Author: Amy Szmania

"Sarah's old car's about to fall apart//And the washer quit last week//We had to put momma in the nursing home//And the baby's cutting teeth//I didn't get much work this week//And I got bills to pay." – Darryl Worley, “Sounds Like Life To Me” This might only sound like the lyrics to a country western song, but in reality, you’ve ... [continue reading]

Dr. Kathleen O’Loughlin, executive director and chief operating officer of the American Dental Association, and Gary Kadi, author and dental practice management advisor, will be the keynote speakers during the ODA’s 2013 Leadership Institute.  The annual two-day event will be held at the Hilton Hotel at Polaris on the north end of Columbus on ... [continue reading]

Submitted by Cathy Costello, J.D. - Project Manager for Regional Extension Center Services for the Ohio Health Information Partnership I imagine that dentists, like so many other health care professionals, have been bombarded by information about electronic health records systems, Electronic Health Record (EHR) incentives and Meaningful Use (MU) ... [continue reading]

Several past attendees recently pointed out that the Ohio Dental Association’s Leadership Institute is designed to meet the needs of all dentists, regardless of their type of practice, career path or stage of their career. For example, Dr. Brittany McCarthy, a general dentist from Columbus who chairs the ODA’s Subcouncil on New Dentists, ... [continue reading]

Recently, the Ohio Supreme Court ended a decade long advocacy battle for the ODA.  In 2002, the ODA played a key role in passage of a major tort reform measure that overhauled the state’s medical and dental malpractice laws.  Among other changes, the measure placed caps on damages and allowed for the introduction of collateral source benefits ... [continue reading]

     It’s time to renew your membership in organized dentistry. Dues for the 2013 Ohio Dental Association membership are due by Jan. 1, 2013.      “Participation in organized dentistry, at any level – local, state or national – provides the member with a personal experience that is unmatched,” said Dr. Kim Gardner, ODA ... [continue reading]

“For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three.” Alice Kahn    Today, I unloaded the last three boxes of old record albums so I could transform them into MP3s to play on my iPod while I walk. I listened to them while I recorded, and just as I had remembered, the sound was great – rich ... [continue reading]

Jackie Best, Managing Editor The Ohio Dental Political Action Committee (ODPAC) reached a fundraising milestone this year as it received more than $250,000 in contributions. This year, nearly 40 percent of ODA member dentists became members of ODPAC. Such strong support gave dentists across Ohio a unified voice at the Statehouse and in the ... [continue reading]

The process to join is easy and you set the level of participation. You decide the number of patients to see each year and the frequency; and the type of patient – elderly on a fixed income, working poor, single parent, disabled and so on. You do the dentistry. Regional referral coordinators handle the paperwork and other administrative tasks ... [continue reading]

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” Stephen R. Covey It’s time, ladies and gentlemen, to listen and to understand. It’s time to decide what you want your chosen profession to become. Actually, it’s time to decide what your chosen profession is right now. Some of us are in ... [continue reading]