ADA House of Delegates Recap T
by VICKI WILBERS, MDA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
he ADA House of Delegates was held virtually October 15-17, 2020. The following is a recap of events.
Delegation members participated in the ADA Virtual House over several days. We commend all of them for their diligence and sacrifices made to be in front of a computer screen for many, many hours and learn new virtual platforms with ease. Also, we note the work of Drs. Ted Rechtin and Lori Roseman who took the lead by hosting the Sixth District states of Missouri, Tennessee, West Virginia and Kentucky. They along with MDA team members, Stacey Hemmel and Margie Kunze, made the entire process look easy and go off without a “virtual” hitch, when actu- ally it took a ton of work. Delegates included: Drs. Bob Butler (SL), Amanda Fitzpatrick (NE), Prabu Raman (KC), Lori Roseman (SL), Nathan Seyer (SE), Joe Sokolowski (SL) and Connie White (KC). Alternate Delegates in- cluded: Drs. Mary Burke (SL), David Dear (C), Louise First (SL), Ted Rechtin (SL), Robert Tait (KC) and Doug Wyckoff (NW). Dr. Mike Berry served as secretary of the delegation.
In ADA officer elections, Dr. Dan Klemmendson took the reigns as the ADA President. Dr. Cesar Sabates, Florida, was elected President-Elect, winning over our own Sixth District Trustee, Dr. Roy Thompson, who ran a formidable cam- paign and still is a winner to us. Dr. Maria Maranga, New York, was elected Second Vice President, and our own Dr. Vince Rapini will continue as the ADA Board’s First Vice President. Our new Sixth District Trustee, replacing Dr. Thompson, is Dr. Michael Medovic, West Virginia, who will take his place on the ADA Board.
Dr. Amanda Fitzpatrick began her term on the ADA Council on Dental Practice. She joins other MDA members serving nationally, including Dr. Joe Sokolowski, Council on Members Insurance and Retirement Pro- grams and Dr. Prabu Raman, National Com- mission on Recognition of Dental Specialties
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and Certifying Boards. We thank members who concluded their national service, including Dr. Emily Mattingly, Chair, ADA New Dentist Committee and Dr. Danielle Riordan, Council on Membership.
RESOLUTION REPORT
Due to the virtual nature of the meeting, the new ADA Speaker, Dr. Mark Donald, created a special order of referral consent calendar whereby resolutions considered non-urgent were referred to the appropriate ADA agen- cies for report to the 2021 House. This is something normally not done, but due to the virtual aspect, was successful in moving for- ward discussions essential to the business of the ADA in these unusual times. Resolution highlights include:
Dues were increased by $8 to $573/per member. The budget deficit was close to $6 Million and will be funded from reserves.
Resolution 110 calls for the ADA Board to allo- cate funds for the 2021 Dentists & Study Lobby Day. Funds for this event were not included in the budget presented. With passage, if the meeting can be held face-to-face, the ADA will fund the meeting from reserves.
Resolution 101 called for the ADA to study the feasibility of increasing new dentist members in the ADA House. The resolution did not pass as it was discussed that the makeup of the House rests on the shoulders of the state associations. There was discussion about the importance of the state associations to address this within their organizations as the House makeup does not reflect opportuni- ties for advancement for new dentists in this leadership vein.
Resolution 16 addressed amendments to the Policy Statement on Teledentistry. A great deal of discussion on this resolution eventually resulted in an adopted policy on teledentistry that would protect the profes- sion and patients from direct-to-consumer orthodontics while preserving the ability to use teledentistry in dental practices in
Resolution 84 confirmed the ADA’s position on “Dentistry is Essential Healthcare.” The ADA Board had adopted an interim policy, and this resolution affirmed the policy that “oral health is an integral component of systemic health and that dentistry is essential healthcare because of its role in evaluating, diagnosing, preventing and treating oral diseases which can affect systemic health.”
Several resolutions arose due to matters expe- rienced from the COVID-19 pandemic:
Resolution 22 addressed Diagnostic Testing by Dentists resulting in a statement that dentists have the knowledge and skills to administer diagnostic medical tests (such as COVID-19 tests); that point of care testing is within a dentists scope; that tests results should be communicated to patients and referred to a physician for proper diagnoses and treatment; and, that dentists should comply with all federal and state regulations.
Resolution 91 addressed vaccine adminis- tration by dentists resulting in a position of the ADA that dentists have the requisite knowledge and skills and should be allowed to administer critical vaccines.
Resolution 108 called for the ADA to develop principles that states could consider for in- clusion in state legislative proposals to allow appropriately trained dentists to administer vaccines.
Resolution 102 was referred back to the ADA Board to investigate the feasibility of develop- ing a platform to allow third-party payers to provide the treating dentists with accu- rate and timely information though a single system (such as an online portal) regarding a patient’s current dental benefits. A report with
proven and effective ways. A key factor is that in any situation using teledentistry, if a den- tist makes a diagnosis and treatment plan, they should have the same information they would have if the patient is seen in-person— no matter how information is gathered.
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