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HCD Headlines 9-21-2026

Writer: Rachael
Rachael
11 minutes ago
6 min read

September UPDATED Schedule

We've had a few changes since the last one went out. Here's an updated schedule. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Asking for a Friend: Can we stop saying “deep cleaning”?

We ran out of time at our last team meeting, but I wanted to make sure you were still able to read it through. Let's discuss what you're saying instead of "deep cleaning" at our next meeting.


Find the article from DentistryIQ HERE.


Mind you, she says some curse words, but her message is good regarding the reason WHY we need to stop using "deep cleaning" and educating our patients on their health. IG HERE.


Insurance Narratives & Insurance Plans

As we work to provide our patients with the best estimates, we learn how important it is for us to review the insurance plan prior to giving our patients estimates. When a new insurance plan is received, we enter the % of coverage per each category, we enter specific details referring to frequency and limitations, and more specific information like missing tooth clauses or waiting periods.


It would be wonderful if all the information regarding frequencies or limitations would pop up whenever a dental code is recommended. Unfortunately, Dentrix does not have that capability, and we must accept we have to do some footwork when certain codes are used.


When treatment planning, here are a few codes that you MUST check on to ensure the standards for coverage are met in order to have insurance cover as estimated:

  • Ortho: Not every plan allows ortho treatment. And when ortho is part of the plan, there are limitations on age and lifetime coverage.

  • Sealants: These come with age limitations, molar vs. premolar, and frequencies. ALWAYS check before stating insurance is estimated to cover sealants.

  • SRP: Some insurance plans limit the number of quads that can be completed on the same day. Some plans provide this information to us. Others require a special call. When you want to do all 4 quads on the same day, we must check for limitations.

  • ALL DR TREATMENT: There are frequency limitations for all the "bread and butter" codes such as restorations, crowns, dentures, bridges, implants, etc. Check for the last time this tooth was worked on in the Patient Chart/Progress Notes.

    • If we did treatment here, check for frequency limitations before giving an estimate to the patient.

    • Remember HCD has warranty dependent on the patient's home care and material failure. When the treatment has been completed on the tooth within the warranty window, ask the doctor regarding % of warranty.

  • Crowns/Dentures/Bridges/NG: 2 VERY important points -->

    • If they have an EXISTING crown/bridge or denture/NG, we must know when that was placed or delivered. This is a vital part of the narrative sent to insurance. If it's not there, we will always receive a message back asking for more information on the prior restoration/appliance. Ask the patient directly if HCD did not do the prior treatment.

    • Insurances pay on either the prep date or the delivery date. This is super important to keep track of when it comes to delivering appliances or seating gold crowns at the end of the year. If the delivery date goes into the new year, the benefits will be TAKEN from the new year - not the PAST year.

  • Exams: Remember comprehensive exams happen only 1 at HCD --> UNLESS they have been absent for 5+ years or had a major health changing event.

    • Limited Exams: We just learned there are plans that count limited exams against their periodic exams! Some combine the two together. Others require the limited exam to be due to an accident.


As you can see, attention to details is vital when presenting treatment plans to our patients. We are not requiring the back to be experts on insurance. What is required, though, is once these treatments are recommended, we should immediately think about the insurance plan.

  • DCH in exam: "Sealants on #3 and 29."

  • Assistant/Hyg in their head: "Sealants? Let me check the insurance plan OR let me ask the front desk to check on the details for sealants."


The more we pay attention to these details as a team, the more trust our patients will have in our services including the administration side, and the less hard conversations we'll have to have over the phone after the insurance claim clears without payment.

Referral Lists

Thanks to the efforts of lots of team members, we have a good referral list together. We reviewed the existing referral list and added a few new providers. You may notices some providers are still on the list. Please DO NOT use them. It's a slow process to clean them up, and I'm currently working on that.


Moving forward, only use the office name when creating referrals.


For those that don't have offices and their matching providers memorized, we are going to put together e-Sticky Notes for you to reference as needed. This is a project we'll have completed before our next team meeting.


CPR Classes


It's that time again! Almost everyone is due for their CPR renewal by the end of the month. We are going to do the same setup as we have for the past few renewals.


For the following people, I will have an online course for you to complete. I'll keep the CPR list in my file on the shared drive should you lose the link to your specific course. Before the end of September, we will have someone come in to test you for the hands-on portion. Once those two things are done, you will receive your certification to your personal email. I must have those turned in for your personnel files.


For September, these team members are due to renew their BLS Certification:

  • Amanda Waddle, DDS

  • Caren Jaramillo

  • Clint Henrie, DMD

  • Guadalupe Cabrera

  • Heidi Henrie

  • Joselyn Shen

  • Kent Marchant, DMD

  • Natalie Bullough

  • Princess Garcia

  • Shoua Xiong

  • Te Paki


When it comes to CPR courses, HCD pays the fee for the tests. If you work on the course at home, it is not considered work time. We have had open time available at the office, and I recommend you complete your online course at that time, so long as it doesn't interfere with patient and/or team needs.


If your name isn't on the list, and you'd like to renew your CPR certification, please let me know. The following people are not due to renew until 7/2027:

  • Edmel Young

  • Ika'ika Vaivai

  • Doua Xiong

  • Lauren Lindemuth

October Schedule - DRAFT

Since we're almost there, we might as well add the October schedule to these headlines. Please review closely, and let me know if you have any questions. I really appreciate everyone filling in for one another as needed. You truly take care of one another and the schedule, and I'm very grateful for that!


HCD Calendar This Week

You may or may not be aware of all the things we have going on at HCD this week.

  • Wednesday, 9/23 - Professional Outing

    • We are heading out as an office for this year's professional outreach. DKM is joining us on Wednesday, too, to help deliver baskets. We have 28 offices that we're going to visit. There will be a tray of goodies and a box of joe for every office we visit. We will have the lists together for dividing up into 4 groups.

  • Thursday, 9/24 - Midnight Sun Myo Therapy at The Premier Life

  • Thursday, 9/24 through Friday, 9/25 - HCD's consult room

    • Katie will use our consultation room for myofunctional consultations. Please hold any HCD consultations in the operatories as needed.

    • Patients for this event will wait in the waiting room for Katie. Our admin team will not have anything to do regarding check-in or check-out duties. I will have a schedule printed at the front desk so you know who is coming in, but that will be the only thing for you to be aware of regarding these appointments.

For this week's headlines, share with your department when you think the snow is going to start falling. Thank you for being accountable to one another regarding reading the headlines!


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