MEMBER DUES PAYMENTS OPTIONS
NOTICE Dental Board
Advertising Statute Change
The Missouri Dental Board has approved moving forward with legislation that would change the advertising statute within the Dental Practice Act.
Although the MDA Board of Trust- ees understands that the proposed changes are meant to simplify the statute to alleviate the inordinate amount of time that is spent investi- gating complaints related to advertis- ing, the MDA Board feels removing most of the existing language is too vague and is not in the best interest of the profession or the public.
The MDA Board presented their posi- tion on changes to the Dental Board through letters in May and Septem- ber of this year. The Dental Board did partially address the concerns stated by the MDA. You can view the Dental Board’s proposed changes and the MDA position by going online to
www.modental.org/advertising.
The proposed legislation must be approved as part of the Division of Professional Registration legislative package under the Missouri Depart- ment of Insurance, Financial Institu- tions and Professional Registration. Comments or concerns can be addressed to:
Missouri Dental Board 3605 Missouri Blvd PO Box 1367 Jefferson City, MO 65102-1367 Phone 573-751-0040 Email
dental@pr.mo.gov Web
http://pr.mo.gov/dental.asp
This year the MDA will continue to offer an ACH payment option, in addition to check and credit card for dues payment. Last year was the first time the ACH was offered, and was the first year a one-time convenience fee of $19 was charged for any member wishing to renew their dues with credit card payment (whether paying in full or with installments). For 2015 dues payments, a $19 fee again will be charged for any member wishing to pay with credit card.
“In 2014, credit card pro- cessing fees were a $32,000 line item in our budget,” said Dr. Dan Kessler, MDA Treasurer. “We wanted to encourage payment with ACH or check—which have no processing fees—and still allow members the convenience of credit card payment.” Dr. Kessler is pleased to note the change was effective—in the 2015 budget, credit card processing has been reduced to $20,000. “We know accepting credit cards is a cost of doing business today, but on average, these fees take two to four percent off the top, which directly affect expenses, budget and programs,” he said.
The ACH option is especially useful to members wishing to pay through the MDA installment program, because those members will not be charged the one-time credit card convenience fee, but still get a payment option that automatically debits their installment payments.
Automated Clearing House transactions, otherwise known in accounting as ACH, are elec- tronic checks that move funds from one bank account directly to another. ACH is safe and easy. When you receive your 2015 dues statement, if you wish to set up ACH, you’ll simply attach a voided check which will provide all the information MDA needs: name of financial in- stitution, routing number and account number. This information will be entered into a secure system and your check shredded. All payment options and instructions (including check or credit card, with fee) will be included with the dues statement.
On average, the MDA loses a little more than $30 on every member who opts to pay dues by credit card. It can be a one-time hit when dues are paid in full or accumulates when dues are divided across monthly installment payments. Dues check processing costs are free, and the cost for an ACH transaction (single and installment) also is free. This does not take into ac- count the staff time and effort saved, when you consider how often MDA staff have to follow up on credit information because cards have expired, been compromised or accounts closed— without the MDA being notified. While changes may occur to bank accounts, typically that information is more stable and changes with much less frequency.
New Resources on Emailing Patient Information
Member dentists with questions about transmitting patient information via email can turn to a new ADA resource, developed in cooperation with the New Jersey Dental Association, entitled Emailing Patient Information: A Resource for Dental Practices (members must logon to access). Because the use of electronic means for the communication of such information is the subject of specific HIPAA regulations, this resource is a helpful means of advising dentists about the issues that they may face. The resource available from the website contains four sample forms and addresses such topics as: Emailing patients; Emailing radiographs to a spe- cialist; Encryption; and, Breach notification. When it comes to utilizing email, every dental practice must decide for itself how best to meet patient needs in compliance with applicable regulations. These resources provide information that can help dentists better understand the legal issues and options. Lean more at
www.ada.org/en/member-center/member-benefits/ legal-resources/publications-and-articles/hipaa-and-data-security/emailing-patient-information.
ISSUE 5 | SEP/OCT 2014 | focus 11
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