ADA News

Dental fraud, dentists and the Internet and the Dental Quality Alliance are among topics the 2010 National Dental Benefits Conference will address Aug. 20.

The ADA Council on Dental Benefit Programs, which expects more than 100 people to attend, said dentists attending will receive 3.5 continuing education credits. The lineup for the conference includes:

• Designing a Quality, Evidence-Based Dental Benefit Plan: An Employer's Perspective will look at how the Massachusetts Public Employees Fund works with network providers to incorporate EBD.
• Dental Fraud: The Claim Review Perspective will cover identification and detection of fraudulent and/or suspicious activity from the claim review perspective.
• The Dental Quality Alliance: What You Need to Know About Evolving Quality Measures for Dentistry will address how the ADA is responding to a federal mandate that quality measures for dentistry be developed.
• Federal and State Government Affairs Update will discuss what the ADA has been doing at the national level regarding health care reform and provide an update on state legislative activities.
• Angry Bloggers and Egregious Rating Sites: Definitive Solutions for Dentists in the Internet World will focus on dental office considerations regarding frivolous malpractice lawsuits and Internet defamation.
• Discount Dental Plans and Network Leasing will cover how discount dental plans are competing in today's dental benefits marketplace. It will also discuss the nuances in network leasing and cover scenarios where dentists have been told they were a participating provider for a plan, but do not remember signing an agreement with the company.
• Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare Universal Provider DataSource: Simplifying Provider Data Collection will explore data collection on dentists and its use by insurance companies in the credentialing process.
• Periodontal Treatment and Medical Care Costs in People with Diabetes—a study that shows a cost savings on medical expenses for insureds who access dental benefits—will be presented.

The conference will convene at ADA Headquarters in Chicago, beginning at 7 a.m. with a breakfast buffet; sessions will start at 8 a.m., ending at 5 p.m. Registration is $35.