Page 35 - SPRING 2016

From the Regional Director…continued from page 5 From the National Trustee…
continued from page 5
Delegates of the ADA, you will find a significant bias in their discus-
sions and their actions. The good news is that with your membership, is no news and the search is ongoing.
we have a seat at the table and a voice, even if that voice is not always
heard. The bad news is that we have too few members to have the The board approved resolutions to form two task forces
impact that we deserve as representing 80% of the profession, whether after the ADA House made changes to its sedation rules
they are members or not. and recognized operative dentistry as an interest area in
general dentistry. The moderate sedation task force and the
In biology, an organism that takes from another organism without giving task force on the future of dentistry will look into these
anything back is called a parasite. I am of the opinion that the AGD is changes and how they will affect the general dentist.
not for all general dentists. There are those that understand the core val-
ues of the organization and there are those that never will, nor will they The news came out of the ADA meeting that former AGD
ever embrace them. I have heard others call us “CE Junkies” and I have president, Jeff Cole, will be running for ADA president.
even heard us say that about ourselves. That phrase, by its very nature,
is negative. We should never accept that. We take continuing education It is not too early to start thinking about the AGD national
for self-improvement and to develop our knowledge base and skills to meeting that will be held in Las Vegas July 12-15,
better serve our patients and for general improvement of the public 2017. Yes, it will be hot in Vegas but we will be indoors
health. We have a passion for what we do. We identify ourselves by learning and gambling so please join us. I look forward to
what we do. It is not about how to make the most money, but that might seeing you there.
be a by-product. Most of our colleagues can appreciate, and even agree,
with this. Symbiosis is a much better word than parasitism.
From the Executive Director…continued from page 5
If you have read this far, I have no doubt that you will understand what
I am getting at without getting offended. If I have offended you, I make York State Board for Dentistry as proof of CE for re-
no apology because I have evoked an emotion. I and others on your licensure as of July 1, 2009.
board have tried to inspire you to greater involvement. We have even • Find web-based CE opportunities through the AGD that
pleaded and begged with you. Yet we get minimal, if any, feedback or fit the demands of your busy schedule, including live
action. If you take exception to what I have written, I urge you to send webinars, recorded lectures, online Procter & Gamble
me a nasty message or call for my resignation, or perhaps you wish to courses, and Self-Instruction exercises.
pat me on the back and say, “Atta Boy!” We all know that all salespeo- • AGD Fellowship and the AGD Mastership Awards are
ple say that people buy what they want and not what they need. If they professional designations within the AGD that reflect a
buy what they need, they will never appreciate it in the same way as that general dentist’s ongoing commitment to providing
which they want. The key is emotion. I have been told that my weak- quality patient care through continuing education.
ness as a leader is that I can be emotional. However, passion is an emo-
tion. I am asking you to show your emotion and to use that emotion to Advocacy and Representation
pull others into our fold. It is your duty, as a member, to help us grow • Take immediate action and get your voice heard by
our membership. Just being a member is not enough. You must make sending customized communications to your local and
your voice heard. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the national legislators via Engage, the AGD’s quick and
problem. Please don’t be part of the problem. easy online advocacy portal. You can track local legisla-
tive activity to find out what oral health legislation is
I have not said that you need to be a direct participant with the leader- being debated in our state.
ship of the organization, while that would be a very noble and worthy
cause. What I am saying is that you need to actively recruit new mem- Practice Tools
bers, you need to make your voice heard by the leadership, you need • The AGD’s contract assistance program, The Fine Print,
to support your organization by attending our continuing education is available to all members. AGD experts will discuss
courses and events, you need to take part in our new social media cam- your contract with you and identify potentially harmful
paign initiative, and you need to support each other. Let me not forget clauses. For example, clauses that may require you to
to mention that we need your number, and more, to have a better voice cover costs incurred by the insurance company, or infor-
in advocacy efforts. mation within the contract that may allow the insurance
company to decide whether the services you render to
your patient are necessary.
Your board has struggled in recent years to work in a vacuum. We
would love to have you attend a board meeting with an open mind • The AGD offers assistance to our members when they
experience third party payer problems. The AGD can
toward the potential of being invited to become a board member or to assist members in contesting refund of an overpayment,
participate in a program, but mostly to tell us how we can improve. If denial of a claim for lack of dental necessity, down-cod-
you can’t come to a meeting, call us. If you can’t call us, send us a let- ing, and bundling of submitted claims.
ter or an email.
The aforementioned benefits are just a few reasons why
What you keep to yourself you lose, what you give away you keep for- membership in the AGD pays for itself. These services,
ever. Sometimes, asking what you can give is more important than when used, put your money back into your pocket. On both
what you can receive, especially when what you receive may not be the national and local levels we strive every year to make
measurable. Doing the right thing may not be easy. Forget about the sure the benefits offered outweigh the dues dollars spent.
justifications, the real reason is that it takes courage, the courage to We appreciate our members and will go above and beyond
accept any and all potential consequences, positive and negative. You to make sure they will always remember the “reason” they
have a responsibility to the profession, if not to this organization. are a member.
www.nysagd.org | Spring 2017 | GP 35