The California Department of Health Care Services has awarded $69.4 million toward student loan repayments for 249 physicians and 41 dentists to expand health care access for Medi-Cal patients.
The California Oral Health Literacy Toolkit is a new digital resource to help oral health care providers learn or review the basic principles of oral health literacy, including the importance of communicating clearly and with cultural humility and creating a welcoming environment for patients.
Every July, CDA Practice Support starts hearing from members who have received notice from a dental benefit plan about a forthcoming audit. CDA's dental benefits analyst explains the post-pay audit, when dentists must participate in the audit and dentists' right to appeal the findings.
The Dental Board of California has issued an alert about a scam targeting licensees of the California Department of Consumer Affairs boards and bureaus. A scammer, posing as an employee of the state Acupuncture Board, is reaching out to licensees in an attempt to gather their personal information.
Patient safety remains a top priority for practice owners and dental teams; however, the dental office can often be a fast-paced working environment with distractions that can impede best safety practices. To better prevent mishaps, the Joint Commission requires accredited dental practices to implement a timeout before all surgical procedures.
A recent survey of practicing dentists in California shows that 94% of surveyed dentists are vaccinated against COVID-19, due in part to trustworthy COVID-19 vaccine resources published by CDA. The survey indicates that confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines is much higher among practicing dentists than it is among adults nationwide.
The California Legislature approved a state budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year that upholds the will of the voters when they passed the Proposition 56 tobacco tax in 2016. The budget makes significant investments in Medi-Cal Dental improvements, workforce development and coronavirus relief.
CDA Practice Support continues to hear from member dentists impacted by Delta Dental of California’s contractual change under Participating Dentist Rule 2, Basis of Fees that took effect September 15, 2018. Dental practices can take action annually to avoid negative impacts.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2022, dentists and other prescribers in California must issue electronic-data prescriptions for both controlled and noncontrolled substances with very few exceptions. Paper prescriptions will no longer be allowed by state law. All pharmacies in California must be capable of accepting those prescriptions.
How does your practice navigate unpredictable times? Beyond the challenges of the past year, dentists often face incidents they can’t anticipate or prevent. But they can be prepared and choose how they respond. Reporting every incident, accommodating modified duties and reducing return-to-work risks are important steps.
Cindy Hartwell, dental benefits analyst at CDA Practice Support, reviews how a dental practice can bill properly by registering all treating dentists in the practice with the dental plan or plans.
Dental professionals face a number of challenges in securing consent for oral care, but there are specific consent and documentation considerations when caring for older adults.
