From the Chair

At the semi-annual Commission meeting in January, Commissioners spent a significant amount of time reviewing the ADA Task Force on the Commission on Dental Accreditation Report and Recommendations. The entire mega-issue discussion was devoted to a discussion of the ADA Recommendations. In attendance were Dr. Marie Schweinebraten, CODA Trustee Liaison, and Dr. Perry Tuneberg, a representative of the ADA House/Board Task Force appointed in response to Resolution 37H-2008. The ADA Recommendations contained seven broad categories of suggested actions, which included a call for changes/new initiatives and improving existing practices and policies. Several of the recommendations urged the Commission to continue following existing policy, for example, the recommendation that the current process for nominating review committee members be maintained. The Commission also noted that progress is already being made in implementing some of the recommendations, especially in the areas of communication; the training of new Commissioners, Review Committee members, and site visitors; and increasing the time available for the Commission to make accreditation decisions.

The Commission approved the formation of a special CODA Task Force to Review the ADA Recommendations. This group will consider each recommendation in detail, study possible actions, and develop possible implementation plans for each of the thirty-four recommendations during the coming year. I have appointed a subcommittee of the Commission which includes the following members: Dr. E. Les Tarver (ADA); Dr. Sharon Turner (ADEA); Dr. Larry Nissen (ADA); Dr. Karen Kershenstein (Public); Dr. Patrick Louis (AAOMS); Dr. Vince Iacono (AAP); Dr. Bryan Edgar (AADE); Dr. Heidi Crow (AAHD); and Mr. Gary Gann (Allied-DLT), with myself as the Chair.

The charges of this subcommittee are as follows: to review and prioritize each of the recommendations of the ADA Task Force on the Commission on Dental Accreditation in light of the mission of the Commission on Dental Accreditation; to investigate possible implementation strategies for each of the recommendations; to interact directly with the ADA House/Board Monitoring Committee; to keep the ADA House/Board Monitoring Committee informed on the progress of the review process and possible implementation strategies; to solicit input from and communicate with all Commission Communities of Interest regarding the ADA Task Force on CODA Recommendations; to provide overall coordination with other Commission standing committees and ad hoc committees that are assigned to review ADA Task Force on CODA recommendations; to make reports to the Commission with possible recommendations for actions at the regular Commission meetings; and to report to the ADA Board of Trustees and House of Delegates on a regular basis.

This CODA subcommittee will have its’ first meeting on May 29th at the ADA Headquarters Building in Chicago, and will meet again, right before the July Commission meeting. Representatives of the ADA House/Board Monitoring Committee have been invited to attend these meetings. Also, a joint meeting of the Commission subcommittee and the ADA Monitoring Committee is scheduled to take place after the July Commission meeting. The Commission is committed to conducting a thorough, objective review of the ADA recommendations in the spirit of improving the structure, governance, policies, operating procedures, functionality and use of best practices. It also looks forward to any input from the Communities of Interest and is committed to keeping the process as transparent as possible.

Reminder to Report Major Changes

Major changes have a direct and significant impact on the program’s potential ability to comply with the accreditation standards. The Commission must be informed of any major change that relates to an accreditation standard. The program must report such major changes to the Commission in writing within thirty (30) days. When a change occurs and a program is not certain whether the change is major or minor, staff of the Commission should be consulted immediately. The Commission has guidelines for reporting major changes that may clarify what constitutes a major change and provide guidance in adequately explaining and documenting such changes.

Save the Date

June 1-2: CODA will conduct an on-site orientation and training for newly appointed site visitors. This two day workshop will include standardization and calibration exercises in the following areas:

• CODA policy and procedures
• accreditation standards and processes,
• roles and responsibilities of site visitors,
• verification activities and processes,
• site visit procedures and report writing,
• the presentation of findings, and
• logistical and travel processes.

July 30-31: The Commission on Dental Accreditation will conduct the open session of the summer meeting from 8:30 am until noon on July 31, 2009. The meeting takes place in the Board Room of the ADA Headquarters Building in Chicago. This is your chance to observe the Commission in action. Please watch your e-mail for reminders and a response form as this date approaches.

August 21: The second annual community of interest information session will be held on Friday, August 21. This one day meeting is designed to provide an overview of CODA and its processes and policies. If there are specific areas you’d like to have included or specific questions you’d like to have answered during the day, please let us know. More information will be forthcoming from the CODA office soon.