KDA Today

KDA Today

For Immediate Release

Date: Oct 22nd, 2018
Contact: Mr. Richard Whitehouse
Phone: 800-292-1855
Email: kda@kyda.org

I told her I was leaving the house to get milk…

The following are my remarks to the 2018 KDA House of Delegates:

Good morning. Please allow me to thank the council on annual sessions and its members for their efforts in planning our annual meeting; our officers, members, and staff for their support and hard work on behalf of organized dentistry year in and year out; and Ansley, for her service in what has been an incredibly busy year as well as her effort in involving upcoming KDA leaders in our political dialog and engagement. She has worked tirelessly to communicate our work to members and brought tremendous energy to the many issues of importance to them. Bill, as you prepare to take the reins, know that you have some big pumps to fill.

I would be remiss and in trouble at home, if I didn’t thank my wife, Vivien for putting up with me through these adventures. I told her I was leaving the house to get milk…and now, it’s been four years. And, to my son, Jordan and his girlfriend, Chelsea for adding some much-needed excitement (and Sparkle) to our exhibit hall.

It is said that the pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails. So, how have we, as an organization, been realists in the face of some pretty ill wind?

A lot of our members aren’t happy with what’s happening around them. In the last few years, organized dentistry has faced both challenges and threats. But, those of you in this room know that this is not the time to jump ship. More than ever, dentists need organized dentistry. It is dentistry’s best chance to have a voice on issues impacting both you and your patients.

So, let’s talk about where we’re headed. Our course is determined by our strategic plan and four goals guide us in helping our members pursue their mission of helping members succeed and serve.

KDA Leads Through the Tri-Partite Structure

Continuing with nautical references, Kathy O’Loughlin and Craig Busey came to one of our meetings this year and spoke about board governance. In reconciling the different responsibilities of board versus staff, they likened this to steering versus rowing. I thank the board for their leadership and good steering. But, at this time, I would ask that you recognize our own Kentucky Dental Association Rowing team, Todd Edwards, Janet Glover and Melissa Nathanson.

And, I am very grateful for our support from the national end of the tripartite. We have enjoyed a lot of support from them – especially this year. But, for too long, I think it was easy to just assume folks in the components across the state were doing fine, if we didn’t hear otherwise. But, we know that is not always the case. Some are doing great. But, others are in trouble - often because of declining membership.

Our component societies are a critical part of our functioning as an organization. And, unless each of the points of the tri-partite are functioning properly, we’re kind of like that bad shopping cart you see at the market with the one wobbly wheel. Dr. Moats surveyed the component societies to determine exactly what they need. I suspect that information will guide our judgment moving forward. But, know that you’re not alone and that we’re here to help.

KDA Promotes Oral Health

We have encouraged and provided testimony, articles and research. We have donated toothbrushes & supported student dentists. We helped the National Oral Health Conference come to Louisville this year. We attended meetings for the KY Oral Health Plan. And, we are involved in education through Smile Kentucky! as well as periodically responding to calls to ban fluoride from the public water system. Many of you have donated time through vans, clinics and, of course, service to KDA. All these things promote good oral health. And, sometimes promotion of oral health requires advocacy.

KDA Advocates for Dentistry

I get a lot of calls from people who are unhappy with the direction of things in dentistry. People want to know what KDA is going to do about it. The truth is we can’t do anything without the work and support of members like you who take the time to participate in their own profession and serve something larger than themselves.

The phrase “united we stand, divided we fall” is a notion that comes to mind often. It can be traced back to the Revolutionary War; but of course, it is best known today as the motto for the state of Kentucky. The origin for the concept of strength in unity began with one of Aesop’s Fables in which we learned that sticks are easily broken one-by-one. But, bundled together, this becomes much more difficult to do. So, unison gives strength. Certainly, unity is a force multiplier in advocacy. It starts with people like you who are willing to sit in a ballroom on a Sunday morning to take part in the governance of this organization. But, we must follow through with involvement, beginning at the component level, right on through to events like our legislative day and contributions to our PAC.

Some of the new and perennial issues organized dentistry faces include:

Opioids

We have been very much involved in this fight, trying to balance the appropriate exercise of clinical judgment with regulation needed to address this public health epidemic sweeping the nation. I’m pleased to say that the efforts of our board have been recognized in Frankfort by the legislature. We continue to work with other providers to address this problem. And we have been publicly recognized for those efforts. You can proudly say that dentists are part of the solution; not the problem.

Medicaid

As you should know, we submitted public comments to CMS which we believe capture the concerns of our members. We have been told that Medicaid coverage for the expansion population will only continue if this plan is approved. We have been involved in active dialog with the administration to share our member’s commitment to their patients as well as their frustration with the burdens of the proposed plan. We will continue to update you on any progress in creating a program our members may support.

Tele-dentistry or Telehealth

The KBOD is working to address how technology may assist dentists in expanding access to care in a safe and cost-effective manner. We will work with them to ensure that practice is determined by those with the requisite training as opposed to entrepreneurs out to make an easy buck.

Non-covered services

Our government affairs team has considered options from legislation to lawsuit. So, all options are on the table to end this unfair practice. We will be meeting with the Department of Insurance soon to discuss this problem.

Network Leasing

Many of you have signed up with a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) only to find out coverage terms have changed because of a plan you didn’t agree to.  We need to look at legislation to address this problem that at least provides the kind of notice we fought for on behalf of Medicaid providers.

In recent years, we have seen a challenge to the very notion of professional self-regulation. Legislation was even introduced last year that would have radically changed the structure of the Board of Dentistry. We need a strong board of dentistry as we work to inform the public of the potential dangers of DIY Dentistry as well as unlicensed practice.

KDA Serves and Supports Our Members

We try to communicate important information to our members. We do so regularly through publications like our KDA TODAY journal or our e-newsletter eXPRESS. We also send emails via Constant Contact when that information is too important to wait. But, personal contact is also important to members. So, I am pleased to announce that due to a grant from the ADA, we will be hiring a member concierge to further increase and focus our communication and contact with members.

The ADA is also initiating a program to be offered nationally to serve the needs of new dentists and those with grayer hair. It’s not entered the pilot stage, yet. But, it will create a separate for-profit subsidiary that will assist in the buying and selling of practices.

And, beyond the myriad personal and business-related services membership affords, we are looking into participating in a group-buying consortium with other states sometime in 2019.

As I said in my first remarks to our House of Delegates and everywhere I go, it’s all about membership and advocacy. I highlighted some of our advocacy efforts. But, as I have always said, our success will be determined by the size of our army. Yes, we can continue working with other interested partners and stakeholders in areas of common interest. We should. But, it is essential that we maintain dentists as the leaders in these discussions, setting the agenda and finding solutions. You can’t expect others to reshape this profession in a way that will best serve dentists and the patients they serve.

So, as I conclude, let me say that I hope you enjoyed your annual meeting, this year. I also hope you made your way to the exhibit hall. Patronage is an important source of non-dues revenue. We are losing some vendors because they feel there’s no point in coming, if people don’t come in the hall. And I know part of this is because dentists are looking for deals that aren’t there anymore. But, what we tell these vendors is that this is the best way to get before our members. And, they are willing to pay for that privilege - if people come.

I hope when a vendor approaches you in your office, you ask whether they were at French Lick Resort and whether they are going to be in our hall next year. We need their support. Our membership has been declining for many years and the Medicaid experience dealt us a sharp blow in terms of membership. That decrease has slowed. But, even leveling off leaves us in a weak position to be influential in the public policy arena. And, less members at a meeting like this makes it difficult to generate non-dues revenue.

So, I want to end my remarks with a challenge for you. This is a challenge coin. They harken back to Roman times and are often associated with military achievement and service. I would like to offer each of you the opportunity to earn a KDA challenge coin to be awarded at our next annual meeting during the William Marcus Randall Award event. To earn this coin, you simply must do two things. First, find someone who is not a KDA member. Get them to join KDA and pay 2019 dues prior to March 31, 2019. Second, refer a vendor to us who has not exhibited at our annual meeting before. If they sign up as an exhibitor or KDA Patron before our 2019 annual meeting, you will have met the challenge and will receive a 2019 Kentucky Dental Association Annual Meeting Challenge Coin. I look forward to passing out a lot of coins next year.

Thanks to all of you for attending our annual meeting and particularly our board, for allowing me to serve as your executive director.

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