LETTERS A
s a proud member of the Missouri Dental Association, active in many different roles throughout my career,
I’ve always valued my membership … for a variety of reasons that seem obvious to most of us. But in the last six months of my life, I have experienced that value to an even greater depth.
Following my diagnosis of breast cancer this past summer, which instantaneously reversed my role into “patient”, colleagues from all over have reached out to help. Luckily, I practice with my husband, Darren, and my father-in-law, Charles, who were able to help keep our practice afloat. Worrying about “will my patients be well-cared for” wasn’t a concern, as my focus now had to be on getting myself well.
My father-in-law, who had recently slowed down, graciously and without hesitation absorbed my professional responsibilities in the office. But that all took a turn when on November 1, he himself was diagnosed with Stage III Lymphoma. Now, a previously three-doctor staffed office was down to just one. Not only was my husband absorbing all of our responsibilities at the office, but he also was trying to balance being a support role for me, and now, his dad.
It was during this time that colleagues whom we had developed relationships with through the Greater Springfield Dental Society as well as Missouri Dental Association, have blessed us more than we ever could have imagined. These doctors have helped my husband and our staff “keep the office going” to meet the needs of our patients, who have been absolutely wonderful.
Membership benefits can seem somewhat self-serving to me sometimes (not necessarily in a bad way), but we are blessed to have a wonderful organization comprised of members who, at all levels, work to help one another. The relationships that we have established through organized dentistry are people we call friends. And when life turns unexpected, it’s the people in our life that help carry us through. They add value to who we are and how we can serve others.
I am forever grateful for these colleagues, as well as other friends, who have been a continual support to our family. The relationships we have established through our membership with the Greater Springfield Dental Society and the Missouri Dental Association enrich our lives in more ways than we really could ever express in words. We hope, in turn, we have done the same.
Sarah Mahaffey, DDS, Springfield (UMKC 2005)
MDIS Dental, Vision, Hearing Plan: Become a Preferred Provider
by MERLE NUNEMAKER, DDS A
s we hope you are aware of by now, MDIS is working with the
Missouri Optometric Asso- ciation’s insurance company to promote a Dental/Vision/Hear- ing (DVH) benefit plan. Our main job, right now, is to build a panel of providers who are willing to participate in the plan in order to make it more marketable to prospective groups, employers, and individuals. It is open only to members of the MDA, and we would like you to become a preferred provider.
First, forget almost everything you know about dental insur- ance. This is an indemnity (ben- efit) plan, so it is very simple. You will be paid according to your own fee schedule, not one dictated to you. There are no pre-authorizations. No submission of radiographs. No credentialing process. No lengthy contract. No cost to be a provider. And because we retain control, you can be assured the network will not be sold or rented out. So … X (your fee) – Y (payment from insurance company) = Z (balance payment from patient). Yes, it can be that simple.
It is like conventional insurance in some ways such as submitting a claim and receiving payment from ManhattanLife. Claims are supposed to be adjusted within 48-72 hours. You can determine eligibility and benefits prior to treat- ment so will know what the patient’s responsibility is for your services. Plus, due to the simplification of this process, patient’s premiums are kept very low.
Patients will have a $100 deductible and can choose a plan with either a $1,000 or $1,500 yearly benefit maximum. This will apply to all DVH services, so there is only one deductible and the maximum applies to dental, vision or hearing, or any combination of services. Consequently, you may be seeing a patient for the first time, but they may have already met their deductible and utilized benefits by, for example, having had new eyeglasses made recently.
Benefits will be paid according to the length of time the patients have had coverage: 60 percent the first year, 70 percent the second year and 80 per- cent after 25 months, all subject to a maximum cap per procedure. Manhat- tanLife will have the option of determining UCRs in the decisions regarding the payment amounts for procedures that may not be listed in the policy benefits.
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CONTINUED PAGE 9 ISSUE 1 | JAN/FEB 2020 | focus 7
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