Author:

Maintaining a comprehensive and strong dental Medicaid program has been a top priority of the ODA for over a decade. Last year, the 2013 ODA House of Delegates reiterated that commitment by passing a resolution directing the organization to advocate for increased reimbursement rates. Ohio Medicaid currently reimburses dentists at 37 percent of ... [continue reading]

The American Society of Constituent Dental Executives recently conducted a survey of dues amounts, including assessments, of all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. The survey found that Ohio has the 9th lowest dues in the country. The highest rate in the country is Alaska at $1,313, and the lowest state is Utah at $210. Ohio ranks 43rd at ... [continue reading]

The HealthPath Foundation of Ohio is a $26 million organization aimed at helping Ohioans achieve their fullest health potential regardless of status, wealth or circumstances. The Foundation is a supporting organization of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation and has awarded more than $15 million in grants since 1999. It serves a 36 county service ... [continue reading]

A national PPO has stopped its efforts to institute a dentist star rating system. The PPO is withdrawing its current program to rate the cost effectiveness of dentists in its network of participating providers but may develop an alternative plan at some point in the future. The PPO’s actions appear to have affected many more dentists in ... [continue reading]

Research presented at the American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting on Nov. 17 has indicated that a lack of trust among community members, front line health care workers, and the medical system as a whole led to the widespread Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Timothy Roberton, a researcher from Johns Hopkins University, said, ... [continue reading]

Some life events are instantaneous while others are gradual, but most things that happen in our lives come with a warning. A couple of months ago I went to my 50th high school reunion. I had attended my 10th gathering and afterwards swore I’d never go to another. However, aging changes one’s perspective about certain situations. I ... [continue reading]

In a world where the number-one cable television show is a post-apocalyptic thriller about a virus that creates reanimated corpses, it was easy to get caught up in Ebola hysteria. Many of our number in the ODA are well-immersed in the culture of public health; certainly all of us are scientists to some extent. With that thinking, we all knew ... [continue reading]

The Ohio Dental Association is participating in the recently created School Based Health Care Advisory Workgroup, which aims to study and create recommendations for communities to improve academic achievement through better student health. The workgroup was created by legislation passed last spring and will: Review evidence of the correlation ... [continue reading]

Most dentists and their staffs are aware the U.S. health care system is undergoing significant change, mandated in part by the Affordable Care Act.  Some have even recognized that the changes will extend to the practice of dentistry.  An important example is the impending deadline for all dentists and dental specialists to register with ... [continue reading]

Finding affordable health insurance coverage without having to sacrifice quality is an enormous challenge for dental offices. Ohio Dental Association members have been asking the association to provide an alternative to buying high-cost health policies through the government exchanges (Affordable Care Act). A MEWA (multi-employer welfare trust) is ... [continue reading]