Midweek Mashup

We do a lot here at the KDA when it comes to sharing dental related information. I've written before how I think communication with both our members and the public is both important and deserving.

A few weeks ago, we brought the blog out of retirement. I think blogging is a great way for us to provide you with information in an interactive way. So beginning this week, I'm writing a mid-week blog I've titled the Midweek Mashup. The concept is to provide you a summary of what's being talked about in the dental world and in a sense, recapping what we've already released through our other social media streams.

New Social Media Features

You may have noticed some new features on the KDA and the Kansas Dental Charitable Foundation websites. We've added a "share" button (see above) which will allow you to share this blog or any new article or webpage to social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Digg, or even email and print. It's an easy way to share information in this information sharing world.

We've also added a "Digg" button (see bottom of article). If you see an article we've written (like this one) that you like, click the Digg button. This gives us a sense of how well the information we are providing is being received, but it too will share it through a much larger network and make it more available in search engines like Google. It also will connect directly with Facebook, so you can Digg and Share with just the click of the mouse. Go ahead, Digg this article and see how easy it is.

You will also notice on both the KDA and KDCF websites, that a new Facebook Fanbox appears in the right column. These boxes pull in all the posts we've made to Facebook along with our "Fans". This allows anyone, including those who do not use Facebook, to see what we've posted.

Community Voices Trailer Released




The Kansas Department of Health and Enviroment recently provided a grant to the Kansas Dental Charitable Foundation to film and produce a documentary on a series of workforce community focus groups across the state. KDCF Executive Director/KDA Assistant Executive Director Greg Hill has completed this extensive project and has released a trailer. The full release of the video will be on September 22, 2009 in Wichita and the video will be available online.

WSU's dental reisdents start seeing patients

The Wichita Business Journal reported yesterday that the Wichita State University's Advanced Education in General Dentistry program has begun.

Tickets are available for the 2009 Sunflower Showdown



The Fourth Annual KDA Sunflower Showdown is scheduled for November 7, 2009 in Manhattan, KS. Get your registration brochure here and then keep up on the latest about the event here. Kickoff will be announced two weeks prior to the event. K-State fans, sorry for the above video, I'm sure it was painful to watch after so many years of seeing it go the other way. KU fans, I just checked, Jake Sharp is still running ragged over the anemic Wildcat defense.

Follow the event here.

Independence KMOM Announces Fundraising Strategy

We've done some quick math and discovered that roughly $25 will provide approximately $500 in free dental care at the KMOM Independence project. As you might expect in today's economy, many organizations have decreased their funding levels, making large gifts and grants more difficult. So we're using our social media tools like Facebook, Twitter and the KDCF Website to help raise money. Contributions can be made directly online to support the project.

Anything we've missed? Let us know. Check your email and The KDA Network for additional information we've released this week.

-- Greg Hill

Self "dental" diagonosis goes high tech

I'm personally always a bit worried when people self-diagnose themselves and then rely on that diagnosis without proper knowledge. Thankfully though, there is a tremendous amount of good health care information patients can use created by the medical community. Hopefully then, when the self-diagnosis yields something suspect, the patient will seek medical attention.

A new USB dental "microscope" has been released in Japan and in all liklihood will appear here soon. The device looks similar to a toothbrush and has a mini camera built into the head of the device which will take 1280x1024 resolution images the "self-diagnoser" can downoad to his or her computer.

So I ask the question. Is there something postive that can come from this? Can it become part of a good dental hygiene plan in which a dentist encourages patients examine their teeth more frequently and then send the photos to their dentist for evaluation? Will devices like this empower the patient to require better work from their hygienist knowing they can "independently" review their work? On the other hand, will unatainable expectations by the patient, coupled with photographs, lead to more peer review cases?

Hard to say, but as technology continues to evolve, patients will begin to have more information about their own dental health. Ideally, this will help deliver better care to the patient and not set up a conflict between the patient and the provider.

--Greg Hill

As Professionals, you deserve information as it happens

As I’m sitting here at my desk on a rainy Tuesday morning in July, waiting on the dental amalgam ruling to come down from the Food and Drug Administration, I’m contemplating the way in which news is shared in 2009.

Part of my thoughts are centered on the frustration of reading scanned articles from small Kansas towns of dental related stories that happened weeks ago. Meanwhile, dental stories from across the world, including real-time information coming from patients themselves, are streaming through the online world.

So in a way, I’m somewhat humored by the contrast. In another, I’m discouraged that there are dental related stories and activities occurring around the state that we can’t tell you about until weeks after they happen.

The role of a professional organization includes many things. In my mind, communication with its members is vitally important, increasingly so as the public and your patients are gathering more information quicker and easier. I’ve always been a “news guy,” so the advent of social networking to me is an exciting new way for us to stay in constant communication with you. At the KDA, we’ve created many ways to communicate with our members and to do so on an hour by hour, minute by minute basis.

Whether from the American Dental Association, the Food and Drug Administration, the Kansas Dental Board or from television news stations across the state or country, dentistry and oral health is a frequently discussed topic and one you as dental professionals need to be kept informed of on a real time basis.

We provide you information through various sources as we try to meet you where you are. We’re consistently updating our Facebook and Twitter streams with news as it happens. We share The KDA Video Minute through YouTube. The KDA Network is in place to provide you a comfortable and secure place to communicate with your colleagues and member friends. We’ve brought the “Blog” out of retirement to provide a very important way to share our thoughts and commentary on that news we share with you.

But for us to be successful and to provide the best content for our members, we need you to share with us what is going on in your community and your practice. These information streams are two way. If there is an effort underway in your community regarding oral health, let us know, good or bad. If you feel we are doing something well, let us know. Heck, if there is something we can do better, let us know that too. If you are looking for an associate, a hygienist or dental assistant, use our social networking tools to let your colleagues and the public know. These streams are being followed not just by dentists, but by statewide media and people interested in oral health.

Article says Dental Insurance is less common than Cell Phones

During my daily scouring of dental news, I routinely find articles of interest to our members. Sometimes those articles are written by companies with a vested interest (i.e., marketing a product or services). While this article certainly is one of those, the statistics included in the article are worth examining. The article is from Dentalplans.com, a licensed Florida discount medical plan organization.

The take away from the article http://www.dentalplans.com/articles/44003/dental-insurance-less-common-than-cell-phones.html is this: "Recent studies show that approximately 55 percent of the population has dental insurance, substantially less than the over 80 percent that are believed to be enrolled in some sort of cell phone plan."

The article doesn't specifically reference the studies, but it is an interesting report, regardless of its accuracy. Of course, we are becoming ever more reliant on cell phone service, many (myself included) do not have a landline telephone so the comparison may be less relevant than thought at first glance.

Dental Board Enacts Tooth Whitening Regulations

By a unanimous 8-0 vote (Dr. Roy was absent), the Kansas Dental Board enacted new Administrative Rules and Regulations that will require whitening procedures to be performed under the supervision of a dentist. Specifically, new KAR 71-11-1 states,

"Each nonlicensed person who provides any service or procedure meeting either of the following conditions shall be seemed to be practicing dentistry, unless the person provides the service or procedure under the direct supervision of a dentist licensed and practicing in Kansas: a) alters the color or physical condition of natural, restored, or prosthetic teeth; or b) requires the positioning and adjustment of equipment or appliances for the purpose of altering the color or physical condition of natural, restored, or prosthetic teeth."

KAR 71-11-1 will be enacted 14 days-after its printing in the Kansas Register (the state's official publication) - around Sept 1.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

View the brochure

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

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