HCD Headlines 1/5/2026
- Rachael
- Jan 5
- 3 min read
January Schedule
Here is our January schedule. With multiple people out at various times, please pay close attention to where you're needed for our assistants and admin teams. We will also have Debbie joining us mid-January to help cover for Te. Please let me know if you have any questions.
CDT 2026 Updates
Lots changes happen at the beginning of every year when it comes to our CDT codes. I have included a report from Delta Dental showing all the additions, changes, and deletions. After reviewing it, here are the ones I believe are the most pertinent to HCD:
NEW
D0461 Testing for cracked tooth
D5877-D5878 Duplication of complete denture (Make a copy of the existing denture)
D5946-D5949 Resection prosthesis... implant/abutment supported fixed prosthesis for edentulous/partial arch (Sectioning bridges)
D6196 Removal of an indirect restoration on an implant retained abutment
D9244 In-office administration of minimal sedation - single drug - enteral (oral sedation pill given in-house)
D9245 Administration of moderate sedation - enteral (oral sedation)
D9936 Cleaning and inspection of occlusal guard - per appliance
Nomenclature (names) only revisions
D5863-D5866 Overdenture (specific arch, complete vs. partial, root retained)
Descriptor only revisions
D7285 Incisional biopsy of oral tissue - hard
D7286 Incisional biopsy of oral tissue - soft
Nomenclature and descriptor revisions
D5876 Add metal substructure to acrylic complete denture - per arch
Deleted codes
D1352 Preventive resin restoration in a moderate to high caries risk patient - permanent tooth
This PDF also includes great information regarding D4341, D4342, D4355, and D7953 coverage from Delta Dental. Again, we do not allow insurance to dictate our treatment, AND it's good to know what insurance is looking for when presenting treatment to our patients.
Changes to Huddles & Team Meetings
It'll be three weeks since our last team meeting, and there are a lot of changes we discussed at that time. To help us remember the changes to our huddle and team meetings, here is a quick recap:
TEAM HUDDLES
Complete your huddle prep prior to the meeting. BEST = week before, BETTER = 2 days before, GOOD = 1 day before.
Start the meeting with the previous day's #'s. Utilize PbN to reflect overall numbers for production, collection, and new patients.
Providers/assistants are responsible to update their numbers on the new huddle board the night before/previous day.
Announcements for the day
Review Appointment Book Note
Review hour by hour calling out:
Exams
Perio evals
Insurance concerns
HH information
Unfinished tx for hygiene pt
Unfinished hyg for doctor pt
Special notices like birthdays, weddings, etc.
Emergency times for doctors
Questions: Where can we focus on daily goal(s), and/or how short are we in reaching our daily goal(s)?
Stretch as a team
PROVIDER HUDDLES
Hygiene huddle: meet with Lawrence, Kaitlyn
Problem solve previous day
Discuss specific patient/procedure needs
Resolve scheduling questions
Review next few days for potential issues
Review next open times for 90/120 minutes
Doctor huddles
Problem solve previous day
Review monthly production goal
Completed production
Scheduled production
Today's production
Remaining to schedule
Review schedule by appointment
Discuss specific patient/procedure needs
Resolve scheduling questions
Review next two days for any potential issues - lab case review
Review next open times: 90/180 minutes
TEAM MEETING AGENDAS
Team Huddle
Review previous team meeting with follow-up Q&A
Social committee review
Announcements by Shoua
Clinical Moment by Te
Kudos/Reviews/Grizzly Bear Reward
Every other meeting, we will rotate between Agreements and Current Events. This week Natalie will lead us in Agreements. Kaitlyn is setup to present Current Events on 1/22.
Focus on monthly dental code topic
Goal Review - individual, department, team
Monthly guest speaker
Monthly in-house training
Plan of Action - discuss what was learned, what will be implemented before the next meeting
This Thursday will be our first meeting with this new protocol and new huddle boards. It might be a little rough at first, but we believe this new agenda layout will allow you to participate at a higher level and help your team members develop their leadership skills and other professional skills that will help both in-office and out.
Department & Team Goals
At this meeting, we will work on finalizing our 2026 goals for the departments and doctor teams. I know not everyone will be there, so I'm hoping all the information you discussed with each other was written down so you could come back to it on Thursday.
I have most of the notes you've done so far. I'll have those in draft form to continue developing your goals with on Thursday.
Please send your team an inspiring picture that helps you stay focused on achieving your goals to show you've read through the headlines today. And remember to be prepared for Q&A on our headlines on Thursday!
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