The Minnesota Dental Association Marketplace Committee met March 6, 2008.

Work continues on the third party payor report card project. The committee has hired the firm of Mori Research to develop the research instrument and survey our membership. The survey will be done electronically via the internet, with a paper survey available for those who may wish to participate via traditional mail. The survey will query our members on their experiences with payors of dental care. The results will be tabulated and the various payors will be given rankings or grades as to how they compare with one another.

Topics to be queried are coding issues, such as bundling practices, downcoding, and alternative treatment provisions; contract issues, such as contract fairness, payor’s willingness to negotiate, credentialing, and extension to other groups; and service issues, such as appeals processes, phone system and website ease of use, information and communication, and utilization reviews. Watch your e-mail for your survey. Completing it should be easy and very quick. We will share the tabulated results as soon as possible with hopes to have information to you before the fall of this year.

In an effort to reach out to audited dentists, the MDA Marketplace Committee is attempting to gain information from previously audited dentists to develop ideas on how to help members who are audited or to help members with business practices that will aid in their audit. With the idea of reaching out in mind, we are asking those of you who are members of the Delta 71 to contact us. We are interested in your experience with hopes that your experience may help a colleague faced with a future audit. In order to receive all the information in one place, I am asking that you contact me either by e-mail or phone. You can reach me by e-mail at camjayson@msn.com or by phone at (218) 744-4113 (evenings). Your experiences will be anonymous when tabulated for use by other colleagues.

One last item of information for our members: July 2009 is when we are required by state law to submit all dental claims and receive remittances electronically. Some members have phoned me with concern on how to prepare for this eventuality. Loren Hanson, our staff member, who has been involved with this issue, reports that the final operating rules are supposed to come forth the end of April 2008. When those rules are published, we will know more. Watch your mail, e-mail, and the MDA website for more information.

 

*Dr. Jayson is chair of the Minnesota Dental Association’s Dental Marketplace Committee. He is a general dentist in private practice in Virginia, Minnesota. E-mail is camjayson@msn.com