Friday, April 3, 2009

Kansas Dental Association UMKC Rinehart Foundation Scholarship

Student must:
Be a fourth year UMKC dental student
Be a graduate of a Kansas high school
Be an active student member of the KDA.
Intend to practice dentistry in Kansas upon graduation
Have a letter of recommendation from a KDA member dentist

Special consideration will be given to students who:
Intend to practice dentistry in a less populated or underserved area
Shows financial need
Has shown superior academic performance

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Dismissing a patient from your practice

A patient may be dismissed from a dental practice, provided that in doing so, the dentist does not discontinue the course of treatment without giving the patient adequate notice and the opportunity to obtain the services of another dentist. Care should be taken that the patient's oral health in not jeopardized in the process. Failure to meet this standard is deemed as "patient abandonment" and violates the ADA/KDA Code of Ethics.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Are there restrictions on floor covering in a dental office?

The KDA receives calls from members we believe might be helpful to other members.

OSHA does not have any restrictions on floor covering, but recommends tile or linoleum.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention also recommends tile or linoleum.

Carpet is not recommended in the operatories, however in a waiting room or hallway would be fine.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Dental Records - Can a dentist withhold from patient if balance due?

According to the ADA Code of Ethics 1.B “….Upon request of a patient or another dental practitioner, dentists shall provide any information in accordance with applicable law that will be beneficial for the future treatment of that patient.”

1.B.1 goes on to explain, “A dentist has the ethical responsibility upon request of either the patient or the patient’s new dentist to furnish in accordance with applicable law, either gratuitously of for a nominal cost, such dental records or copies or summaries of them, including dental X-rays or copies of them, as will be beneficial for the future treatment of that patient. This obligation exists whether or not the patient’s account is paid in full.”

Kansas law specifies the amount that can be charged for the duplication of healthcare records. For more information on patient records click link.

http://delicious.com/ksdentalassoc/Dental_Records

Thursday, October 30, 2008

News from the KDA Network

October 30, 2008

We have signed up more than 100 members in The KDA Network. If you notice one of your colleagues is not a member, send them an invitation.

The big activity this weekend is the KDA Board of Delegates meeting on Friday and then the Sunflower Showdown. We'll be sending back updates during the tailgate, including photos, Twitter posts and even streaming video. You can view those here beginning Saturday morning.

Niki Gustafason has posted a hotel update in the KDA Annual Meeting Group. You can begin making your hotel reservations now. She also posted a photo of an unsuspecting KDA employee during a birthday lunch.

We have some pretty exciting things coming up at the 2009 KDA Annual Meeting. Make sure you join the group and follow us to know the latest on what we hope to be a very successful meeting.Have you posted your prediction on the Sunflower Showdown. The polls have it 10-0 KU. That poll is on the Main KDA Network page in the left.

There are a few discussions in the KDA Forum. This is a great place to pose questions to colleagues.

Join us here by choosing Sign Up.

Friday, October 24, 2008

FTC Extends Time to Comply with ID Theft Red Flag Rules

You may have seen the ADA News on October 6th, regarding the deadline for compliance with the FTC Identify Theft Rules. According to the rules, most dentists who extend credit to or arrange credit for their patients were supposed to have a written identity theft prevention program in place by Nov. 1.

The ADA announced today that the Federal Trade Commission on October 22 announced that it would delay for six months enforcement of the Red Flags Rules–which would require financial institutions and creditors to have identity theft prevention programs in place–until May 1, 2009.

According to the ADA, if the FTC persists in its position that dentists are covered by the rule as creditors, the ADA will make available a sample compliance plan or program well in advance of the new enforcement date. Dentists will have sufficient time to consult with their personal attorneys and to put an appropriate identity theft prevention program into place, according to the ADA’s Legal Division.

Monday, October 20, 2008

News from the KDA Network

There is certainly a great deal happening at The KDA Network. I think it is beginning to take shape and I am beginning to see members connecting in new and exciting ways. We are currently at eighty-two members of the network. I want to thank all of the "Early Joiners" and I encourage you to make The KDA Network part of your routine web browsing.

KDA Executive Director Kevin Robertson is blogging from the ADA Annual Session in San Antonio this week. He has posted four updates, which includes photos. Thank you Kevin for keeping us up to date. We have received a few comments that I want to share with you:

"This is so cool...now we get actual inclusion for us underling members...:)
I can actually go online to ada.org and see the resolutions that our delegates have always seen on paper copies."


"It is nice to know that we are so well represented in San Antonio and that we can give almost immediate comment."

"Now, we can preview (note: I said can, not will) the issues before our appointed representatives make decisions..and possibly get some feedback to them."

The Fall Issue of the JKDA is online and you can view it at The KDA Network and leave comments about individual articles or the issue overall in the JKDA Group.

A New Dentist Group was created to connect new dentists and share the programs and services the KDA has for new dentists.

We want to keep you involved and up-to-date on all that is happening in organized dentistry in your organization. But much of that information comes through you. The KDA Network is designed to provide you the opportunity to share with us and your colleagues those things that are important. Join us now!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

News from the KDA Network

We are quickly approaching seventy members on The KDA Network, so we are growing quickly.

Thanks to everyone who has joined us. We hope you will find great value in this new social network, created for you.

Updates from the ADA
Kevin Robertson, Executive Director of the Kansas Dental Association, will be updating on his page from the ADA Annual Meeting in San Antonio. Look for updates on issues, elections and other happenings at the ADA.

Dr. Jon Tilton posted a blog on his page called "Lifetime Whitening." If you have not read his blog, take a moment and feel free to comment.

Dr. Tilton, along with Dr. Mary Brummett were featured with their customized web pages. If you have not uploaded your photo or customized your page, consider taking a moment to update your online identity.

New Dentists,we have a group just for you. If you are somewhat new to the associaton, consider joining the New Dentists Group to network with other new dentists.Just poking around, I have seen colleagues reconnect through The KDA Network. Take a moment and invite a colleague or a KDA member friend to join us.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Communication via the KDA Network and it's Integrated KDA Website

by Dr. Charles Squire
Guest Blogger

The world around us seems to be changing very rapidly. Nothing seems that way more than how we are communicating these days, particularly when it comes to the internet.

For those of us who have been in practice for years, this new type of communications may seem a little out of our league and more suited for the younger generations of dentists. But I would argue that for those of us who remember the days when there was a much larger social element to the KDA, this new means of communications might just be more us after all.

The KDA has created a new way for us to communicate using the internet. It’s called The KDA Network and it’s integrated into the KDA website and is only accessible to KDA members. The KDA Network allows you to create your own custom webpage and then communicate with your colleagues through message boards, sharing of photos and even our own articles. The Journal of the KDA, the KDA Membership Directory and other information we value as KDA members have already made their way to The KDA Network.

I am very excited and interested in how technology can help us create a better and more connected association. We can communicate more effectively and efficiently using these tools and from what I understand, at no cost to our association.

It really is an amazing world we are living in. I hope that you will join me in our “online” association and join me in The KDA Network .

Dr. Charles Squire is a Periodontist in Wichita, KS and is a “longtime” member of the KDA. Dr. Squire has agreed to join us from time to time as a guest blogger.

To join The KDA Network, simply click here.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Rested from Vacation

It sure is nice to get out of the office from time to time for a vacation. I'm back now and I think recovered from what has been a very busy year. In the upcoming months, we'll be getting ready for KMOM, the legislative session and the KDA Annual Meeting. Thinking back over the last year, I think we have come a long way. The KDA Video Minute hadn't been created yet, KMOM Garden City was still in the planning and we were still experimenting with many of the web features we have since implemented.

Associations are turning to social media in increasing numbers. A Young Association Professionals (YAP) study recently found that thirty-one percent of associations are experimenting with social media. As I wrote a few weeks ago, social networking is really a Twenty First Century version of an association. The Kansas Dental Association is helping create that online association, but we need your involvement. The new KDA Network is part of that bridge. Join us at http://www.ksdental.ning.com/.

I hope you will take the opportunity to get more involved in your association in this new and exciting way.

--Greg

Friday, September 12, 2008

Help the KDCF Make A Difference

In a few short weeks, you will receive your annual dues statement from the KDA. As part of that statement, you have the opportunity to contribute to your foundation and help us Make a Difference.

Created in 2002, the Kansas Dental Charitable Foundation has given more than $100,000 in grants and support to community dental projects across the state. We have also provided dental care to 14,838 patients at a value of $6,354,699.

Your past support during the Annual Campaign has helped grow the value of our foundation to more than a half a million dollars. These monies generate revenue and interest that provide the funds for our support of charitable dental efforts across the state. The more that fund grows the greater support we can provide.

Please, as you write your dues check to the KDA this year, consider making a tax deductible donation to the KDCF and help us make a difference.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Join the KDA Network

I have done a lot of thinking lately on the purpose of associations. Specifically, I have been thinking of associations in terms of a very trendy topic called social networking. Just what is social networking anyway?

According to Wikipedia, a social network service focuses on building online communities of people who share interests and activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. Most social network services are web based and provide a variety of ways for users to interact, such as e-mail and instant messaging services.

Let’s look at that definition and apply it to something we all know, the Kansas Dental Association. Members of the KDA have a common interest as described in the KDA Constitution, “The objects of this Association shall be to promote public health and health service, especially in the State of Kansas, to advance the art and science of dentistry, and to foster an awareness of the obligations and responsibilities of the dental profession to society.”

Each of you has a common activity, which is the practice of dentistry and presumably, have the same goal of making it a rewarding and ideally a profitable experience. Many of you probably belong to your professional organization, or at least participate in local component societies, so that you can explore the interests and activities of your colleagues and have the ability to interact with those colleagues and the profession.

Social networking really is a buzz word for the Twenty First Century association. It’s the method of communication and the speed in which that communication occurs that has changed and not the purpose. Communicating with your colleagues and your association is nothing new. It has been around since the beginning of the KDA and was one of the purposes for creating our association. Today however, associations can literally pop up overnight with a force far greater than most of us can conceive.

The KDA believes in opening those doors to our members and creating the pathways by which you can “associate” with one another in the Twenty First Century. One of these new ways it the creation of the KDA Network, a social network open only to KDA members. The KDA Network allows you to create your own “online” identity and participate in group discussions about issues, treatment, education, and even share photos and video with your colleagues. It’s your voice, your connection and your network, all designed to give you the opportunity to be a Twenty First Century participant in your profession.

To join, the KDA Network, simply click here, create your account and when prompted, enter your ADA# for verification and submit your application. We will then approve you into the KDA Network and you can begin your membership in your online KDA association.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

The KDA is on Twitter

Heard of Twitter yet? Consider it one of the hottest social networking applications on the web today. Twitter utilizes the concept of microblogging, limiting the amount of information to only 140 charactors or less. Visit us here.

Associations are quickly finding homes in Twitter. According to the Association Marketing Springboard, there are a number of reasons why:
Connect people around an upcoming conference.
  • Promote content from your publications and blogs.
  • Help people connect personally with the association's executive director and staff.
  • Reach out to the public and gather momentum for a public campaign.
  • Help components connect around their common agenda.
  • Build a grassroots advocacy movement

We hope you will enjoy this new way of "connecting" to your association. And don't just follow us either. Consider creating your own Twitter account and joining us in the social networking world.

Sunflower Showdown

Tickets are almost gone for the Sunflower Showdown. If you have not yet purchased tickets to the game and tailgate, please order now. Only twenty tickets currently remain (we bought fifteen additional tickets), so contact the KDA office to order your tickets now.

They have battled for more than a century, two gridiron foes representing the hearts and loyalties of Kansas' college football fans. The crimson and blue of Kansas and the purple of Kansas State are more than just colors - they represent university pride. That pride will be on display for the 105th time on November 1st as KU and K-State fight it out for state football supremecy.



Limited tickets available (Limit 5 game tickers per member dentist)Member dentist must attend gameThere is NO CONTINUING EDUCATION programTailgate tent on Campanile Hill will open three hours before game time (TBA)$125 Game ticket and tailgate, $45 Tailgate only

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

A Walk through the KDA Blogosphere

A while back, I introduced the KDA to the world of blogging. I'll be honest, I didn't have any master plan or goal of what I wanted to accomplish. Rather, I had hoped to extend the voice of the KDA into a new area by utilizing technology.

In the past year or so, one thing has kind of lead to another and my little adventure into blogging has become a full scale adventure into the entire Web 2.0 world. Now, we produce the KDA Video Minute, the Journal of the KDA is online in a new format (one still evolving) and we have incorporated web 2.0 applications into our peer review program and foundation.

Among the professional associations, we are on the cutting edge of technology, or at least that is what I have been told. Utilizing technology to connect the members of the KDA in new and exciting ways is just one way in which we can make our association stronger. I plan to devote a weekly blog post that outlines and explains new areas in which you can connect to your association through the World Wide Web. If you have any thoughts or ideas on how you think we can better serve our members through technology, please let me know.

Greg

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Rooms Blocked for KDA Sunflower Showdown Tailgater

To help you in planning your weekend, the KDA has blocked a limited number of rooms for Friday, October 31and Saturday, November 1and at the Lawrence Holiday Inn Holidome. There is NOT a two night required stay. To reserve one of these rooms, call the Holiday Inn at 785.841.7077 and mention you are with the Kansas Dental Association. Reservations must be made by October 1, 2008.

Holiday Inn Holidome
200 McDonald Dr
Lawrence, KS 66044
785/841-7077
Mention you are with the Kansas Dental Association

Rate: $99 per night

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Greg Johnson, DDS named best Topeka Dentist

Dr. Greg Johnson, a general dentist in Topeka, was named the Best Dentist/Orthodontist by the Topeka Capital-Journal in its annual Best of Topeka Award. (more)

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

KDA Member wins State Board of Education Primary

Dr. Bob Meissner, a Republican from Topeka, won his party's nomination for the Kansas State Board of Education on Tuesday night. Read more ih the Topeka Capital-Journal.

Monday, July 28, 2008

KMOM 2009 Announced


The Kansas Dental Charitable Foundation is pleased to announce the date and location for the 2009 Kansas Mission of Mercy project.

The event, the eighth KMOM project, will take place in Manhattan on February 20-21 at the United States National Guard Armory, located just east of Manhattan on U.S. Highway 24.

Watch the Kansas Dental Charitable Foundation website (http://www.ksdentalfoundation.org/) website for more information, including hotel booking, registration and other KMOM related items.

“We look forward to working with the community of Manhattan over the next seven months to bring the 2009 KMOM event to the Riley County area,” said Greg Hill, Executive Director of the Kansas Dental Charitable Foundation, the organizing committee for the KMOM project. “We will be making contacts within the next few months as we look for community support both for volunteers, but for monetary and in-kind support to our efforts.”

The Kansas Mission of Mercy project has treated 15,000 patients since its inception in 2003, and treats approximately 2000 patients and $1 million in free dental care at each KMOM project.

For more information on the Kansas Mission of Mercy project, please visit http://www.ksdentalfoundation.org/.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Replay of the Presentation at ADA

Greg Hill's presentation to the ADA Management Conference, titled New Concepts for Association Communications using Web 2.0 can be viewed here. For more information about the presentation, visit twopoint0media.

Live streaming video by Ustream