{ tooth & nail } by Jim Nail, DDS • Editor Consent for Associate Membership

ate members. The primary goal is to increase membership numbers to include all dental professionals. This idea is not a new one (Missouri has had associate membership status for awhile), but it is an under-utilized one. As of fall 2016, only two dentists in Mis- souri had recruited staff for associate mem- bership. Price was identified as a potential barrier ($40 in 2016), which the MDA House of Delegates addressed by voting to reduce the cost of associate membership to $10 an- nually. There was even a challenge from the floor to see which caucus could recruit the most associate members for 2017.

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Within the ADA Code of Ethics, there are fundamental ideas such as patient autonomy. Another term applied in this context is get- ting informed consent. We all understand that informed consent applies to dental treatment, but I propose that it applies to acquiring membership as well.

I worry that member dentists will just inform their staff members they are signing them up for associate membership and paying their dues without asking them if they actually want to join. In order to remain true to our ethical principles of veracity and autonomy, a member dentist must advise staff members of their potential benefits, requirements or drawbacks, and what information will be given to the MDA if they become associate members. If we just sign them up for num- bers alone, then we are doing a disservice to our membership.

The following are my suggestions for things to think about prior to asking a dental team member, or as they are considering, if they would like to be an associate membership.

ithin the MDA there is a push for dentists to recruit staff members other than dentists to become associ-

1. What are the benefits to associate member- ship?* Associate members have access to MDA communications. Wahoo, but this probably will not include a print copy of the Focus. A travesty! The cost of printing and mailing six issues exceeds the annual dues of $10. However, the MDA has the abil- ity to send an “e-pub” version to associate members. There is currently a discount to the Winter Session, which, again, is some- thing that will likely not continue with the reduced dues. However, associate members should take heart knowing they always pay a reduced meeting fee, as compared to the dentist members. Associate members also have access to a variety of MDA exclusive things like advocacy events, dental listings and classifications, the products and services of MDIS, and the goodwill efforts of MDAF and the Well Being Foundation.

2. Do employers who pay for membership offer a benefit to employees of $10 annually to join any professional society they want or is it limited to the MDA only? Tough call; I would not want to give $10 to an alternate organization, but it may be more fair and honest to offer a $10 benefit to all employees for joining a professional society of their choosing, if they would not choose the MDA. By the way, did I mention membership in the MDA, which I love, is just $10?

3. Is this a taxable benefit? Wow, that can get complex. Any advice I give here could be det- rimental if incorrect. Contact your accoun- tant prior to paying this benefit for your staff. The amount may seem incidental for just one employee but can add up if covering multiple staff members. You could always try to talk them into purchasing the membership with their own money; that solves a bunch of ethical problems. Dues to a professional organization are deductible from an owner sense, and it seems you should be able to pay the dues as an employer as long as there is some benefit to you, the employing agency.

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4. You have to apply for associate membership through a member dentist; what happens if you change employment to a non-member dentist but want to maintain your membership status? The MDA has this covered, too: You’ll main- tain your membership under the dentist who signed your original application and will have to renew annually, under whichever dentist you are employed with at the current time.

5. What are the requirements or drawbacks? Annual dues of $10 and a member dentist as a sponsor. The only major drawback I can come up with is the MDA will use associate member status to advocate for their poli- cies—which may actually be a good thing— but, you cannot vote or hold a major officer position in the organization to change those policies.

6. What information is needed? Some personal information, along with address and school history, if any (it’s not necessary to have a degree).

If you have a serious talk with your staff about these issues, you may find an associ- ate member primed and excited to be part of something new and special. You may also find some “no thank you” or distrust. Just signing someone up for something without discussing all the basic issues of membership is paternalistic, but unethical. If autonomy is respected and truth upheld, only good things can come from this membership drive. If we fail to be respectful, we could be making decisions that could come back to haunt the MDA and its advocacy in the future. f

The 2016 ADA Code of Ethics can be downloaded at www.ada.org/en/about-the-ada/principles-of-ethics-code- of-professional-conduct/

*The MDA website is the great re- source, so navigate to modental.org/ dentalteam to learn about associate membership.

For questions, comments or letters to the editor, contact Dr. Nail at editor@ modental.org.