stream management, provides significant discounts to ADA members on its best-in-class Rebec Amalgam Separator. The GDA also endorses the HealthFirst sharps management program. You will always get the best price with Sharps Management. iMEDICOR iCoreExchange provides a secure, HIPAA compliant email solution that allows doctors to send and receive secure email, with attachments, to and from other healthcare professionals in the network. INTEGRITY DENTAL BUYERS GROUP Integrity Dental Buyers Group (IDBG) is finalizing details on our group buying program to be launched before the end of the year. IDBG will communicate more details of the program as agreements are finalized.
Health Plan Open Enrollment Starts Nov. 1
SOURCEBOOK 2016-2017 INTOUCH Patients are on hold more often than you think. Update your message quarterly to keep information relevant. Save $300 on an InTouch System—an exclusive price for ADA Members only. LANDS END Why Lands’ End? We help dental practices create custom uniforms that work! As a GDA Member, you’ll receive up to10% off on products and another 10% off on embroidery—with no minimums! LEGALSHIELD Legal Shield services can assist you by providing: 1) unlimited personal and business legal advice, 2) contract and legal document review, and 3) identity theft restoration. OFFICITE Officite is the leading Web Presence provider in dentistry, and has provided dentists with effective online marketing strategies since 2002. SUREPAYROLL SurePayroll is an ADA endorsed provider of easy online payroll services to dental practices nationwide. Members receive exclusive pricing up to 50% less than traditional payroll services. TRANSFIRST Use Transfirst to enable your practice to accept credit cards and checks and expand your ability to assist patients and impact your bottom line. TRANSWORLD TransWorld provides dental practices with better tools for handling accounts receivable, debt recovery, and past due accounts. Get a grip on patient payments before they strangle your practice. UPS Take advantage of competitive rates available on shipping services with UPS®, including 50% off select services for up to four weeks after you enroll subject to certain requirements.
Visit www.gadental.org for special offers and to contact a salesperson:
BENEFITS+ INSURANCE SERVICES Phone: (800) 432-4357 Phone: (404) 636-7553 Fax: (404) 634-6099 Web: www.MyGDIS.com
PROTECTING YOUR DREAM
Let the GDIS risk management experts help you build a personalized business insurance plan to help best protect your individual practice needs. Our staff of fully licensed professionals can offer you the best protection at an affordable price.
PROPERTY & CASUALTY
As practicing professionals and small business owners, many dentists require property & casualty coverage. Through The Hartford, GDIS agents can address your specific concerns, which might include records coverage, dental waste disposal, property/equipment coverage, income interruption, and more.
PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY COVERAGE
Malpractice claims are vital and required for dentists by the state of Georgia. GDIS offers competitively coverage for members through Medical Protective, backed by Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway with strong financial resources.
MEDICAL PLANS
GDA health plans are among the most competitive and comprehensive plans in Georgia. When comparing plans, consider these important factors: • Coverage counts—Don’t be fooled by lower-priced narrow network plans with limited providers and facilities or higher out-of-network rates. GDA broad network health plans give you greater control over your health care choices with access to 15,000 of your desired doctors, specialists and hospitals. • No Medical Questionnaire—Your health history or age is not a rate variable when joining your association group plan. • More Options, Fewer Hassles—Visit any doctor or specialist you choose. No referral needed when you visit one. • Personal Agents—As a member, you have access to dedicated agents at the GDA to give you personal attention.
WORKERS’ COMPENSATION
As Georgia business owners, dentists must carry a Workers Compensation policy for staff. The chances of an injury or illness occurring in a dental office are not as great as in some professions, so this coverage is reasonable. Let Georgia Dental Insurance Services protect you, your practice, and your staff.
Visit www.gadental.org/health for details
October 2016 • 27
GDA Action
0 5
10 Times Per Year
10
9
0
2
9
0
October 1, 2016 $75.00 for Non-Members $17.00 for Members Kendal Delaine Hall
Georgia Dental Association, 7000 Peachtree Dunwoody Road NE, Suite 200, Building 17, Atlanta, GA 30328-1655
(404) 636-7553
Georgia Dental Association, 7000 Peachtree Dunwoody Road NE, Suite 200, Building 17, Atlanta, GA 30328-1655
Georgia Dental Association, 7000 Peachtree Dunwoody Road NE, Suite 200, Building 17, Atlanta, GA 30328-1655 Dr. Kumar Patel, GDA Editor, 3417 Canton Road, Suite 401 Marietta, GA 30066 Delaine Hall, Georgia Dental Association, 7000 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd NE, Suite 200, Building 17, Atlanta, GA 30328-1655
Georgia Dental Association (GDA)
Georgia Dental Association (GDA)
501(c)(6) Non Profit Corporation
7000 Peachtree Dunwoody Road NE Suite 200, Building 17 Atlanta, GA 30328-1655
X
X
GDA Action, The Journal of the Georgia Dental Association
We are looking for full-time doctors.
We support your dental practice with a complete business support system, including the latest technology and a proven track record of operational success, enabling you to focus on providing the highest quality of care to your patients and build one of the most respected dental practices in the country. You’ll operate in an innovative, team-oriented atmosphere that is highly competitive financially and highly rewarding personally.
Responsibilities: • • • •
Exemplify excellent patient experience through patient education Foster a positive attitude with patients and office team Perform, diagnose, prevent and treat conditions to help patients overall dental health Regularly educate themselves on the latest new dental discoveries and treatment techniques as well as attend seminars and classes
September 2016
3,256
3,300
2,592
2,655
508
534
0
0
0
0
3,100
3,189
0
0
0
0
29
31
0
0
29
31
3,129
3,220
127
80
3,256
3,300
99.07%
99.03%
Requirements: •
•
DDS/DMD from an accredited University Current Georgia State Board Dental license
Benefits: • • • • •
We offer a very competitive compensation package & more! Hours conducive to a work/life balance Dental and health benefits Positive working atmosphere Clinical autonomy
X October 2016
Kendal Delaine Hall
October 1, 2016
Stephanie Greenlee • National Director of Talent Acquisition 949.415.9793 • FAX 949.607.4267 • ONSITEDENTAL.com 28 • October 2016
Health Plan Open Enrollment Starts Nov. 1
How to Help Patients Understand Information About Their Health Governor Nathan Deal has declared October to be Health Literacy Month in Georgia. Health literacy helps patients and consumers understand information about their health, so they can make the best possible choices regarding prevention and treatment. According to the National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy, nearly nine out of 10 adults have difficulty using routine health information. When individuals cannot understand how to manage their health, they often skip necessary medical tests or vaccinations, fail to control their chronic diseases like diabetes or high blood pressure, and make dangerous errors in taking their medications. Low health literacy often results in expensive emergency room visits. “Low health literacy results in huge personal and financial costs,” according to Don Rubin, Chair of the Georgia Alliance for Health Literacy. “By improving health literacy we can reduce suffering due to disease, reduce health care expenditures, and even reduce days missed at work because of illness. Health literacy offers a terrific return on investment for Georgia.” Health literacy can also help improve health equity or fairness across social groups. For example, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health, black men are almost one-third more likely to die of cancer than white men, due, in part, to a failure to communicate effectively about the need for cancer screening. “Health literacy is an important tool for reducing health disparities and assuring better health and treatment outcomes for Georgians from every racial and ethnic group and geographic locale,” said Oluwatoyosi Adekeye, MD, DrPH, Morehouse School of Medicine, and this year’s Health Literacy Month leader for the Georgia Alliance for Health Literacy. "Health Literacy Matters" is the theme for Health Literacy Month 2016 in Georgia, to help support individuals and organizations in better understanding health information based on their unique perspectives. These perspectives can include those of patients, consumers, parents, educators, providers,
Visit www.gadental.org/health for details
business leaders, government officials, and many others. How we receive, process, and use information changes because of our roles, responsibilities, state of being, and perspectives. Health literacy affects every individual. The ability to obtain, understand, and use health information to make sound health decisions does not discriminate. “No individual is exempt from barriers to understanding health, especially when it is our own and that of loved ones,” observed Kara Tarantino, Vice President of Marketing and Strategy for Strategic Health Services, and a member of the Georgia Alliance for Health Literacy Board of Directors. “To support everyone in their efforts at better health understanding, it is our pleasure to recognize that Health Literacy ‘truly’ Matters indeed.” American Dental Association policy defines oral health literacy as the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate oral health decisions. It also recognizes that by improving health literacy, patients are better stewards of their own health. You can improve health literacy by using simple communication with the patient and confirming comprehension so that the risk of miscommunication is minimized. You can support patients' efforts to improve their oral health by using strategies that make the dental office environment and health care system easier to navigate. Georgia Alliance for Health Literacy (GAHL) www.gahealthliteracy.org is a nonprofit, volunteer and membership-based organization representing educators, researchers, government officials, health care providers, health care payers, patients, and consumers. GAHL members raise awareness about health literacy skills, offer health literacy resources, and foster better communication for a healthy Georgia and a robust health care industry. Email GeorgiaHealthLiteracy@gmail.com for more information and to get involved.
Communication Rx for Health Care Providers • First get your attitude straight.
Appreciate the fact you are speaking to an adult (or adult parent of a child patient) who knows a lot of things you do not. Acknowledge that specialized knowledge and vocabulary alone do not define or reflect intelligence. • When you cannot use simple language to explain a complicated idea, begin your explanation by teaching the patient a few new specialized words. • Use pictures and diagrams. Give them something clear and legible they can pick up and look at days later and still understand what it was you told them. • As you find yourself explaining the same information over and over, look for good patient education materials that can supplement and even improve your explanations. • Train members of your office staff to give your common answers to patient questions. Write your answers down. Make sure everyone is giving similar explanations so patients do not leave your office confused. • Practice your explanations with non-medical or non-dental friends. See if they understand what you are trying to say. The smartest doctors I know are the ones who are constantly willing to learn from their patients.
How to Talk to Patients (Recommendations to Doctors) was published on http://blog. mysanantonio.com/benyoung on May 11, 2011, by Ben Young, DDS. He is a periodontist in San Antonio, Texas.
October 2016 • 29
What is the Best Way to Grow an Effective Governance Structure? by Marshall H. Mann, DDS Just as we advise patients to have regular examinations regarding their oral health, it is a good practice for organizations such as our Georgia Dental Association to evaluate its decision-making processes. We recently completed a strategic plan for the organization and felt that now was the time to ensure that our governance process— who makes decisions and under what parameters—should be evaluated to ensure we can effectively and efficiently execute our strategic plan. Often, organizations will hire a consultant to evaluate the process and make 30 • October 2016
recommendations for change. Unfortunately, this process seldom works. People will never agree to a solution if they have not first agreed to a problem. The traditional governance review process involves someone from the outside identifying issues and solutions—their issues and their solutions. We engaged the services of Michael Gallery, PhD, president of OPIS, a nationally recognized association consulting firm. Dr. Gallery has developed a systematic process for evaluating governance and developing solutions. His process entails GDA leaders identifying our own problems
and developing our own solutions. (The governance evaluation process we used is illustrated on page 31.)
How Does The Governance Review Process Work? GDA Past President Tom Broderick asked me as a GDA past president and current chairman of the ADA Delegation to chair a Governance Task Force. The following dentists were appointed to serve on the task force. We wanted to ensure that we had representation from each district: Health Plan Open Enrollment Starts Nov. 1
• Dr. Jay Harrington (Central) • Dr. Amber Lawson (Central) • Dr. Mike Loden (Central) • Dr. Celia Dunn (Eastern) • Dr. Ben Jernigan (Northern) • Dr. Richard Weinman (Northern) • Dr. Nelson Conger (Ex-Officio, NW) • Dr. Byron Colley (Southeastern) • Dr. Matt Rosenthal (Southeastern) • Dr. Ed Green (Southwestern) • Dr. Jay Phillips (Southwestern) • Dr. Jeff King (Western)
2. The structure includes proper orientation and training for leadership positions. 3. The structure supports individual commitment. 4. The structure includes performance evaluation and feedback. 5. The structure facilitates the efficient and effective dissemination of information.
It is important to note that members of the task force did not begin by evaluating our current governance structure. Dr. Gallery defines a problem as a critical difference between what should be and what is. We identify problems our patients present by comparing what should be (standards of optimal oral health) with the actual state of our patients’ oral health. To engage in a similar process with the GDA’s governance structure, we needed to first start with the standards we believe our structure should meet. Dr. Gallery refers to this first step as establishing performance specifications. Performance specifications define the standards and principles we believe are import to our members. For example, one of the principles we identified as important was that decisions for the GDA are made by those most qualified and informed to make those decisions. Following is a list of the performance specifications we established:
6. The structure contains leadership development tracks (i.e., paths members can follow to allow them to acquire increased levels of responsibility). 7. Decisions are made by those best informed and with the best information available. 8. Decisions are clearly communicated, including the basis on which those decisions were made. 9. The Board speaks with one voice (while all Board members have the responsibility to express their opinions prior to a decision, once the Board votes, each member is legally bound to publicly support the outcome). 10. Each level of the governance structure adds value to the membership. 11. Members in voluntary leadership positions are actively engaged and accountable. 12. The governance structure facilitates the inclusion of all dentists in Georgia, regardless of specialty, ethnicity, or geographic location. 13. Leadership positions are clearly defined. 14. Committees and task forces are created and disbanded in accordance with the strategic plan and performance effectiveness.
Performance Specifications Established by the Task Force 1. Those who have liability for a decision are those who make the decision.
15. Leadership positions are filled by those who have the necessary qualifications to meet the responsibilities of the position.
Governance Review Process Figure 1: Governance Review Process Establish Performance Requirements
Approval of Performance Requirements
Revise Structure To Address Gaps
Approval of Structure
Completed Steps
Identify Gaps Between Performance Requirements and Current Structure
Revise Bylaws Consistent with New Structure
Current Step
Approval of Gaps
Approval of Bylaws
Future Steps
16. The governance structure creates opportunities for member input and feedback. 17. The decision-making process is both efficient and effective. 18. The governance structure facilitates board members in carrying out their duties of loyalty, care, and obedience. These performance specifications have been reviewed and approved by both the Board as well as the House of Delegates. With “should” having been defined, the members of the task force compared each performance specification to our current structure and determined if our structure did or did not meet the specification. In those cases where the task force believed the governance did not meet the specification— in other words, where a gap existed—the task force provided a rationale for its judgment. Some of the major gaps identified included:
Major Governance Gaps Identified by the Task Force • Liability for a decision: The GDA is incorporated in the state of Georgia. Under Georgia state law, the legal liability for any decision rests with the Board of Trustees. Therefore, if a decision of the House of Delegates was ever legally challenged, the legal liability for the outcome of that dispute would rest with the Board, not the House. • Training and orientation: The GDA structure does not currently have enough opportunities for leadership involvement for new dentists, even if they were properly trained. • Support of individual commitment: The structure may, at times, force various districts to come up with someone who may not have a direct interest but is nonetheless selected to avoid an open spot. In such cases, such a structure might work against acquiring committed individuals. • Decisions made by those most informed: Our House currently has 65 delegates and an additional 65 alternates who meet twice per year. A structure that places all decision making within the hands of a group that only
GOVERNANCE Continued on page 32
© OPIS, LLC 2009 All rights reserved.
Visit www.gadental.org/health for details
October 2016 • 31
GOVERNANCE
Continued from page 31 meets twice per year will not be as effective as a structure that places responsibility with a group that meets more frequently. • The Board speaking with one voice: As we have noted, the GDA is a nonprofit corporation. As such, members of the Board have a legal duty of loyalty to the corporation. While Board members can— and should—vigorously express their opposition to a particular motion before the Board, once a vote is taken, ALL members are legally bound to publicly support the decision. There are times, however, when Board members may have reported back to their districts their opinions if a unanimous vote was not achieved. This is a reflection of our understanding in which trustees from each district felt duty-bound to represent the opinions of our district constituents. • Engagement and accountability of leadership: It is difficult to hold volunteers accountable and make them be actively engaged. It is a basic tenet of group dynamics that as the size of a group increases, the amount of interaction and accountability decreases. • Currently positions are filled largely on the basis of geography. Assume under the present structure that there are three very qualified leaders in district A and only one marginally qualified leader in district B. Under the current structure the marginally qualified member in district B will be in a leadership position while two very qualified leaders in district A will not be able to serve. This is NOT to say that current leaders are not qualified. Rather, there is nothing in the structure to ensure that occurs. The current structure in which Board members are sent to serve on the Board from districts can lead Board members and the members of a district to believe those Board members are there to serve the interests of the district. Such an incorrect perception could serve to work against a Board member carrying out his or her legally bound duty of loyalty—i.e., to vote on what is best for the members as a whole, even if a proposal may not be as good for the group that sent the Board member.
32 • October 2016
Once the task force completed its gap analysis and identified key gaps, it presented the analysis to both the House and the Board for their respective approvals. It is important to note that the focus for the conversation at this point in the process was to focus on problems—NOT solutions. Solutions were only developed after both the Board and the House had reviewed and accepted our report on the problems we identified.
Proposed Structure Changes
Based on the "gap analysis," the task force has suggested some changes to the GDA governance structure that would: • Ensure the Board makes decisions for which it is legally liable. • Retain the representative nature of the House and the value it offers to policy development. • Ensure the structure allows for the selection of the best candidates available while also ensuring, to the greatest degree possible, that there is a regional balance among decision makers. The proposed governance model appears in Figure 2 below. Let’s talk about each element. The Board: As we have discussed, the practice of having regional representation poses challenges to meeting certain
performance specifications, such as carrying out the duty of being loyal to the entire membership rather than just the membership of the district that sent you. The structure can also work against ensuring that we are able to select the best leaders available. That said, we also believe it important to keep some element of regional representation. We believe we have balanced these two concerns by proposing a Board that is composed of: • 7 Trustees: one from each district • 7 Presidents-elect: one from each district (These trustees are ex-officio, without vote) • 8 Trustees at-large elected by the House We have retained district representation by having one trustee for each district. Given that presidents-elect from each district turn over each year and also given that they will be busy with carrying out their duties within the district, the task force recommends that these positions on the Board be ex-officio without vote. Furthermore, in order to balance the effects related to regionalization, the task force recommends adding eight atlarge trustees elected by the House. The Board officer positions would be: • President (1-year term) • President-Elect (1-year term) • Vice President (1-year term) • Treasurer (2-year term) • Immediate Past President (1-year term)
Figure 2: Proposed Structural Change House of Delegates
Executive Committee
Board of Trustees
Finance Committee
Nominating Committee
Health Plan Open Enrollment Starts Nov. 1
• Secretary (The Executive Director who is ex-officio without a vote) • Speaker (Ex-officio, without a vote) In order to comply with the performance specification that the body with the legal liability for a decision makes the decision, the Board of Trustees would have final authority for policy and operational decisions. The House: Under the proposed structure, the House would continue to perform a significant role. In addition to recommending policy directions and positions to the Board, the House would gain the additional authority to elect the president-elect as well as the eight members at-large. Thus, if members of the House believe that officers and Board members at-large are not listening to the House, the House can remove, or not re-elect, those Board members. The Executive Committee: The Board would also have an executive committee composed of officers. Its job would not to be to act on behalf of the Board in-between Board meetings, but rather to advise the president and CEO on decisions that people in those positions have the authority to make. The Finance Committee: This important committee would be chaired by the GDA treasurer and composed of a subset of Board members. The committee would prepare the budget for Board approval, and maintain responsibility for audits. The Nominating Committee: A key component of the revised structure would be the creation of a Nominating Committee to review the credentials of potential candidates and recommend a slate for at-large and officer positions composed of those most qualified to serve. If necessary, the committee would also have the responsibility (and authority) to recruit qualified potential candidates. The Nominating Committee would be composed of: • 7 district appointees • 2 appointees of the Speaker • 2 appointees of the President • The Immediate Past President who would serve as chair Visit www.gadental.org/health for details
Other Committees: In addition to the three standing committees of Executive, Finance, and Nominating, additional committees could be created and charged by the Board in alignment with the Strategic Plan. Committee members would be appointed to best serve the needs and scope of the charge. Only the Finance and Executive committees would include members of the Board.
Next Steps: Hearing from You
What we have described here are the task force recommendations on the best way to solve the problems that have been identified and grow an effective and efficient governance structure. We are now reaching out to you, our members, for your input and feedback. Examples of what we would like to hear from you about include: 1. Did we clearly define the problems? 2. Have we missed any problems? 3. Do the proposed solutions make sense? 4. Do you have suggestions for improvement regarding the proposed solutions? 5. Can you offer alternative solutions that you believe might work better than what has already been suggested? We would like to keep the discussion first on the problems. Once we all agree on those, then we can have a rational discussion about alternative approaches. You are welcome to reach any member of the task force or myself as chair. We would like to receive all feedback by November 15, 2016. Once we have heard back from you, we will make revisions to the recommendations and present the revised model to both the Board and the House for approval in December. While the approval process is underway, the task force will also work on developing a transition plan that will guide us in a disciplined way to moving from our current structure to the newly adopted structure. In so doing, Dr. Gallery has advised us to make the transition as smooth as possible with the least amount of disruption. Thus, once the new model is adopted, any member elected to a position in the current structure will be permitted to complete his or her term. We will keep you posted on our progress and look forward to receiving your feedback!
Task Force Dr. Byron Colley Phone: (912) 355-5901 hacolley@gmail.com Dr. Celia Dunn Phone: (706) 650-9700 c2thwiz@hotmail.com Dr. Ed Green Phone: (229) 883-3071 dr.green@mchsi.com Dr. Jay Harrington Phone: (478) 453-8666 jfhdds@windstream.net Dr. Ben Jernigan Phone (404) 378-1466 bjerni4080@aol.com Dr. Jeff King Phone: (706) 322-6551 jeffking@knology.net Dr. Amber Lawson Phone: (478) 741-0046 amberplawson@gmail.com Dr. Mike Loden Phone: (478) 923-0253 smldmd@bellsouth.net Dr. Marshall Mann, Chair Phone (706) 235-1186 marshallmhm@aol.com Dr. Jay Phillips Phone (229) 382-8711 j.phillips@tiftregional dentalgroup.com Dr. Matt Rosenthal Phone: (912) 352-7808 mrosenthal9@gmail.com Dr. Richard Weinman Phone: (404) 266-1300 weinmandmd@aol.com
October 2016 • 33
GDA Health Plan: The Right Choice for You, Your Family, and Team by Christy Biddy Health Benefits Coordinator Georgia Dental Insurance Services At medical plan renewal time, the Georgia Dental Association office is always flooded with calls from members asking about how to choose a health plan that is right for them. While premium cost is always of concern, more and more dentists, spouses, and staff members want to share their medical insurance horror stories and ask if their dental association can help them find a better option. That is my favorite part—when I and the rest of the GDA health plan team can talk to members about the competitive, comprehensive health plans the GDA has 34 • October 2016
for dentists, dental families, and dental team members. Since we are about to enter the medical plan renewal season once again, your GDA health plan team wants to share some basic tips about choosing a health plan. We also want to share that you can choose a GDA health plan starting November 1! We are excited about the options we will be able to offer our members. Call your GDA health plan team at (800) 432-4357 for information, or visit us online at www.gadental.org/health to see our complete plan information.
What You Need to Know: Plan Types
There are three main types of health plans that you will see offered as you visit the health care exchanges or research health coverage at all. These are Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs), and Point-of-Service Plans (POS). Each of these coverages has their advantages and disadvantages.
Health Plan Open Enrollment Starts Nov. 1
• HMOs deliver all health services through a network of health care providers and facilities. Most HMOs will require a referral from a primary care physician before you can see a specialist. A participant must select their primary care physician from the HMO network. You may have the least freedom to choose your health care providers with an HMO—if you see a doctor who is not in the network, you’ll likely have to pay the full bill yourself. • PPOs may offer moderately more freedom to choose your health care providers than an HMO. You typically do not need to obtain a referral from a primary care doctor to see a specialist. There will be higher outof-pocket costs if you see out-of-network doctors, but you may not be footing the entire bill yourself. PPO coverage usually requires payment of an annual deductible. Once your expenses exceed the amount of this deductible, insurance coverage kicks in. The deductible amount is in addition to any co-payment. • A POS plan combines features of an HMO, a PPO, and “traditional” health insurance. Like an HMO plan, you may be required to designate a primary care physician who will then make specialist referrals. Like a PPO plan, you may receive care from nonnetwork providers but with greater out-ofpocket costs. You may also be responsible for co-payments, co-insurance, and an annual deductible. You may see the phrase “open access” attached to a plan. This means that plan members have choices in what doctors to see and services to use. For example, members may be able to choose specialists without a referral from their primary care doctor. However, the choice must be made from an approved directory of specialists or the member pays more of the associated cost. DID YOU KNOW? The GDA health plan currently offers all open access point-ofservice plans, offering maximum flexibility in choosing the doctors you want and need.
What You Need to Know: Co-Insurance and Co-Pay
You may see the term co-insurance quite a bit. This is different from a co-pay. A co-pay is a set amount you pay whenever you use a particular kind of health care service. For example, you might have a set $30 co-pay each time you see a primary care physician. Visit www.gadental.org/health for details
Co-insurance is the percentage of costs of a covered health care service you owe (30%, for example) after you've paid your deductible. Let’s say your health insurance plan’s allowed amount for an outpatient procedure is $1,000 and your co-insurance is 20%. If you've paid your deductible, you pay 20% of $1,000, or $200. The insurance company pays the rest. If you haven't met your deductible, you pay the full allowed amount of $1,000. Co-pay amounts will typically remain standard through the course of a plan year. Every time you visit your primary doctor, you will pay that set amount. While your coinsurance percentage will remain the same, for example, 20%, the dollar amount you pay will vary depending on the percentage of a particular service or procedure.
What You Need to Know: Out-of-Pocket Maximums
An out-of-pocket maximum or limit is the most you have to pay for covered services in a plan year. After you spend this amount on deductibles, co-payments, and co-insurance, your health plan would pay 100% of the costs of covered benefits. The out-of-pocket limit does not include monthly premiums, or anything you may spend for services your plan doesn't cover. Generally, plans with lower monthly premiums have higher out-of-pocket limits. Plans with higher premiums usually have lower out-of-pocket maximums. Here is an example of how out-ofpocket maximums work (with figures from Healthcare.gov). Let’s say you need surgery with allowable costs of $20,000. Your health insurance plan has a deductible of $1,300, co-insurance of 20%, and an out-of-pocket maximum of $4,400. In this scenario, you would pay the first $1,300 of covered medical expenses (your deductible). Your 20% coinsurance on the rest of the costs ($18,700) comes to $3,740, so your total costs would be $5,040. That's $1,300 (your deductible) plus $3,740 (co-insurance). Since your outof-pocket maximum is $4,400, your insurer would pay all covered costs above $4,400 for this surgery and any covered care you get for the rest of the plan year.
usually charge more for procedures. This is why out-of-network costs for policy holders are higher, and is why many plans have limited or no coverage for out-of-network providers.
What You Need to Know: Pre-Existing Conditions
When members call me to ask questions about our health plan, they often send me information from other plans they are considering, including medical enrollment questionnaires with extensive health history sections. You may be thinking, didn’t the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) prohibit insurers from excluding treatment for pre-existing health conditions? It is true that with the advent of the ACA, health plans can no longer exclude such treatment. However, a health plan can and will consider several personal factors that impact your coverage. These are your age, geography (insurers can charge more in areas where medical costs are high), family size (an individual versus an individual plus a spouse and/or children), and tobacco use. In addition, before you choose a plan, it is important to know if a plan is “grandfathered” and is not required to meet ACA requirements (although these are getting more rare), or if a plan is self-insured. These types of plans can limit coverage with annual caps and pre-existing condition exclusions. I am receiving several calls from members this fall who have received notice that their grandfathered plans are being cancelled and need to choose new coverage. DID YOU KNOW? The GDA health enrollment questionnaire contains no medical history questions, nor does it ask about tobacco use. Your health history is not a rate variable with the GDA health plan, nor is age. Your age, your spouse’s age, and your children’s ages are not variables. I get emails all of the time asking for quotes on insurance and dentists invariably send me ages for the whole family, but that is not necessary. Your rates for the GDA health plan are the posted rates, regardless of age, for the year.
What You Need to Know: InNetwork and Out-of-Network
In-network doctors have a contractual agreement with an insurance company to provide medical services at a negotiated and contracted rate. Out-of-network doctors do not have such an agreement, and therefore
HEALTH PLANS
Continued on page 37
October 2016 • 35
You take care of your patients.
Let us take care of you.
Healthcare plans designed for dentists. www.gadental.org/health
T. 404.636.7553 F. 404.633.3943
Open Enrollment Begins November 1, 2016
Questions?
www.myGDIS.com GDIS@gadental.org
Sign up for a webinar at www.gadental.org/health
Your benefits It’s more than just investing.
Last year, UBS and GDA celebrated 13 years together. As a wealth management provider for the GDA, we have helped many members with leadership and advice beyond investing. GDA member benefits include – Complimentary financial planning (a $5k–10k value) – 401(k) retirement savings plan designed exclusively for GDA members at a group discount rate – Advisory and investment program offered at group discount rate – Retirement planning guidance, including a retirement income replacement system – Lending capabilities with competitive interest rates – Free access to UBS global investment research Wile Consulting Group UBS Financial Services Inc. Harris Gignilliat, CRPS®, CIMA® Senior Vice President–Wealth Management 3455 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1700, Atlanta, GA 30326 404-760-3301 harris.gignilliat@ubs.com ubs.com/team/wile GDA and UBS Financial Services Inc. are not affiliated. Depending on your needs, we can help you implement your retirement strategies through both our brokerage and advisory capabilities. Financial Planning services are provided in our capacity as a registered investment adviser. As a firm providing wealth management services to clients in the U.S., we offer both investment advisory and brokerages services. These services are separate and distinct, differ in material ways and are governed by different laws and separate contracts. For more information on the distinctions between our brokerage and investment advisory services, please speak with your Financial Advisor or visit our website at ubs.com/workingwithus. Chartered Retirement Plans SpecialistSM and CRPS® are registered service marks of the College for Financial Planning®. CIMA® is a registered certification mark of the Investment Management Consultants Association, Inc. in the United States of America and worldwide. ©UBS 2016. All rights reserved. UBS Financial Services Inc. is a subsidiary of UBS AG. Member FINRA/SIPC. 7.00_Ad_7.5x4.875_AX0412_GigH IA1601691 Exp. 4/15/17
36 • October 2016
Health Plan Open Enrollment Starts Nov. 1
HEALTH PLANS
Continued from page 35
What You Need to Know: Narrow and Broad Networks
Also due to the advent of the ACA, we are seeing many “narrow-network” health plans being offered, particularly on the exchanges. Narrow networks typically contain a smaller number of providers and in-network facilities than traditional provider networks with the aim of offering lower premiums. Approximately 70% of plans sold on the health care exchanges in 2014 featured a narrow network. Georgia had the highest percentage, 83 percent, of “narrow’’ insurance networks in the 2014 health exchanges. University of Pennsylvania researchers found that five of six Georgia “Silver” exchange plans offered in 2014 had medical provider networks with a limited choice of doctors. You might think lower premiums are automatically a good thing whatever the case. But there is growing concern that narrow networks can force patients to switch doctors or drive long distances for care if a key hospital is left out of the plan. If you have a chronic condition, leaving a network to seek specialized care can lead to big out-of-pocket bills. Then there is the issue of “surprise billing.” Say you are admitted to the hospital for an emergency procedure. You confirm that the hospital is part of your plan. However, when you receive your bill, you discover that the orthopedic surgeon, neurosurgeon, anesthesiologist, or even the ER doctor is not a participating provider in your narrow network, and you are being charged an out-of-network fee. How can this be? Hospitals do accept insurance plans for the doctors they directly employ, but many doctors are not employed by their hospitals. Instead, they’re independent contractors who may choose which health plans they participate in. Health plans with broad networks, meanwhile, give you greater control over your health care with access to tens of thousands of your desired specialists, doctors, and hospitals. DID YOU KNOW? The current GDA health plan is considered a broad network plan, offering competitively priced plans that are significantly inclusive of doctors, specialists, and hospitals throughout the state.
Visit www.gadental.org/health for details
What You Need to Know: Bonus Coverages
Many plans offered on the exchanges are bare bones, offering few if any bonus coverages. As another benefit of your association group plan, health plan participants under the age of 65 (not dependents) are automatically enrolled for $10,000 of term life coverage. Participants also have the option of adding vision coverage where they can use in-network benefits at 1-800 CONTACTS, choose a private practice eye doctor, or go in store to LensCrafters®, Sears OpticalSM, Target Optical®, JCPenney® Optical, and most Pearle Vision® locations.
Health Care Choices are Changing. GDIS Can Help.
As a GDA member, you have access to the Georgia Dental Insurance Services team and a range of GDA health insurance plans. Choose a plan trusted by hundreds of Georgia dentists and your association. The GDA offers competitive health plans for you, your family, and your team. Contact your Health Benefits Coordinator, Christy Biddy: • (404) 636-7553 x-113 • (800) 432-4357 x-113 • christy@gadental.org • www.gadental.org/health
What’s Happening on the Georgia Health Care Exchange? “…with less competition, insurers may tighten their provider networks and give these consumers fewer choices of hospitals and doctors…” National Public Radio, 8/8/16 "We could be looking at about 1 in 4 counties in the U.S. with just one exchange insurer next year, though this could change between now and open enrollment in November," said Cynthia Cox, associate director for the Kaiser Family Foundation Program for the Study of Health Reform and Private Insurance. National Public Radio, 8/8/16 “Most hurt will be marketplace consumers in Arizona, North and South Carolina, Georgia, and parts of Florida, where only one or two insurers will be left when open enrollment season begins Nov. 1.” National Public Radio, 8/8/16 “Patients may also lose their preferred doctors and hospitals if they sign up for plans that don't include those providers in their network coverage. People in rural areas are most affected.” USA Today, 8/16/16 “The state insurance department Tuesday approved an average premium increase of 21.4 percent for BlueCross BlueShield of Georgia for the 2017 health insurance exchange in Georgia. The company earlier had requested an average premium of 15.1 percent, but it raised the request in the wake of Aetna’s pullout from exchanges in Georgia and 10 other states last week.” Georgia Health News, 8/23/16 “Advocacy groups, including ... say consumers should not simply assume their current policy is the correct option, but should shop around during open enrollment to find the plan that suits them best.” Georgia Health News, 8/23/16
October 2016 • 37
The safest place for your special needs* patients? In an O.R., of course. *Intense fears and phobias • Severe gag reflexes Medically compromised • Developmentally disabled High liability Put your most stressful and unprofitable cases in the absolute best of hands: Dr. David Kurtzman at his regional Sleep Dentistry practice. • 25 years of hospital dentistry Find out more: • Hospital residency trained • General anesthesia administered by an MD HospitalDentistry.org
Multiple procedures per visit Root Canals General Dentistry Implants Surgery Perio
“The doctor’s safety net.”
Dr. David Kurtzman, DDS, FAGD 770-980-6336 | dkdds@drkurtzman.com
You have goals. PARAGON can help you reach them.
Are you thinking of buying a dental practice, merging, or selling your practice? The future you want is closer than you think. Our guidance makes all the difference.
Take your next step with confidence. Call PARAGON today. Your local PARAGON dental transition consultants Wiley Carr, DDS and Donna Sheldon
866.898.1867 info@paragon.us.com paragon.us.com
38 • October 2016 GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 2016 – 1/2 Page B/W – 7.5”(W) x 4.875”(H)
Approved PACE Program Provider FAGD/MAGD Credit Approval does not imply acceptance by a state or provincial board of dentistry or AGD endorsement 4/1/2016 to 3/31/2020 Provider ID# 302387.
Health Plan Open Enrollment Starts Nov. 1
Highlights of the Sept. 10 Board of Trustees Meeting President Ben Jernigan presided over a lively and productive meeting of the Board of Trustees on September 10. The Board approved several new projects and initiatives, opening more pathways to involvement for you. Visit the GDA website www.gadental. org for information on current initiatives and to see how you can become involved. DENTAL BUYERS GROUP Integrity Dental Buyers Group (IDBG) is finalizing details on our group buying program to be launched before the end of the year. IDBG will communicate more details of the program as agreements are finalized. GOVERNANCE CHANGES The Governance Task Force has worked for months reviewing how the GDA conducts the business of the association, and identifying where gaps may exist. Ask the Governance Task Force members in your district about the new GDA structure proposed to address gaps that were approved by the Board and House of Delegates in July. AFFORDABLE CARE ACT The Board discussed the new rule on Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act requiring Medicare and Medicaid dentists to provide certain services, including translation services, to patients. You can obtain detailed information on the ADA and GDA websites that will allow you to satisfy these requirements by the deadline of October 16. GEORGIA DENTAL INSURANCE SERVICES Georgia Dental Insurance Services is helping more GDA members with their insurance needs than ever before! The plans at your insurance agency are top notch and competitively priced, and your colleagues are buying in. The medical plan renewal rolls out November 1, so keep GDIS in mind when you choose a medical plan or any insurance. DONATED DENTAL SERVICES The Board affirmed a three-year commitment to Donated Dental Services (DDS), a year-round charitable program
Visit www.gadental.org/health for details
that provides free, comprehensive dental treatment to the most vulnerable people with disabilities or who are elderly or medically fragile. The GDA will house a DDS program coordinator hired by Dental Lifeline Network (DLN), provide financial support for the program, assist in growing the network of volunteer dentists around the state, and join DLN/DDS in working to acquire state funding for the program. This would be a significant program to reach individuals in dire need and ally with the Georgia Action for Dental Health plan. ANNUAL CONVENTION Next year is a CE renewal year, and the GDA has you covered on qualified courses aimed at helping dentists succeed in the business side of their practices at the Annual Convention & Expo July 20-23, 2017, at the Omni Amelia Island Resort in Florida. Join your colleagues for networking and social events, nationally known speakers, a great exhibit hall, and family fun at the beach. Save the date and plan to attend. TASK FORCES SUNSET The GDA thanked the members of the Strategic Planning and Patient Protection task forces for successfully completing their missions. Dr. Jernigan “sunset” the task forces, allowing the members who served to move onto other projects. PUBLIC RELATIONS Kudos to President Elect Robin Reich on being appointed as Vice Chair of the ADA Council on Communications. She will take office at the ADA Annual Session in October. The visionary behind our effective “Because I Saw My Dentist” public relations campaign will now have a hand in directing the ADA’s new public relations initiatives. The statewide “Because I Saw My Dentist” campaign has also been selected as a 2016 Phoenix Award finalist. The Phoenix Awards is a Georgia Public Relations Society of America awards competition to recognize projects and programs that demonstrate excellence in the public relations profession
in Georgia. Winners will be announced at the Awards Celebration at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center in early November. Dr. Reich asks all dentists to submit their stories of how dental treatment changed a patient’s life for the better! Email Carol Galbreath at carol@gadental.org. 2017 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA The Board reviewed the proposed 2017 GDA legislative agenda. We will be addressing barriers to dental care in Georgia and looking to expand the Rural Dental Student Loan Repayment program among other initiatives. Join us by serving as a Contact Dentist, or be at a LAW Day to talk to legislators, or contribute to GADPAC. Get details at www.gadental.org/advocacy. LAW Day: Northern, Eastern, GDA Alliance Wed, Jan 18, 2017 LAW Day: Southwestern, Western, Northern District Hall County Wed, Feb 01, 2017 LAW Day: Northwestern Wed, Feb 08, 2017 LAW Day: Southeastern, Georgia Dental Society Thurs, Feb 23, 2017 LAW Day: Central Wed, Mar 08, 2017 LAW Day: Open Wed, Mar 22, 2017
October 2016 • 39
FEBRUARY 10-11, 2017
SIGN UP NOW Seating is limited!
Ed McLaren, DDS, MDC Hot Topics In Esthetics, Dental Ceramics, Adhesion, and Digital Dentistry: 2017 Day One: Presentation & Lecture Day Two: Hands-On Workshop Location:
Cost:
The Westin Buckhead Atlanta 3391 Peachtree Rd, NE Atlanta, GA 30326
Day One: Doctor
$349 Member $429 Non-Member
Practice Team Member $199
Not a GACD Member? Join Today!
Day Two (Doctors Only): Member $849 Non-Member $928 Both Days (Doctors Only): Member $1140 Non-Member $1299
Silver Sponsors: Approved PACE Program Provider FAGD/MAGD Credit Approval does not imply acceptance by a state or provincial board of dentistry or AGD endorsement.
For more information and to register visit...
40 • October 2016
Health Plan Open Enrollment Starts Nov. 1
GDACLASSIFIEDS DENTISTS AVAILABLE
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE
Dentist available for long or short term temp fill in. I will fill in for illness, vacation, or CE. In practice for over 31 years. Recently sold private practice. Extensive solo, group, and government practice experience. Ga. License, DEA#, insured. General dentistry. I will treat your patients like my own! Call cell (678) 373-6286. pkwaters57@gmail. com. Paul Waters DDS.
Four-cylinder portable Nitrous Oxide Flowmeter System. All equipment in good working order to include Matrx MDM flowmeter, 4 cylinder stand, hoses and attachments. $1000. Call (404) 266-9424.
Dentist (Temp Fill In). Current GA, FL, AL licenses. Sold 22 year solo private practice. Also group and military practice experience. DEA# and insured. Email drglassdmd@yahoo.com or call cell (770) 656-5269 or (770) 380-7487. Need an experienced dentist to cover your office in case of personal emergency, CE courses, or just a well-deserved day off? I am licensed, insured and DEA registered. Examine hygiene patients, triage emergencies, and generally keep things running smoothly. Call Jay Auerbach at (404) 272-1069. Dentist TLC part time fill in available: North Metro Atlanta and North. Sold solo practice of 31 years. Part-time fill in. GA and DEA license, insured. Lots of TLC with patients. Please contact Dr. Pam at wdtroll1982@gmail.com or call (770) 653-8412. Dentist will fill in for illness, vacation, or CE. Licensed, insured, DEA #. Call (404) 786-0229 or email breighard@gmail.com. Temporary Dental Office Coverage: Cover Your Hygiene Department and Emergencies. Licensed, Insured, DEA Registered. Call Dr. Norman Busch at (678) 406-0555. DENTIST: Need Part Time Fill In? Vacation, Illness, Maternity? GENERAL DENTIST SOLD LONG ESTABLISHED PRACTICE. GA & DEA LICENSED. (Available Expanded Atlanta Area.) Cell: (404) 219-4097. Home: (404) 842-1196. Jesse Hader, DDS. Dentist available during emergencies, vacation, CDE courses. I have a current license, DEA certificate, and insurance. Contact me at (706) 291-2254 or cell (706) 802-7760. I hope I can be of service to you. Patrick A. Parrino, DDS, MAGD. GA Locum Tenens Dentist: Over 30 years' experience in solo, group, and military practice. I am available to take care of your hygiene and triage emergencies while you are away. FAGD eligible with Georgia license. DEA registered and insured.Call Kevin Mitchell, DDS, at (404) 808-7508 or email ksmdds26@hotmail.com.
Visit www.gadental.org/health for details
FOR SALE: (2) Hydrocollid Conditioners, VanR B-TRON 310. They are in excellent condition with recent refurbishment by manufacturer. See images for clean tanks and casings. Also, included water hoses, great selection of impression trays and impression material ... $895. (404) 874-6464 or info@colonysquaredental.com INTRAORAL CAMERAS - $945.00 while supplies last. 1. Take crystal clear pictures. Button on camera can FREEZE image. Works with most North American imaging software,such as DEXIS, Eaglesoft, Dentrix,Vixwin, PracticeWorks, SoftDent, DentiMax, AbleDent, CaptureLink, CliniView, ProfSuni, Digora, Apteryx and more. Image format: JPEG 2.Direct connect to computer's USB to use. No other hardware and software required.Works on Windows10/8/7/XP/Vista.Anti-fog, non-spherical lens. 3.This camera comes with the software you need.Automatic power-off function Cameras, Super Clear. Email requests to yeb1011@aol.com or call (770) 242-2004. CEREC System for sale in Columbus, GA. CEREC AC with Omnicam, MCX Milling Unit, CS2 Furnace with pump. Excellent condition with the latest software to include all necessary equipment to start, 68 Celtra Duo blocks, 85 eMax blocks and 4 eMax bridge blocks. $75,000- Serious inquiries please email for pics: 2015dentalresume@gmail.com. Entire GP 4 Operatory equipment: (Biolase Hard/ Soft Tissue Laser, 8 month old Digital Panorex, Dentsply endo system with apex locator, Physic Forceps, Lumineer kit with Lumi grip, Porter nitrous flow meter/monitor, 4 Gendex xrays, Dexis Platinum Sensor, 3 Pelton Crane Chairman, 1 Dentalez patient chair, 5 B4 After Pictures of fillings, supplies, computers, furnishings, patients) for sale all or in part. Contact communications@gadental.org for details.
POSITIONS AVAILABLE General Dentist Needed: Will be out-of-office for 4-6 weeks for back surgery between now and end of year. Busy practice located in Carrollton, GA. Awesome staff and terrific patients! Possible parttime position available long-term. Call or text Dr. Paul Walls at (770) 363-7709 (drpaulwalls.com) or email dentaldoc82@bellsouth.net.
Experienced General Dentist willing to receive paid I.V. Conscious Sedation training at Dental College of Georgia, Augusta, in return for a threeyear PT commitment to the DDD Foundation, Inc.’s dental clinic in Atlanta, providing care to patients with developmental disabilities. Comparable hourly rate. Medicaid eligibility is a requirement. Please email resume to slynch@dddfoundation.org. Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics has an opening for a Pediatric Dentist and Orthodontist for our practice in Metro Atlanta, GA. We are a non corporate, fun, private practice with 6 locations in the Atlanta area. We are thoroughly modern with paperless/chartless offices, solid infrastructure, and in-house sedation center with MD pediatric anesthesiologist. The individual we hire may be an employee or general contractor. You will receive guaranteed per day pay with percentage of production. We also offer 401 K, medical benefits, moving budget, and a sign-up bonus. We love CE in all areas of pediatric dentistry to keep up with technology and new innovative procedures. You will receive mentorship directly from our pediatric dentist. If interested, please contact us at (678) 763 2600 or email us at vvishant@me.com. We are currently looking for an energetic, positive General Dentist to join our highly successful team in Gainesville/Oakwood Area. Established fee for service Private Practice office has an opening to help with the growing patient load. This is a part-time, long-term position, starting 1 day week and eventually up to 2 days per week. Fully digitized office, GREAT team (very little turnover), six operatories providing full range of dental services. Candidate must be very friendly and have great people skills, able to perform hygiene checks (2 hygienists), restorative and fixed dentistry, dental emergencies. Array of procedures can be discussed and agreed up. DDS/DMD from an accredited University and active State Dental Board license Please email your CV or resume to OakwoodOfficeJob@gmail.com. Oral Surgeon Needed for Atlanta Area: Seeking part time oral surgeon in the Atlanta area to cover multiple FFS/PPO private family practices. Offices are located in Sandy Springs, Newnan, and Dalton. Looking for 2-5 days per month. Will reimburse for mileage. Please contact Zac at (770) 710-3042 or zrhinesmith@benevis.com.
CLASSIFIEDS
Continued on page 43
October 2016 • 41
Seeking donations for dental equipment for charitable health center! We are integrating affordable dentistry into our primary care health center. With your help, we can remove barriers to oral care for the poor.
billy@mercymedcolumbus.com (706) 326-6125 www.mercymedcolumbus.com
Have your patients complained about neck pain? NECK PAIN
Prevalence of cervical spinal pain in craniomandibular pain patients. Craniomandibular pain patients more often showed cervical spinal pain than persons without craniomandibular pain, independent of the classiÞcation model used. No difference in the prevalence of cervical spinal pain was found between the three subgroups of craniomandibular pain patients. European Journal of Oral Sciences 2001 Apr; vol. 109(2) pp. 76-80. Corine M. Visscher, Frank Lobbezoo, Wim De Boer, Jacques Van Der Zaag, Machiel Naeije
Dental Sleep Medicine and Craniofacial Pain are not recognized as specialty areas by the ADA.
HEADACHES
•
FACIAL PAIN
•
NECK PAIN
•
TMJ DISORDERS
•
SLEEP APNEA
Mayoor Patel DDS, MS
DAAPM, RPSGT, FAAOP, FICCMO, FAACP, FAGD
Diplomate American Board of Orofacial Pain Diplomate American Board of Craniofacial Pain Diplomate American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine Diplomate American Board of Craniofacial Dental Sleep Medicine
42 • October 2016
200 ASHFORD CENTER NORTH • SUITE 195 • ATLANTA, GA 30338 678.899.6076 • FAX 678.899.6075 • WWW.CPCGEORGIA.COM
Health Plan Open Enrollment Starts Nov. 1
CLASSIFIEDS
Continued from page 41 AMAZING OPPORTUNITY! Ever feel like you could be doing more with your dental career? Here’s how to earn more, pay off debt and grow your skill set -- all while enjoying the lifestyle you deserve! Independently-owned private dental practice looking for an additional associate doctor to join its award-winning team. We take care of all practice operations, from billing to equipment, patient acquisition to outreach, so you can spend your time making a difference in the lives of patients. We are not Corporate Dentistry we are a growing private practice looking for another excellent dentist. Here’s what you can expect as an associate on our team: • Freedom to practice dentistry without the expenses or administrative headaches of running a practice. • A balanced workload that goes beyond just “routine” procedures. • Clinical autonomy in a fun, steady-paced environment that fosters mentorship, collaboration, and pride. • A base pay significantly higher than the industry average, with the opportunity to grow your income up to 33% of your monthly production. • Highly-trained and award-winning support staff and the best technology. • Highly-credentialed mentors, who are teachers at heart and excited to share knowledge to help talk you through those trickier cases. • Excellent training and continuing education opportunities to further grow your clinical skills. • Time off to relax and recharge in an area that boasts a 19,000-acre all-sports lake, a multitude of outdoor activities and a relaxed lifestyle. This is an ideal opportunity for you to become financially sound, work with a top-notch team, and achieve a new level of personal and professional success. If you are interested in learning more about this amazing opportunity, please call (706) 920-9077 to hear a personal message from Dr. David Bradley. You may also submit your resume to Lea Justice, our Office Manager, at OfficeManager@DrsBradley.com. We look forward to welcoming you to our team! General Dentist opportunities in Alpharetta & Marietta Ga! Outstanding Full-Time roles for General dentists in our well established practices. State of the art facilities. Full benefit package with great earnings! Experienced practitioners preferred, but will consider recent grads. Email resume to bames@dentalcarealliance.com Learn more @ www. dentalcarealliance.net. Heartland Dental supported offices are looking for outgoing and positive Dentists that are seeking career satisfaction and continuing education opportunities in the Georgia and South Carolina areas. There are 100 reasons to join Heartland Dental, come discover yours! For more information, contact bcraig@heartland.com or apply today at heartland.com.
Visit www.gadental.org/health for details
Orthodontist Needed: Our dynamic, growing dental group is seeking a part-time Orthodontist who will have the opportunity to expand his or her hours by commuting to our other office locations. Our doctors can expect competitive pay and benefits, a stable patient base, mentorship and training, residency-style doctor forums and panels to broaden his/her scope of dentistry, and long-term career growth opportunities. For more information, visit our website at www.TeboDental.com or contact us via phone (770-925-3300) or email (hr@ TeboDental.com). Great opportunity available for associateship/ future partnership/ transition to full purchase. Fee for service practice limited to adults including dental and facial esthetics, cerec, comprehensive restorative care, sleep apnea teatment. Pankey/ Dawson philosophy. Preferably GPR graduate with experience in oral surgery, endodontics, and implant placement. The dental practice is located in the Augusta, GA area. Please reply to drallgood@ augustasmiles.com. Associate Dentist Needed: Why work for a corporate office earning 25%-30% when you could earn 35% in a PRIVATE setting. General family practice (FFS and PPOs only; no Medicaid) with offices in Peachtree City and Newnan looking for a general dentist. This is an excellent opportunity for an energetic, motivated dentist with a great personality and excellent communication skills. Candidate must encompass ability to build good rapport with patients and staff and must practice all aspects of dentistry including extractions and root canals. Please email your resume to dentalofficeptc@ gmail.com. Great Expressions Dental Centers has immediate openings for full-time Lead Dentist(s) in: North Atlanta (solo/established/digital); Forest Park, GA (digital/established/solo) and Douglasville, GA (established/solo office). Doctors can expect unlimited production based earnings, full benefits, CE, time-off, Invisalign training, malpractice coverage, stable patient base, and long-term practice career growth with possible investment opportunity. Aggressive Sign-On Bonus or Relocation Assistance possible as well! Please reach out to Ross Shoemaker @ (678) 836-2226 or ross.shoemaker@ greatexpressions.com to learn more! Associate North Georgia Dentist Needed: Part time or full time general dentist needed for our private practice over the lovely Coosawattee River. This is a 9 operatory office in Ellijay, GA, with a top-notch staff. This is an easy commute from North Atlanta. Please send resume/CV to lykinsfamilydentistry@yahoo.com or fax to (706) 698-3383.
Kool Smiles has FT/PT/Multi-Site opportunities in SW Atlanta, Columbus, Decatur, and Forest Park, GA! EARN UP TO $650 DAILY GUARANTEE OR % OF COLLECTIONS!!! UP TO $20,000.00 SIGN-ON BONUS + RELOCATION!! We also offer outstanding benefits including: 401k/ PTO, malpractice, health, and life insurance, CE, licensing reimbursements, and Visa/Permanent Residency sponsorship. Contact Renee Baron at rbaron@benevis.com for more information! Growing specialty office is currently interviewing for a full time Associate Pediatric Dentist/ General Dentist with future partnership possibility. This is a great opportunity to practice in a pediatric dental/orthodontic environment, not a corporate dental chain. We believe in a high level of patient and parent education and making sure that children have an excellent dental experience at each visit. Our office is an upscale and modern office with a happy, motivated, multiskilled staff. We offer a team motivated working environment and a competitive salary. Candidate must have excellent communication skills, be enthusiastic and motivated. Excellent benefits and compensation are offered. To apply please email CV to pediatricdentistjob@gmail.com. General Dentist Needed: We have a wonderful opportunity for a General Dentist to join our successful private practice in the Marietta/Acworth area. Prefer someone with a minimum of 1 year experience OR a GPR. Great working environment, high tech office, good systems in place, and a friendly and well trained team. High income potential for the right person. Please email your resume to: lakepointe@gmail.com. Kool Smiles has Oral Surgeon, Pedodontist, Endodontist, Orthodontist, and Dental/Medical Anesthesiologist Full-Time and Part-Time opportunities available nationwide! Kool Smiles offers generous compensation and outstanding benefits including: 401k, PTO, malpractice, health, & life insurance, continuing education, licensing reimbursements, and Visa/permanent residency sponsorship. For more information contact Emily Platto at eplatto@benevis.com! Associate needed for general dental practice in SW Ga. (Fully digital.) All phases of general dentistry being done (restorative, endo, exts, dentures, partials, crown and bridge). Excellent compensation package plus 40% commission. Great place to practice for outdoorsman (golf, boating, hunting). Two hrs from Panama City beaches. For more Information: Dr. Mike Carr, swgadental@ gmail.com.
CLASSIFIEDS
Continued on page 44
October 2016 • 43
CLASSIFIEDS
Continued from page 43 Dental Specialists Needed! Kool Smiles has Oral Surgeon, Pedodontist, and Orthodontist FullTime and Part-Time opportunities available in Georgia! Kool Smiles offers generous compensation and outstanding benefits including: 401k, PTO, malpractice, health, & life insurance, continuing education, licensing reimbursements, and Visa/ permanent residency sponsorship. For more information contact Emily Platto at eplatto@ benevis.com! Associate Dentist Needed: Bring your sense of humor and a love for dentistry and we’ll take care of that tedious business side of dentistry that you didn’t bargain for when you went to dental school! Enjoy an easy reverse commute from metro Atlanta OR fall in love with the Northeast Georgia mountains and enjoy golf, canoeing, fly-fishing, hunting, mountain biking, and hiking in those carefree hours away from the office. The math is easy: 60+ new patients per month and a guaranteed base salary add up to an ideal job opportunity for a semi-retired dentist or a recent graduate looking to enjoy life while doing only what you love – DENTISTRY! Interested applicants: Please send your resume / CV with contact information to jobs@corneliadental.com. Kool Smiles Associate Dentist—FT/PT/MultiSite opportunities in AR, AZ, CT, DC, GA, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, MS, NM, OK, SC, TX, VA. EARN UP TO $650 DAILY GUARANTEE OR % OF COLLECTIONS! UP TO $20,000.00 SIGN-ON BONUS + RELOCATION! We are the nation’s leader in general dental care to under-served kids, teens, and adults. Contact us at www.koolsmilesjobs. com/connect! General Dentists Needed: We would like to offer you a unique opportunity to do the work you love without having to worry about the non-clinical aspects of running a practice. We take pride in knowing that our experienced team of professionals offer the highest standard of care by enriching the lives of our patients and the community. In addition to offering top compensation, we offer a very competitive benefits package. Current opportunities available at our Hiram, McDonough, Alpharetta, Covington, Acworth, and Atlanta locations. Please contact us at (717) 590-1500 or email your CV to christa.barnett@blackforddental.com. Large Sign On Bonus & Tuition Reimbursement Available For Dentist! Great productive Dental practice(s) in and around the Atlanta area searching for a General Dentist. This practice offers the opportunity to work along side a great staff and Doctor that allows you to focus on patients and grow your career. No contracts, daily guarantee. Apply Now: joowens@aspendental.com.
44 • October 2016
Associate Position in Columbus, GA: A progressive General Dentistry practice that serves the great Southern community of Columbus, Georgia. Our practice offers all areas of dentistry such as implants, orthodontics, periodontics, and cosmetic dentistry. Use of cutting edge technology, digital and paperless, in a beautifully designed facility, and a highly trained, motivated team allows us to give the best treatment to our patients. Our philosophy is to allow the patient total treatment in our office with very few referrals. Starting yearly salary of $130,000 for an ambitious, aspiring, and enthusiastic person who is ready to advance their dental career. This is a great opportunity for an associate with the potential for a partnership. If you are ready to join a team of professionals that love what they do, please send resume to info@ willowpointdental.com. Kool Smiles Associate Dentist—FT/PT/MultiSite opportunities in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Metarie, Monroe, Gretna, and Shreveport, Louisiana! EARN UP TO $650 DAILY GUARANTEE OR % OF COLLECTIONS! UP TO $20,000.00 SIGN-ON BONUS + RELOCATION! We offer outstanding benefits including: 401k/PTO, malpractice, health, and life insurance, CE, licensing reimbursements, and Visa/Permanent Residency sponsorship. Contact us at jobs@koolsmilespc.com! Pediatric & General Dentists Needed: We are a dynamic, growing dental group seeking new graduates or seasoned professionals to join our team. Our offices are located conveniently throughout Metro-Atlanta in the Lilburn, Dacula, and Gainesville areas. Doctors can expect to work with innovative technology, have a stable patient base, have long-term career growth, and receive a full benefits package including an aggressive sign-on bonus, CE, and paid time-off. For more information, visit our website at www.TeboDental. com or contact us via phone (770-925-3300) or email (hr@TeboDental.com).
Practice for Sale Lake Oconee Area. 100% FFS with consistent 650K annual revenue. Practice offers a four day work week with low overhead and excellent profitability. Proforma and after tax cash flow analysis available. Contact: loganvilledentist2015@gmail.com. Western North Carolina Mountains two hours from Atlanta near Blue Ridge Georgia. Licensure reciprocity available with Georgia. Progressive fee-for-service general practice with low overhead and 2015 collections over $1,250,000. Attractive free-standing 2,700 square foot building having five operatories with generous parking, attractive landscaping and good visibility. Dr. is flexible with transition period. This is a beautiful place to raise a family, work with an exceptional staff, take care of good people and enjoy a rewarding career. Email inquiries to: wncdental@yahoo.com. General Practice for Sale: Southeast Atlanta area. Steady revenue of 400K provides a great opportunity for a first time practice owner. Current owner is retiring and is flexible with a transition plan. Proforma and after tax cash flow analysis available. Contact: atlantadentist2014@gmail.com. Tucker Prosthetic Dental Practice: Thriving prosthetic dentistry practice in Tucker area. Located in Publix Shopping Center complex, 1625 sq ft, 2 operatories w/plumbed space for 2 additional. Over $430k in revenue with strong cash flow. Established 20 yr referral network. Email lynn@5thaavc.com for more information. General dental office for sale in SW Ga. Owner retiring (Owner financing available). 32-yr-old practice (fee for service and Medicaid). Average annual gross last 10 years is $850,000. Excellent staff and new facility (eight operatories). Great recall. All phases of general dentistry being done. Contact Bill Frazier, swgadental@gmail.com.
PRACTICES/SPACE AVAILABLE
N. ATL Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Practice for sale: Profitable Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Practice in N. ATL. 2500 sqft with 3 operatories. Over $690k in revenue with strong cash flow. Ability to buy building too! Established referral network. Email lynn@5thaavc.com for more information.
General Practice For Sale - Georgia - just outside the Augusta area in lovely area. Close to large businesses and well-established living community. Free standing building with 4 equipped operatories and established patient base over 25 years. Practice is grossing over $500k plus per year in 3 1/2 days through comprehensive care. Owner willing to help with transition. For more details please email rpl3pds@gmail.com and or call (770) 853-9244.
GWINNETT DENTAL PRACTICE FOR SALE: #GA-1118. Well-established, family practice in a fantastic location only minutes from shopping, restaurants – everything! All FFS general practice with annual revenue $1M plus, 6 equipped ops with one additional plumbed but not equipped, Digital x-ray and Dentrix software. Seller willing to work for the buyer. Building also available for sale. This won’t last long, call (678) 482-7305 or email info@ southeasttransitions.com using listing ID GA-1118.
Health Plan Open Enrollment Starts Nov. 1
Kennesaw Dental Practice for Sale: High production general dentistry practice for sale in growing Kennesaw area. 8 operatories, 2800 sq ft, with capacity for 2 dentists. Owner financing with 5-6 yr transition plan. Email lynn@5thaavc.com for more information. Dental Space Available in Georgia! Dental space available for Dentist or Dental Specialist in Atlanta, Macon, Fayetteville, Savannah, Pooler, and Statesboro. Fully plumbed ops with ample waiting room & front/side office space. Perfect for a satellite location or a new practice. Save time and money! Please email all inquiries to: DentalJobsAtlanta@gmail.com. Dental Practice for Sale East of Atlanta in a Metropolitan Area: #GA-1101. Elegant, 6 ops (5 equipped), all FFS family practice with gross collections of $960,000 with a healthy hygiene department. Real estate also for sale. Please call (678) 482-7305 or email info@southeasttransitions. com for details using Listing ID GA-1101. Visit www.southeasttransitions.com. Perio Practice For Sale: Highly desirable Sandy Springs area Periodontal practice for sale. Consistent collections at 475K for the past 3 years. Owner retiring. Practice proforma with cash flow analysis available. Contact: atlantadentist2014@gmail.com. 30 yr old practice for sale in SW Ga. All digital. All phases of general dentistry being done. Heavy Medicaid. Lots of children. Oral surgeon on staff. Only office in town and also serves 5 surrounding counties. No competition. Annual gross $850,000. Owner financing available with minimal start up costs. Excellent opportunity for new grad or seasoned dentist. Contact: jpjohnson@gmail.com. Office for sale in SW Georgia. Owner retiring.All digital. All phases of general dentistry being done. $350,000 gross on 4 day week. Owner financing available. Excellent opportunity for new graduate or seasoned dentist with minimal start up investment. Contact Bill Frazier, swgadental@gmail.com. Contact Southeast Transitions to learn about these and other dental practices for sale throughout Georgia. Email info@ southeasttransitions.com or call (678) 482-7305. Visit www.southeasttransitions.com. • Pedo practice in East Central GA, stunning facility, collecting $1M – Listing ID: GA-1091 • Marietta, ideal location, 100% specialties referred out – Listing ID: GA-1089 • Rockdale County, fantastic location with great access, FFS, 3 day/week w collections $740K – Listing ID: GA1105 • Valdosta, All FFS, free standing bldg., all digital, thriving practice – Listing ID: GA1102
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SPACE/PRACTICE WANTED
OCT2016
Buckhead Dentist seeks office space in same general area as current office: Piedmont Road at Roswell Road in Chastain/Buckhead. Prefer to relocate from current retail shopping center to medical office building, free standing, or similar. Space-sharing or alternating days/times is possibility. Even a short-term situation for transition would remedy timing inflexibilities inherent to retail lease. Contact Charles Poole, DMD: Email atldentaloffice@gmail.com or call (404) 735-3233.
AFTCO.................................................................19
WANTED! Looking to purchase a practice with a minimum of 4 operatories, good visibility and cash flow that is located north of I-285 between I-85 and I-75. The seller can work toward gradual transition to part time or retirement. This buyer is financially approved, highly motivated and flexible in the timing of transition and we have their confidentiality agreement (non-disclosure) on file with us. Buyer has family and friends that have recently graduated from dental school and more coming along. This could be a great opportunity for a seller to mentor young dentists. Contact Doug at (770) 403-5765 or doug@southeasttransitions. com. www.southeasttransitions.com.
Center for TMJ Therapy...................................46
Atlanta Age Management Medicine/ Ana Casas, MD..............................................10 Bank of America..................................................8 Bridgeway Practice Transitions......................12 Capital Preservation Services Inc..................12
Craniofacial Pain Center of Georgia..............42 Dental Care Alliance.........................................18 Dr. Mark Padolsky—TMD Dentist..................17 Frances Cullen, P.C............................................28 GDA Dental Recovery Network......................45 Georgia Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.....40 Georgia Dental Insurance Services........ 36, 48 Georgia Dental Law..........................................18 Henry Schein.....................................................10 Hospital Dentistry—Dr. Kurtzman................38 iMedicor...............................................................6 MercyMed of Columbus..................................42 Oberman Law Firm.............................................2 Onsite Dental....................................................28 PNC Bank............................................................47 Paragon Practice Transitions..........................38 UBS Financial Services.....................................36
October 2016 • 45
LASTWORD This column is for commentaries, photos, and letters shared by GDA and Alliance members or shared about member activities. To submit an article, photos, or news, email Delaine Hall at delaine@gadental.org. This month, we feature photos from the fifth anniversary celebration of the new dental building at The Dental College of Georgia that took place on September 30. The Georgia Dental Association provided financial support for the event. _________________________________
GDA Supports Fifth Anniversary Celebration at AU from DCG Filling in the Details October 7, 2016 (Photos courtesy of the Dental College of Georgia) On Friday, September 30, the DCG celebrated the college's official name change to The Dental College of Georgia
and the fifth anniversary in our new building. During the prior week, we watched as the old GRU signage came down and was replaced by a large, temporary banner featuring the new branded logo. At a lunchtime event, staff and students enjoyed a boxed lunch provided by Firehouse Subs and a brief presentation by Dean Carol Lefebvre and Augusta University President Brooks Keel celebrating the anniversary milestone. All attendees were given a DCG lanyard. Former DCG employees involved in opening of the DCG facility were welcomed back at an evening event for faculty, residents and alumni. Provost Gretchen Caughman and 1976 DCG alumni Dr. Ben Jernigan, Jr., President of the Georgia Dental Association, joined Dean Lefebvre for celebratory comments. The GDA also provided financial support for the event. Guests enjoyed casino-like games, appetizers and a jazz trio.
Do your patients suffer from any of these symptoms? Head Pain
Forehead • Temples Migraine-type Sinus-type
Ear Ear pain • Ringing in ears Dizziness • Vertigo
Eyes
Jaw
Pain behind eye Blood-shot eyes Sensitive to light
Clicking, popping jaw joints Pain in cheek • Limited opening
Teeth
Neck
Clenching/grinding at night Looseness and soreness of back teeth
Lack of mobility/stiffness Neck pain • Tired/sore muscles Arm/finger numbness
Visit us online at w w w.tmdatlanta.com to download a referral form and learn more about our services! Manoj Maggan DDS, DABDSM, DABCP, DAAPM, FICCMO, FAACP
3590 Old Milton Parkway, Alpharetta, GA 30005
Center for TMJ Therapy
46 • October 2016
770.521.1978 phone • 770.521.9936 fax www.tmdatlanta.com • office@tmdatlanta.com
If your patients have any of these symptoms and are not responding to treatments, they may be suffering from a TMJ disorder. Problems within the jaw can produce a myriad of symptoms that, at first glance, might appear to be totally unrelated to the temporomandibular complex. Our dedicated team of professionals have years of training and are happy to assist you in the diagnosis and treatment of possible craniomandibular/ temporomandibular disorders.
From top: Dr. Grant Loo, Dr. Annette Rainge, Dr. Alena Reich, Stephen Reich, Dr. Robin Reich, Dr. Celia Dunn, Dr. Ben Jernigan, Dr. Solon Kao, Executive Director Frank Capaldo, and Dr. Rhoda Sword.
Journal of the Georgia Dental Association 7000 Peachtree Dunwoody Road NE Suite 200, Building 17, Atlanta, GA 30328
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Tips on Choosing a Health Care Plan Data Breach Strikes Another Dental Office Celebrate Health Literacy Month Proposed GDA Governance Changes GDA Sourcebook and Directory
Open enrollment for all GDA health plans starts Nov. 1! Visit gadental.org for details.
You take care of your patients.
Let us take care of you.
Healthcare plans designed for dentists. www.gadental.org/health
T. 404.636.7553 F. 404.633.3943
Open Enrollment Begins November 1, 2016
Questions?
www.myGDIS.com GDIS@gadental.org
Sign up for a webinar at www.gadental.org/health