GA-OMS

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Office Anesthesia Evaluation

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Remember if your OAE is due in 2016 you must complete it ASAP.

The penalty for non-completion of your evaluation will be suspension or termination of membership in GSOMS and thereby from the AAOMS. This will impact those who also have insurance through OMSNIC as AAOMS membership is required for OMSNIC coverage.

Report from Legislative Session

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Frank H. White III, D.D.S.

    • FL-state-capDental Student loan repayment program appears to be on track to be reinstated.
    • Single administrator for Dental Medicaid passed in the House 166-1.
    • Unfair Practices Insurance Bill is in committee for review and discussion of the issues.
    • Local Anesthesia Bill: In House – This would allow licensed dental hygienists to administer local anesthesia under the direct supervision of a dentist. GDA recommends that only the dentist administer local anesthesia.
    • Anti-Fluoridation Bill: Did not move out of the House during this session.

Update from Insurance Committee

By

Glenn Maron, DDS

Please take note that as of June 1, 2015 all dentists will be required to either opt in or opt out of medicare. If you elect to opt out you must enter into a private contract with all medicare patients that you see in office. If you opt in, you must accept whatever payment you receive for services in your office. Below is a reprint from the ADA for several common questions.

[Read more…] about Update from Insurance Committee

President’s Greeting

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As my 2 year term ends as president for our society, I reflect on several realities of life. First, is that Hank and Leslie do 95% of the work of keeping our organization as good as it is and we need to constantly thank them for their efforts on our behalf. Second, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Obamacare is now in place and despite our fears; luckily most of us are still thriving and continuing to run successful practices. This does not mean that we should not remain vigilant in our efforts to ensure that our patients can receive the best quality of care, and we are properly compensated for our efforts. The third component of my reality check is that despite the goal I set for increasing the participation of our younger members in our society, there appears to be a dearth of attendance and involvement. Nobody can practice in a bubble, we all need to continue to interact with each other and improve the level of care in Georgia.

There continues to be a drop in the number of oral and maxillofacial surgeons, applying for and maintaining hospital privileges. Since this is probably the last time I will be president of anything, I am going to go out with a bang. Why would somebody spend 4-6 years of extremely hard work and grueling hours of training to then throw it all away? My opinion is that, if all people want to do are place implants and take out teeth, they should have entered other specialties. Many people have accused me of being too outspoken and I admit that this last statement is inflammatory, but is it? We have achieved so much over the past 30 years of our specialty and now are we taking steps backwards? I understand that many of the services we provide can now be performed in outpatient settings, but so can GI procedures and orthopedic surgeries. Yet our colleagues in medical specialties still have hospital privileges and take call. Certainly if the only reasons to become an Oral and Maxillofacial surgeon were to make money and have a good life, then people should have become stockbrokers. I am proud to be an Oral Surgeon and always will be. I want to know that in the future, if my children or future grandchildren have an accident or need facial surgery, an Oral and Maxillofacial surgeon will be there to take care of them. If everyone did a small share of hospital coverage and indigent care, the communities we live in would be better places.

I would like to thank all who have helped me during these past two years and look forward to seeing Jeff Prinsel continue to move our specialty forward in the next few years.