Below is a list of five issues that Dr. Thompson shared with us at the regional meeting.  Dr. Thompson is running for national office and without a doubt he is one of those few people that can look at an issue and in a very calm and informative way come to a conclusion.  Please look over these issues and see how they will impact your dental practice.

 

1. Use of FAGD and MAGD designations.  Our president testified at the CO board of dental examiners in opposition to their policy preventing GPs from using designations like FAGD and MAGD.  Other testimony came from the AACD and the Implant group.  Colorado reversed their decision and has agreed in principal to a compromise measure drafted in part by the AGD.  More hearings will be held to finalize that policy.
2.  Midlevel Practitioners.  This is the issue, which will most dramatically impact dentistry and specifically the GPs. ADA, ADHA and the Alaskan tribal health consortium all have versions brewing.  AGD is developing a policy and seeking a seat at the table whenever these discussions will occur.  Since these entire versions amount to having lesser-educated, lesser-trained, less-capable people do dentistry, I have suggest we acknowledge this “lowering of the bar” with the designation “Low Level Provider”. I think that there is so much momentum behind this one that we will see new competition in our practices.
3.  Increase in specialists/decrease in GPs.  The percentage of dentists who are specialists has increased about 5% in the 27 years I’ve been practicing.  It appears that trend will continue.  This causes concern for GPs when we see specialty groups direct marketing to the patients.
4.  Specialty groups developing referral guidelines/patient management guidelines.  The AAP was the most aggressive, however, the endodontists publishes a paper concluding that patients prefer to have endos done by endodontists. The AAO published a report on the concerns of non-orthodontists doing orthodontics.  It goes on and on.  As their numbers increase and their academies are pressured to help resolve business problems, there can be only one target for them . . . GPs.
5. CDE Membership Maintenance requirements.  The House of Delegates will be asked to support the resolution to substitute our long standing policy on recording CDE for an honor system where members not interested in FAGD or MAGD can sign a form attesting to their CE hours and a current license