TAGD GP Fall 2011

FALL 2011, VOLUME 37, ISSUE 4

WWW.TAGD.ORGO F F I c I A L P U b L I c AT I O n O F T h E T E x A S A c A D E M y O F G E n E R A L D E n T I S T R y

TEXASGPTAGD

Also in this issue: TAGD ADvocAcy • MeDicAiD upDATeLone STAr DenTAL conference WrAp-up Shoulder to Shoulder

Congratulations to the 2011 texas Dentist of the Year

Dr. Warren Branch

JOURNAL OF THE TEXAS ACADEMY OF GENERAL DENTISTRY2

TAGD wants to help you on the road to Fellowship and MastershipIf you received your Fellowship before 2003 some of your CE hours might be lost from your transcript. Contact the TAGD office and we will help you recover those hours; you may be closer to Mastership than you think!

2012 MasterTrack Schedule:

June 7 - 10, 2012Omni Southpark Hotel • Austin, TX

Removable ProsthodonticsPresented by Dr. Joseph Massad

OrthodonticsPresented by Dr. David Jackson

November 8 - 11, 2012Omni Southpark Hotel • Austin, TX

Fixed Prosthodontics

Oral Medicine

Speakers will be announced soon

Texas AGD MasterTrack • How Close Are You?

Texas AGD has worked to make the MasterTrack seminars a true benefit for TAGD members. Each session is $995 for 48 hours of participation CE

For more information visit www.tagd.org or call the TAGD office at 512.244.0577

A Lasting Partnership to Beneet Your Practice and Your Patients

For nearly 40 years, United Concordia has been a responsible, exible partner. Today, we insure more than 8 million members and serve over 28,000 commercial and government accounts - including the TRICARE Dental Program and Active Duty Dental Program. We invite you to join our network and receive access to new patients, competitive reimbursements, convenient tools and information, discount programs for your practice, exceptional service, and more. Plus, we’ll support you in promoting good oral health and its contribution to improved general health to your United Concordia patients.

To learn more or join our network, call (866) 529-4827 or visit our Web site at www.UnitedConcordia.com

FAGD/MAGD CreditProvider #2193281/1/11-12/31/15

3Fall 2011

PresidentJoey Cazares, DDS, FAGDMcAllen

President-ElectMark Peppard, DDS, MAGDAustin

Immediate Past-PresidentCraig Armstrong, DDS, MAGDHouston

Secretary/TreasurerCarlos Garcia, DMDWeslaco

EditorAndrew Lazaris, DDS, FAGDPlano

DirectorMarko Alanis, DDSEdinburg

DirectorPaige Sohn, DDS, MAGDFrisco

DirectorKevin Gureckis, DMD, MAGD, ABGDSan Antonio

DirectorJennifer Bone, DDS, MAGDKerrville

DirectorChristopher Perry, DMD, FAGDSan Antonio

DirectorMarc Worob, DDS, FAGDAustin

AGD Regional DirectorDavid Tillman, DDS, MAGDFort Worth

AGD National TrusteeDouglas Bogan, DDS, FAGDHouston

Executive DirectorConnie Sonnier, CAERound Rock

2011 - 2012 OFFICERS

TAGD Staff

Laura Ceglio • Communications Assistant

Sandy Frizzell • Member Services Director

Amy Knitt • Communications Director

Lindsey Robbins • Administrative Assistant

Disclaimer: The TAGD does not necessarily endorse opinions or statements contained in articles or editorials published in the TexasGP. The publication of advertisements in the TexasGP does not indicate endorsement for products and services.

Texas GP is published quarterly by the Texas Academy of General Dentistry, 409 West Main Street, Round Rock, TX 78664. Address changes should be sent to the TAGD. TexasGP is provided as a member service to members of the TAGD. Nonmember subscription rates are $25.00 individual and $40.00 institutional. Canadian orders add $5.00; outside the U.S. or Canada, add $10.00. Single copy rates are $3.00 to individuals and $4.50 to institutions (orders outside the U.S. add $1.00 postage). All orders must be prepaid in U.S. dollars.

Printed in U.S.A. Copyright 2011, Texas Academy of General Dentistry, Round Rock, TX.

No portion of TexasGP may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the TAGD. The opinions expressed by TexasGP are not necessarily endorsed by the TAGD. The publication of an advertisement in TexasGP does not indicate endorsement for products and services. TAGD/AGD approval for continuing education courses or course sponsors will be clearly stated.

TAGD 512-244-0577 877-464-8243 (Toll-free) 512-244-0476 (Fax) www.tagd.org

AGD 888-243-3368 www.agd.org

ADA 800-621-8099 www.ada.org

TDA 800-832-1145 www.tda.org

TSBDE 512-463-6400 www.tsbde.state.tx.us

Important Contacts

Information change request:Send your new address, phone, fax and e-mail to [email protected]

NEXT ISSUE:

TAGD CALENDAR

J O U R N A L O F T H E T E X A S A C A D E M Y O F G E N E R A L D E N T I S T R Y

Dental Fillins .....................................................................................4

President's Message ...........................................................................5

Pearls of Wisdom ................................................................................6

A Dental Student's Perspective ...........................................................7

TAGD Calendar Update .....................................................................10

Component Update ..........................................................................11

F A L L 2 0 1 1

12Medicaid Update

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

Thank you for your support of the Jack T. Clark Foundation!

11

2011 Lone Star Dental Conference

8 & 9


During a conversation which seems like it just happened yesterday, Jeff Roy

invited me to attend a Dallas AGD board meeting. Not knowing what I was getting into, I naively went thinking I would check things out. Bam! I’m on the DAGD board. “Andrew,” Jeff says, “you have to go to TDA Legislative Day.” So I went. Now here I am, years later, writing my first editorial, follow-ing in the footsteps of Jeff Roy yet again. Participating in organized dentistry has really made such an incredible impact on me professionally and personally. So, thank you. I have some really big footsteps to follow with Dr. Roy being recognized na-tionally for his work on the TexasGP, win-ning the ACE award at the AGD Annual Meeting in San Diego this past summer.

Depending on the practice model we have chosen, we all have a different perspective to bring to the table. Your TAGD is work-ing hard to advocate for you and your pa-tients in the ever changing world of health care. There is a TAGD presence at most important meetings such as Medicaid stakeholders meeting and state board meet-ings. The AGD and TAGD are your voice as a general dentist. Through ongoing ef-forts we make sure we have a seat at the table.

My goal as editor is to give you insight on what is going on with your Texas Academy of General Dentistry. We are able to work in such an amazing profession because of constant vigilance and hard work of some outstanding, dedicated individuals. Im-mediate past president, Craig Armstrong, was really instrumental in kicking off and

promoting the advocacy message to our members. For the upcoming year, we are certainly in capable hands with incoming president, Joey Cazares, who is addressing the members in this issue.

TAGD is celebrating it’s 50th anniversary this year. And just like everything in Texas, we did it big. Texas was recognized nation-ally as the Constituent of the Year. The New Dentist Committee organized and hosted the first-ever Texas New Dentist Confer-ence. We all got our CE on in Austin at the Lone Star Dental Conference. Ralph Cool-ey is helping to increase public awareness for our Jack T. Clark Foundation. Jamie Bone established the Master Study Club with the help of Jeff Geno. All three dental schools have active FellowTrack programs. Craig Armstrong and others led a num-ber of Town Hall meetings throughout the state to increase awareness of advocacy issues.

Congratulations to this year’s Texas Den-tist of the Year winner, Warren Branch and New Dentist of the Year, Ensy Atarod. The slate of nominees was truly outstanding. Thank you all for what you do. We are all better for it.

On a personal note, I was really happy to see and visit with two of my “heroes” from dental school in San Antonio at this year’s Lone Star Dental Conference - Dentist of the Year nominee James Summitt and Maria Howell. It was great to see you both again. It made my day. Also, I would like to recognize my newest partner at work, DAGD President Shane Ricci, on being nominated for New Dentist of the Year and

also for receiving the TAGD Leader-ship Award.

This issue of the TexasGP is the first to feature a student editorial. Robbie Davis is a third year dental student at Baylor and an active FellowTrack participant.

One of the most rewarding things you can benefit from as a member is being able to network with other AGD members. Your local components have a number of con-tinuing education opportunities for you this year. San Antonio started a popular new Back to Basics CE series. Dallas hosts a Fellowship Review Course annually. If you can’t make it, TAGD also offers the course online. Now is the perfect time to work towards your next award – FAGD, MAGD or LLSR. Jack T. Clark Founda-tion offers numerous volunteer opportuni-ties throughout the year in all corners of the state.

Remember, this is your organization and your profession. Be active and involved. The time of practicing in isolation is over. Dentistry is changing whether we like it or not. Learn the advocacy issues, earn your Fellowship or Mastership, recruit a new member, join your local AGD board, and donate to the advocacy and Jack T. Clark funds.

Your questions and comments are welcome. Please contact me at: [email protected].

DENTAL FILLINS • Perspective

Andrew Lazaris, DDS, FAGD

Spotlight on the preSidentDr. Cazares, congratulations on being the new President of TAGD. Tell us a little about yourself and your family so that the members can get to know you personally.I am an Aggie, class of 1981 and a 1985 graduate of Baylor College of Dentistry.

I am married to Arlene and have a college

sophomore daughter, Ali; a high school sophomore son; Bryan; and two-year old twins, little Joey and Arlene.

Do you have any hobbies? What do you do in your spare time?My hobbies include playing the piano and motorcycles. I like both street bikes, dirt bikes and ATVs. We often plan family out-ings together. Everyone has something to

ride. I also have a beach buggy that I enjoy taking my twins on their daily ride around the neighborhood. I say "Buggy", and they run out the door.

How did you become involved in AGD/TAGD?I became a member right out of dental school, but really became active when Dr. Roberto Diaz and Dr. Tim Brann asked me to help them "revive" our local chapter,

5Fall 2011

As I begin my year as President of this great organization, I first want to thank

my wife Arlene for never leaving my side during the last few years as I encountered some very rough times. When I was on the verge of giving up, she kept me motivated, being my inspiration for continuing on. Now, I feel as strong as ever, physically and emotionally.

As maybe the only person in the history of TAGD that has served as TAGD President-elect twice, I have had the unique opportu-nity of serving under two great Presidents, Dr. Craig Armstrong and Dr. Dan McCau-ley. The spark and fire that Dr. Armstrong has in everything he does, and the never-ending visions of Dr. McCauley will help shape my upcoming year.

I will always remember the great accom-plishments and vision of those who have come before me. I was inducted as Presi-dent the same weekend as the 50th an-niversary celebration of the Texas AGD

during the Lone Star Conference. I was honored to have been able to meet many past leaders of the TAGD; especially impres-sive was Dr. Sam Rogers. To be able to talk about our current issues in dentistry with him, only to find out that the he faced many of those same issues during his time was surprising. Decisions that were made during his terms years ago have molded our profession into what it is today. I thank all those past leaders for their dedication and foresight. I tend to carry on those same visions into the start of the next 50 years of the TAGD.

Advocacy is currently a big component of the Texas Academy of General Dentist-ry. TAGD will continue to be a voice for general dentistry at the Capitol in Austin to ensure that not only the issues of the general dentist are heard, but to have our legislators understand that we do truly have the best interests of the patient at hand. Once that is communicated, we will no doubt be more effective.

Access to Care is another issue where TAGD will continue to be at the table. We will be at every front, advocating the values, eth-ics and professionalism that TAGD stands for. We will not compromise on those stan-dards. All Texans need the best trained dentists providing irreversible dental proce-dures. We will not allow our fellow man to be treated by providers who are less trained, less knowledgeable and less competent.

The Jack T. Clark foundation will become more of a household name this year. The

Foundation has a new mission - oral health care for all cancer patients. We had a very suc-cessful weekend in my hometown of McAllen. A CE program, presented by Dr. Catherine Flaitz and Dr. Ri-cardo Padilla, for dentists, physicians and their respective teams was provided. Ap-proximately 90 people were in attendance. About 200 attended a social fundraiser that evening, and 175 members of the public came for oral cancer screenings the next morning. Working with Renaissance Hos-pital, oral surgeons and physicians was the key to the success of this event. I hope to see this replicated in all parts of Texas. See our message on YouTube at JTC Foundation.

Increasing membership is always a goal of the TAGD. We will continue to preach the value of becoming a member of the Texas AGD. I am happy to announce the addi-tion of a new component of the TAGD, the South Texas Academy of General Dentistry based in the Corpus Christi area. Congrat-ulations to the dentists of that area who had the vision and acted on it.

I am honored to serve you, the members of the Texas Academy of General Dentistry. I will do my part to help propel TAGD into the next 50 years. I cannot do it alone. I will need all of you to help preserve the great profession that we enjoy today and be ambassadors for the TAGD.Dr. Joey Cazares with TAGD Past Presidents, Dr. Rene

Rosas and Dr. Sam Rogers

Joey Cazares, DDS, FAGD

the RGV AGD. We worked very hard at it, and actually won the first ever Component of the Year award from the Texas AGD. Afterward, I was nominated to serve a one-year term on the TAGD board. I then served on the Texas Dental Association Board of Directors and once that was completed returned to the TAGD Board of Directors.

Tell us about your dental practice.I practice in my hometown of McAllen, with two satellite offices, one in La Joya and one in Mercedes. There are a total of five dentists working within the three of-fices.

I treat patients of all ages, but I do have more an emphasis on adult care, but I do enjoy the little ones.

What other organizations are you involved in?I am a board member of Dentists Who Care. I am the only original board member that is still serving 15 years later. I have served as Treasurer and President. As dentists, we have volunteered close to $2 million dollars of care within that time span. We hold a golf tournament and a Charity Dental Conference annually.

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT


Every state or national dental meeting has multiple practice management pro-grams on the agenda. Inevitably, these are among the most well-attended seminars at the meeting. You will find common themes throughout many of these courses: improve your recall system, your case presentations, follow-up systems, phone skills, scheduling, marketing, etc. Den-tists and their teams leave most of these programs excited for all of the changes they are going to make and over time the excitement and the follow-through wanes. You don’t leave the programs, though, with any concrete changes to implement nor true idea of the financial implications of their suggestions.

However, the best systems in the world are only as effective as the dentistry that was diagnosed and of which the patient was educated. Even the best office manager or schedule coordinator cannot put patients on the books for treatment that wasn’t diagnosed. The goal of this series of articles is to open doctors’ and staff’s eyes to all the dentistry that is right in front of them. There is so much dentistry that is available to do on your current patient pool and so many under-utilized treatment procedures and codes it is astounding. In each article of this series we will discuss one or two treatments or practice management sug-gestions that you can utilize the second you put down the article. We will look at the financial implications of each and ex-

trapolate the results over the typical dental career.

Each of the tips will be accompanied by clinical photos or case reports to support the concept. The goal is that every idea turns into a win-win situation. It is amaz-ing how thorough, thoughtful dentistry not only turns out to be best for the patient, but also adds to the production of the practice. We will discuss concepts that benefit the patient, protects the den-tistry you perform and enhances everyone’s quality of life by decreasing patient’s chair time and adding to your bottom line.

Let us begin with your hygiene depart-ment and available treatment that can be produced. In the vast majority of practices in the United States, patients receive pro-phylaxes twice a year. In a typical practice, dentists obtain radiographs once a year; the question is what form do these updat-ed radiographs take? If yours is like most practices, you perform 4 horizontal bitew-ings, which look something like this:

This is the classic four bitewing series, ADA code D0274. What do you notice as you look, however, at this next series of radio-graphs?

Here we see anterior teeth and we can see much further apically. This is the 7 vertical bitewing series. This series not only helps us examine the upper and lower anterior teeth, but also shows us the crestal bone in much greater depth and detail. Compare the vertical bitewing of the #3 and 30 areas to the horizontal radiographs of the same area. It is clear how deep the periodontal defect is. You cannot appreciate this on the horizontal bitewing.

This series of radiographs is better for the patient as it gives us more diagnostic in-formation. It turns out that we can charge, and insurance pays, more for this series of radiographs. This is the definition of a win-win situation; better diagnostic infor-mation benefits the patient’s oral health; a greater fee benefits the practice. Let us examine the immediate impact the imple-mentation of 7 vertical bitewings can have for your practice.

Our calculation is based on the following assumptions: 8 hygiene patients a day (we will assume ½ of the patients in a typical day are due for radiographs), 200 hygiene days a year, a fee difference between 4 bite-wings and 7 vertical bitewings of $30. You can, of course, plug your own numbers into this equation:

Our Calculation:

4 (one half number of hygiene patients a day)

x 200 (hygiene days a year)

x $30 (fee difference between 4 BW’s & 7 VBW’s)

_________

$24,000 increased production by converting to 7

vertical bitewings.

By simply changing your protocol so that you take 7 vertical bitewings instead of 4 bitewings, you can easily generate an extra $24,000 in production per year in our example. This doesn’t even take into consideration the difference in diagnostic information and increased treatment you will find during your exams. This calcula-

PEARLS OF WISDOM

By Chris Perry, DMD,

FAGD

7Fall 2011

tion is based on the conservative assump-tions of 8 hygiene patients per day and a fee difference of $30 between the two series. For many of you this increased produc-tion will be many times this amount. Ex-trapolated over the average 35 year career of a dentist, this would result in an extra $840,000 in production with this same set of conservative assumptions and no fee increase. This is certainly a nice start for a

comfortable retirement.

This is the first of a number of suggestions we will present over the coming series of articles. In the next issue, we will step back and start where all patient relationships begin: the new patient experience. We will discuss how to maximize this critical event and make it more financially pro-ductive and decrease the lost overhead of

new patient no-shows. As we progress over the series we will speak about specific treatments, under-utilized ADA codes such as D0277 above, and missed diag-noses that will add production and profit-ability. Until next time, open your eyes to the possibilities.The TAGD does not necessarily endorse opinions or statements contained in articles or editorials published in the TexasGP.

A Dental Student's PerspectiveThe schedule didn’t look that busy. Class from 8:00-9:50, endo on tooth #27 at 10:00, and a PFM crown prep on #19 at 1:00. However, things never go exactly as planned.

By the time I got my chair set up for endo, it was 10:15. I seated my patient and got start checks by 10:30. After my access, working length, cleaning, shaping, and obturation, it was 12:15. I temporized with IRM and released the patient by 12:40. After clean-up, instrument return, new in-strument checkout, and new chair set-up (with no lunch break), I started #19 at 1:45.

By 3:00 I’d finished the prep and spent the next hour making a Caulk temporary. I took my final PVS impression at 4:10 with anesthesia wearing off and praying I cap-tured all the margins. The patient was dis-missed at 4:25, just five minutes before the clinic closed.

If there’s one thing that dental school has taught me, it’s that you’re always running behind. Procedures take longer than you think they will. You have to remake a tem-porary. An emergency patient comes in. Your scheduled patient comes in 15 min-utes late. The further behind you get, the harder you try to get back on schedule. However, as dentists we cannot sacrifice

patient care for the sake of saving time. We have to learn how to work under pres-sure, to be under time constraints, and to juggle multiple responsibilities all in a day’s work.

Though a canine endo and a single unit crown may not seem like much, it was a challenge for me. I was hungry and ex-hausted, but I believe that I’m better be-cause of it. Dental school not only trains students to fill teeth and prep crowns but also how to manage time and work under pressure. Here’s to the busy days.

Robert DavisD3, Baylor College of Dentistry


Lone Star DentaL ConferenCe

Drs. Eugene Allen, Rusty Schlattman, 1. Past TAGD ED Bertha Harris, Drs. Kevin Seidler, John Chandler and Mike Stuart at the anniversary luncheon

Dr. Kevin Seidler receives the TAGD 2. humanitarian award

CenTex AGD leaders, Drs. Jerry Katz and 3. Marc Worob at Dr. Brucia's workshop.

Dental school buddies, Dr. T. Bob Davis 4. and AGD President Dr. Howard Gamble

Our 2011 New Dentist of the Year nomi-5. nees along with the 2011 award winner Dr. Ensy Atarod and the 2010 recipient, Dr. Josh Austin

Everyone's favorite afternoon ice cream 6. break during Lone Star

Dr. Jeff Roy receives the President's 7. Award at the Leadership Reception

TAGD's past and present executive 8. directors, Bertha Harris, Linda Doll (ED of Houston AGD), Connie Sonnier, and Ginny Newton

TAGD past presidents, Drs. Mike Stuart, 9. Sam Rogers and Rene Rosas

Dr. Carlos Garcia receives the President's 10. Award

JTCF Chair, Dr. Ralph Cooley accepts 11. donations from TAGD's components

Dr. Tor Gotun at Dr. Brucia's workshop 12.

Dr. Gary Jennings and Dr. Wayde Fawcett 13. at the 3D Imaging workshop

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9Fall 2011

texaS DentiSt of the Year GaLa

DOY recipients Drs. Bill Robbins, 1. Warren Branch, Leighton Wier and Glenn Walters

TAGD board member, Dr. Paige Sohn 2. with Dr. Steven Bender and Dallas AGD President, Dr. Shane Ricci

Past TAGD board member, Dr. Donna 3.

Miller with K. Paul HoltA guest with DOY nominees Dr. John 4. Shultz and Dr. Xochitl Anderton

Dr. Dath Collins with his wife, alongside 5. past JTCF Chair, Dr. Catherine Flaitz; and TAGD past president Dr. Cindy Flanagan

TAGD President, Dr. Joey Cazares with 6.

his family Some of our 2011 Texas Dentist of the 7. Year nominees

TDA Executive Director Mary Kay Linn, 8. alongside Drs. Warren Branch, TDA President, Preston Coleman; TDA im-mediate past president, Ron Rhea; and TAGD immediate past president, Craig

ArmstrongTAGD's 2011 Board of Directors joined by 9. AGD President, Dr. Howard Gamble; and TAGD Executive Director Connie Sonnier.

UT Dental School Dean, Dr. John Valenza 10. with Jack T. Clark Chairman, Dr. Ralph Cooley and guests

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2 0 1 1 L o n e S t a r D e n t a L C o n f e r e n C eC e L e b r a t i n g 5 0 Y e a r S o f a D v a n C i n g e x C e L L e n C e

Thank you to our sponsors for your support!!!

thank You for Joining uS

Save the Date for next Year!September 13 - 15, 2012

11Fall 2011

Jack T. Clark Foundation

September has been a month of great support and success for the Jack T. Clark Foundation. On September 15 and 16 the Foundation held its an-nual silent auction in conjunction with the Lone Star Dental Conference in Austin, Texas. Shortly after, the Rio Grande Valley AGD hosted a three-event weekend benefitting the Founda-tion. These consecutive events brought in not only an incredible outpouring of support but also a cumulative amount of more than $35,000 for the Founda-tion.

Lone Star Dental Conference Silent AuctionThis year marked the largest silent auction to date with more than 50 amazing items up for bid. From week-end getaways, fine jewelry, wine and sports memorabilia, the auction con-tained a full spectrum of must-have items. In previous years, the silent auction was only available to attendees of the Lone Star Dental Conference. However, this year’s auction offered the opportunity for all TAGD members to get in on the action with the debut of the Foundation’s first-ever online auction where a select number of fea-tured auction items opened for early bidding.

The bidding then continued with a “live” silent auction at Texas AGD’s annual meeting, finally concluding at the Texas Dentist of the Year Gala on Friday, September 16. Throughout the entire auction 150 bidders made nearly 350 bids ultimately raising more than $11,000.

Fundraising Weekend in the ValleyThe Rio Grande Valley AGD also host-ed a weekend of even greater success for the Foundation with the help of the Cancer Center at Renaissance. The CE course “Overview of Oral Cancer for the Health Care Provider,” presented by Dr. Catherine Flaitz and Dr. Ricardo Padilla, kicked off the weekend. The course brought 88 dentists, MDs and medical team members together in sup-port of oral health education.

Following the CE course was a night of live music and some of the finest restaurants in the valley at the “Taste of McAllen” fundraiser, hosted at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Joey Cazares. More than 150 people showed up in support. Their monetary donations and bids in the McAllen silent auction totaled nearly $16,000. The McAllen weekend wrapped up with a free oral cancer screening event at the Cancer Center at Renaissance. On Saturday, October 1, volunteers screened ap-proximately 165 individuals. Of those screened 47, or about 28%, had some kind of suspicious area or need for follow-up care demonstrating the con-tinuing need for oral health awareness. The McAllen weekend extravaganza brought in a collective amount of nearly $25,000 entirely benefitting the Jack T. Clark Foundation.

Thank You!Never has the need for oral cancer awareness been so prevalent and the Jack T. Clark Foundation strives to be the driving force for supporting the oral health for all Texans affected by cancer. The Foundation would like to thank all donors and bidders who participated in these two weekend events. The im-mense support and dedication to oral cancer awareness from our recent events will aid the Foundation in continuing its mission and providing even more support for the Foundation’s efforts in oral health.


Texas AGD Advocacy Fund

Because no other organization solely represents the interests of

general dentists in Texas

Whether it is a discussion regarding the use of mid-level providers, changes in Medic-aid reimbursement rates, in-surance fees, or government regulations, it is essential our perspective is heard. Just one misguided law or regulation can have a major impact on your ability to provide ser-vices, the cost of running your practice, and even the quality of patient care. Your finan-cial investment is needed to help continue effective rep-resentation of Texas general dentists.

Visit www.tagd.org to donate today.

Shoulder to Shoulder

The Health and Human Services Com-mission (HHSC) has announced three tentative contract awards for Texas Med-icaid and the Children's' Health Insurance Program (CHIP). These providers include:

Delta Dental1. DentaQuest USA Insurance Com-2. pany, Inc.MCNA Insurance Company3.

HHSC will soon post the dates for sched-uled educational events around the state for affected families and providers.

According to State Dental Director Dr. Linda Altenhoff current Medicaid provid-ers should either begin to contact these

health plans directly or sign letters of in-tent with one of these three companies.

HHSC submitted a request for proposals last year after a managed care delivery sys-tem was suggested to the legislature as a possible means of cost savings. The legisla-ture has since directed the commission to move forward with this plan, and the state plans to transition to a managed care deliv-ery system for Dental Medicaid and CHIP dental services as of March 1, 2012.

Texas AGD submitted questions to HHSC and suggested particular changes to the proposed contracts in January, and will continue to inform members of any up-dates.

Reminder: Supporting Documentation Required for Orthodontic Services Prior Authorization RequestsInformation posted October 14, 2011

Before TMHP will consider an orthodon-tic prior authorization request based on medical need, providers must submit all required supporting documentation with the prior authorization request. If any of the required supporting documentation is not included with the request, TMHP will deny the request and notify the pro-vider that the request is incomplete.

In addition to a completed THSteps Dental Mandatory Prior Authorization Request form, the following supporting documentation must be included with all requests for orthodontic services:

An orthodontic treatment plan•Cephalometric radiograph with trac-•ing modelsCompleted and scored Handicapping •Labio-lingual Deviation (HLD) sheet with diagnosis of Angle class (except for crossbite therapy)Facial photographs•

Full series of radiographs or a pan-•oramic radiographDiagnostic casts (dental models) (re-•quired as of October 1, 2011)

Note: Providers must submit diagnostic casts as of October 1, 2011. Copies of the cepha-lometric radiographs with tracing models, facial photographs, and radiographs will be accepted. All required supporting documen-tation must be submitted together in one package. Diagnostic models, radiographs, and any other paper diagnostic tools submit-ted to TMHP will be returned to the sub-mitting provider.

If any of the supporting documentation is not received in one package with the prior authorization request, or if the request is submitted with damaged diagnostic mod-els, TMHP will deny the request for ser-vices and notify the provider the request has been denied as incomplete. If the re-quest is returned to TMHP with all the re-quired supporting documentation in one package, TMHP will consider the request based on medical need. For more infor-mation, call the TMHP THSteps Dental Inquiries department at 1-800-568-2460.

TAGD Advocacy • Texas Medicaid UpdateThe Voice of the General Dentist

13Fall 2011

TAGD & COMPONENT CALENDARTuesday, November 22Fort Worth AGDUpdates and Overview of Head & Neck Carcinomaw/ Dr. Yadro DucicReata Restaurant • Fort Worth

-------------2012-------------

Thursday, January 5San Antonio AGDBack to Basics - Session 3Two Approaches to Diagnosis and Treatment Planningw/ Dr. Jack Shirley & Dr. Bill RobbinsAldino’s Restaurant • San Antonio

Thursday - SaturdayJanuary 12-14Dallas County Dental SocietySouthwest Dental ConferenceDallas, TX

Friday, January 27Panhandle AGDRestorative Dentistryw/ Dr. Allen AtlasAmarillo

Friday, January 27Texas AGD – Southeast TXImplants in the Esthetic Zone & Occlusion Made Simplew/ Dr. Jack Shirley Beaumont

Thursday, February 9San Antonio AGDBack to Basics - Session 4The Perio vs. Endo Debatew/ Dr. Rick Schwartz & Dr. Clint FalkPappadeaux’s • San Antonio

Friday, February 17CenTex AGDThe Expansion of Esthetic Visionw/ Dr. David SarverUT Commons Learning CenterAustin

Friday, February 17Houston AGDWhat’s Hot and Getting Hotterw/ Dr. Howard GlazerHilton Westchase • Houston

Thursday, March 15San Antonio AGDBack to Basics - Session 5Resident’s Round Tablew/ the Wilford Hall AEGD ResidentsLa Fonda • San Antonio

Thursday - Saturday March 29 - 31Greater Houston Dental SocietyStar of the South Dental MeetingHouston, TX

Friday, April 13Panhandle AGDPractice Managementw/ Dr. Roger LevinAmarillo, TX

Thursday - Sunday, May 3 - 6Texas Dental AssociationTEXAS MeetingSan Antonio, TX

Thursday – Saturday, June 7 - 10TAGD MasterTrackRemovable Prosthodonticsw/ Dr. Joseph MassadOrthodonticsw/ Dr. David JacksonOmni Southpark • Austin

Friday & Saturday, June 8 & 9New Dentist ConferenceRemovable Prosthodonticsw/ Dr. Joseph MassadOmni Southpark • Austin, TX

Thursday – SaturdaySeptember 13 - 15TAGD Lone Star Dental ConferenceAT&T Conference Center • Austin, TX

Friday, October 5Panhandle AGDPediatrics for the GPw/ Dr. Greg PsaltisAmarillo, TX

Thursday – Sunday, November 8 - 11TAGD MasterTrackFixed Prosthodontics & Oral MedicineOmni Southpark • Austin

For more information or to register for the courses listed

call the TAGD at 512-244-0577 or visit

www.tagd.org

TAGD Online Courses

Fellowship Exam Review Course •

Oral Cancer, Precancer & Differential Diagnosis of • Common Oral Lesions

Advanced Rejuvenation •

OSHA Update •

Blood-borne Pathogens Annual Training and HIPAA • Reminders

Attend CE from the Comfort of your homeCan’t make it to a meeting? TAGD offers CE online! Visit web site and click “TAGD Online CE" under the Continuing Education tab.


TAGD COMPONENTS ARE ON THE GO!Featured Components:

CenTex AGDCongratulations to CenTex AGD for re-ceiving the 2011 CE Award of Excellence at the Leadership Reception held during the Lone Star Dental Conference. They earned this award for their innovation creating a new CE model, bringing in renowned in-terdisciplinary speakers such as Dr. Dennis Tarnow and Dr. David Sarver, and creating courses that are marketed toward general dentists and their referring specialists.

CenTex AGD board of directors have been working hard and are busy as ever work-ing on this large-scale series as well as their dinner Wine and CE series, with Dr. Eric Rindler and Dr. Bill Robbins. In addition to their ongoing CE courses, CenTex AGD has also continued their quarterly happy hours to offer members a fun and relaxing chance to get together.

Dallas AGDSpecial recognition was given this year to DAGD President, Dr. Shane Ricci during

the Leadership Reception. AGD Regional Director, Dr. David Tillman awarded Dr. Ricci with the TAGD Leadership Award for not only the work he has done for the Dallas component but also his work with the New Dentist Conference and his vol-unteerism with the Texas AGD.

Dallas AGD continues to maintain and grow the vital programs they have throughout the year. The Baylor Fel-lowTrack continues to expand each month and is now held in the dental school and the DAGD continues to provide one of only three live Fellowship Exam Review Courses in the country. The course is held every year in the fall so be sure to check for 2012 dates.

El Paso AGDEl Paso AGD is working to bring CE to members in the area. They held a "Man-agement of Dental Office Emergencies & Enteral Sedation Renewal" presented by Dr. David Canfield this past April and will soon host a dental technology course with Dr. Eugene Antenucci. Check the TAGD web site for details.

Fort Worth AGDFort Worth AGD has provided a steady stream of continuing education courses for their membership for the last few years. Dinner CE meetings are held just about every other month and larger, full-day Fri-day meetings are scheduled quarterly. Fort Worth AGD will also host Dr. Carl Misch early next year to offer general dentists, and specialists, a great interdisciplinary course.

Houston AGDThere's been a lot of activity in Houston for the past few months. The HAGD has provided members with CE opportu-nities from renowned speakers including Dr. Carl Misch, Dr. Howard Farran and next February they will have a course presented by Dr. Howard Glazer. Be

sure to visit Houston AGD's web site www.HoustonAGD.com for all of the lat-est news and events.

HAGD also has their FellowTrack course up and running gearing up for another successful school year. Special thanks to Dr. Gabriel Yammine, Dr. Jeff Geno and Dr. Veronique Delattre for all of their help growing this great program.

Panhandle AGDPanhandle AGD is bringing lots of big speakers to Amarillo. Teaming up with the hygiene school they've held very successful courses over the last few years. Panhandle AGD recently had Dr. Eric Rindler travel to the panhandle for a successful periodontic lecture and the component has their 2012 schedule set bringing renowned speakers like Dr. Allen Atlas, Dr. Roger Levin and Dr. Greg Psaltis.

Rio Grande Valley AGD

The Rio Grande Valley AGD was awarded for their grassroots advocacy efforts with TAGD's Golden Root Award that was pre-sented to them at the Leadership Recep-tion. RGV AGD has done an outstand-ing job keeping members informed and involved at the local level through many activities including participating in TDA's Legislative Day, as well as or their own vis-its to the Capitol, and supporting their leg-islators by hosting local fundraisers.

The Rio Grande Valley AGD recently went above and beyond in support of the Jack T. Clark Foundation. The component held one of the most successful CE and fund-raising events to date for the Foundation,

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helping to raise over $25,000 in just one weekend. The events included a CE course, presented by Dr. Catherine Flaitz and Dr. Ricardo Padilla, which was attended by over 85 dentists, medical doctors and staff. The day continued with a party hosted by Dr. and Mrs. Joey Cazares who hosted over 150 guests, offering them tastings from McAllen's top restaurants and a silent auc-tion. The weekend concluded with an oral cancer screening event held at the Cancer Center at Renaissance where over 165 peo-ple were given free oral cancer screenings by volunteers.

River District AGDThe River District area is in the midst of a resurgence. On Friday, October 21 the component hosted a CE course presented by Dr. Tor Gotun. This was one of the first CE events held in the last few years in this area and thanks to Dr. David Crowe's help members were able to reconnect and dis-cuss what type of events they would like to have for their component. New meetings will be scheduled soon as this component gets back on track.

San Antonio AGDSan Antonio AGD has done an outstand-ing job of diversifying their component activities. Their first FellowTrack session of the year started off with a bang, having 90 juniors and seniors in attendance. SA AGD has also had many supporters of the Back to Basics CE series, a five-session continuum covering a wide range of subjects for gen-eral dentists. All proceeds from the 2010-2011 series were split between TAGD's Ad-vocacy Fund and the Fisher House which

is a home-away-from-home for the families of seriously ill or injured patients receiving treatment at Wilford Hall Medical Center, a major Air Force medical facility. This year all proceeds from the Back To Basics series will be donated to the Jack T. Clark Foun-dation and the San Antonio Police Officers Association.

For all of their great activities, SA AGD was the recipient of our two top compo-nent awards; Component of the Year and SA AGD President, Dr. Jennifer Bone, re-ceived the Component Leader of the Year award.

South East Texas AGDAnother component that is currently work-ing toward reactivation is the South East Texas AGD. The group recently hosted a happy hour in conjunction with a CE meet-ing held by the South East Texas District

Dental Society. Early next year the group will have a course with Dr. Jack Shirley who will present "Implants in the Esthetic Zone" and "Occlusion Made Simple."

South Texas AGDThe Corpus Christi AGD has undergone some big changes! After reorganizing and reinvigorating the component it officially returns as the South Texas AGD.

Through this new component the Corpus Christi area will now be able to provide mem-bers with the quality continuing education courses TAGD is known for on a continual basis. Members and leadership can also get back to enjoying camaraderie between members, and have a voice within the orga-nization and legislatively.

During one of their first meetings an officer installation was held, led by TAGD pres-ident-elect, Dr. Mark Peppard who intro-duced the new South Texas AGD officers:

President..................... Dr. Dempsey SpeerPresident-Elect............ Dr. Ted ThompsonSecretary/Treasurer................ Dr. Ben VelaDirector......................... Dr. John BaucumDirector............................ Dr. Fred PhilipsMembership Chair.......... Dr. J. R. Valadez

ST AGD has already held its first successful meeting when they had Dr. Nasser Barghi present a CE course on October 21 with many more to come.

We have got a surprise in store for our members! Check the TAGD web site in December to see some BIG changes.

Texas Academy of General Dentistry409 West Main StreetRound Rock, TX 78664

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

1. Choose your interestsCheck any areas of interest that you would like to know more

about or participate in:

Educational Programs Fellowship/Mastership Award

Advocacy Networking Leadership/Involvement

Jack T. Clark Foundation/Volunteering

Other:___________________________________________

2. tell us about you

Name______________________________________________

Address____________________________________________

City, State, Zip_______________________________________

Phone______-______-________ Fax______-______-_______

E-mail______________________________________

Date of Birth _______/_______/_________ M F

License #_______________ Year of Graduation*___________

Dental School___________________________ New Dentist?*

*If you graduated less than five years ago your dues are less (see

special rates on the right)

type of Practice - Check all that apply Solo Associateship Group

Federal Services (specify)____________________________

Specialist (specify)__________________________________

3. send in your application and duesIf you sign up now the rest of 2011 is free and all of 2012 will be covered!2012 Academy Dues - State & National ..................$546

Student Dues............................................................$16

Or New Dentist Special Dues Rates - State & National 2011/1st year Graduate or Resident ........$ 151 2010 Graduate .................................................$ 254 2009 Graduate .................................................$ 365

2008 Graduate .................................................$ 475

Local Component Dues $_________Dues vary by component area, see chart

Total Amount Due $___________Payment information Check Enclosed (Payable to Texas AGD)

Discover Master Card Visa

Card #__________-____________-___________-___________

Card Expiration Date________/_________

Signature___________________________________________

2012 Texas AGD Membership Application

Mail or fax your completed form to: Texas Academy of General Dentistr y • 409 West Main Street • Round Rock, TX 78664 • Fax 512-244-0476

Brazos Valley AGD..............$25

Central Texas AGD.............$45

Dallas AGD...........................$45

East Texas AGD...................$25

El Paso AGD.........................$10

Fort Worth AGD.................$40

Heart of Texas AGD..........$15

Panhandle AGD..................$ 0

Rio Grande Valley AGD....$40

San Antonio AGD..............$50

Houston AGD.....................$50

2011 Graduate..................$25

2010 Graduate..................$35

2009 Graduate..................$45

Join us in Celebrating 50 Years of Advancing Excellence

TAGD GP Fall 2011

Documents

Transcript of TAGD GP Fall 2011