HCD Headlines 9-25-2024

Clint Henrie, DMD
Sep 25, 2024
5 min read

Updated: Oct 19, 2024

It's with sad hearts we let everyone know Kolina will be moving on from HCD. She will work remotely with us starting 10/7/24 for the next few months. We cannot express how grateful we are for everything she's done for us from a Scheduling Coordinator to an Insurance Coordinator to an Assistant Manager. You are such a source of strength for so many, and we will miss you greatly! ❤

We will have a potluck at our next team meeting, October 3rd. Let's make it your signature dish! Please bring your favorite food or your signature dish to help us say thank you to Kolina and to wish her well on her next adventure!

CPR Class Friday, September 27th @ 4PM

Our in-person class is this Friday. You must have your online portion completed and certification in hand. If you need your link again, please let me know. You can complete this class at the office if you have time.

I need to know who all will be there. Please let me know ASAP so we can plan accordingly. As of right now, this is who I have:

Jillian
Tony
Kai
Makenna
Makenna's sister
Heidi
Guadalupe
Joselyn
Natalie
Ikaika
Princess
Shoua
Crismae
Te
Dr. Waddle

If you can't make it, we are going to setup another time for another in-person class as DKM needs to take the course, too. Please respond as soon as you complete the headlines today.

Also, this course is not paid time, but since we will cover the costs for the course for our team members.

October Schedule

Here is the schedule for October. DAW will be coming back on a limited schedule for the month of October. We will also be searching for a new dental assistant upon her return to ensure we find the right for her team together. If you know of anyone looking, please let them know we're hiring. Our success rate is super high when we hire from referrals within our team. Thank you!

CE for Hygienists

Hygienists have some opportunities for CE coming up within the next few months. These are the ones that have come across my desk and look like good options:

ONLINE: Liz Graham Presents: Don't Be Afraid to Touch: Implants and Natural Teeth! Presented by Susan Wingrove, BS, RDH on Saturday, September 28, 2024, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM Eastern Time

LOCALLY: Please mark your calendar for Saturday, November 16. We will have Alaska DHA fall Business meeting with a silent auction and a morning and afternoon CE. Shortly registration will be available on the AK DHA;s website. The two classes will be available in person at UAA in the Allied health science building and on zoom. We are excited to get together and learn together.

Allergy Tests / Clifford Tests

As you know, we have switched to using Biocomp Laboratories kits for our allergy testing. This replaces the old Clifford tests used to test sensitivities to almost all dental materials. Please remember to discuss this option with your team when you see health histories with lots of allergies or concerns about materials biocompatibility.

Code for TEST: D0423 Genetic test for susceptibility to diseases – specimen analysis. The kit costs $400.00. This includes the cost we pay to the lab for analysis and the doctor's time for analysis once the report is returned to us.

Code to DRAW BLOOD: D0422 Collection & preparation of genetic sample material for laboratory analysis and report. This costs $100 for our team to draw the blood and process according to the instructions.

Code for PRINTED report: D0423A genetic test for susceptibility to diseases - specimen analysis. The patient will get a digital report regarding their results. If they prefer a printed version, there is an additional cost of $30.00.

UPDATE 10/19/2024: BioComp Tests must be mailed out Monday - Wednesday per the lab in order to process them in a timely manner.

Ortho Retainers

We've had multiple situations lately regarding making new ortho retainers for our patients. To help clear up confusion, here is protocol regarding retainers.

D8680: New retainer PER ARCH, no models. The cost for this includes the scanning, 3D printing, and fabrication of the retainers. This is a long process and takes longer than we may realize. When delivering the retainers, we will give the patient their models. We cannot keep them on-site as we have limited space for those kinds of items.

D8680A: New retainer PER ARCH, models in-hand. This is a reduced fee because the patient has their models and therefore, the cost to fabricate new ones is reduced.

Ergonomics Reminder

Ergonomics has been on my mind a lot lately, especially as my back is bothering me as I'm typing this right now... lol. How we sit with every patient whether chairside or at the computer will affect us in the long term. Here are some tips from Dentsply on how to keep your body healthy with the long game in mind.

A healthy sitting position builds the basis for an ergonomic way of working and thus a long-term health preservation. To achieve this,

your upper body is upright and straight;
your hips are higher than your thighs;
your back only touches the backrest when you relax.

The overall goal is to achieve a knee-hand distance that is as large as possible to get the patient in between.

Your head, neck, shoulders and upper body are not inclined.
Your shoulder girdle is at right angles to your spine, with your shoulders and spine not being rotated.

The distance between your eyes and the patient's mouth should be between 30 - 40 cm with your arms "hanging" close to your body.
The angle between your hips and thighs is appr. 105°, while appr. 2/3 of your thighs are in contact with the slightly inclined seat cushion.
Your legs are in an open and relaxed position.

Discounts

As you are aware, we offer 5% discounts for seniors, military, and payments made in-full with cash or check. We have learned that this information must be passed onto insurance whenever we provide a discount. This means our protocol for entering and presenting discounts will change moving forward starting October 1st.

For senior and military patients, they will now have the fee schedule 5% DISCOUNT. This is changed in the Family File --> demographic box --> Fee Schedule Menu --> select 5% DISCOUNT. Once this is done, you will see on the blue box/demographics box, their fee schedule type has been updated. This will also be reflected on their treatment plan.

If someone is going to pre-pay, we will manually add the discount to their ledger at time of payment. Insurance will be made aware of this on the claim in the appropriate manner.

When you present treatment plans, you will let them know their discount is already included in the totals they see. If they want to see the difference, you can print their treatment plan showing the main fee schedule which is called Fee 1. This may be helpful for people who request more transparency.

Print Treatment Plan --> Select Compare to Fee Schedule --> both fee schedules will appear on treatment plan

Abrasive Scale for Toothpastes

DKM just sent this to us regarding the abrasiveness of toothpastes currently on the market. Which one are you using? Are you surprised at the number? How many of us have switched to just water or baking soda since our last meeting discussing products?

Halloween at HCD

Lastly, Halloween is right around the corner, and we need to decide our theme for this year! Share your ideas on the board in the lab for everyone. And share your idea via emoji, meme, or gif to your team let them know you read headlines for this week. Can't wait to have you all back at the clinic!