150 Years of the Kansas Dental Association
2021 marks a special anniversary for the Kansas Dental Association. The KDA was organized 150 years ago!
In fact, the first organizational meeting of the Kansas State Dental Society was attended by 6 dentists on May 4, 1871 in Lawrence, Kansas.
While the 2021 Midwest Dental Conference and KDA Annual Meeting were moved to a virtual format this year, plans are underway to celebrate 150 years of the KDA in-person at the spring 2022 conference.
Look for details to be announced during the next year.
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KDA Honors Dr. Stephen Zeller as 2021 Dentist of the Year
During the 150th Annual Meeting of the Kansas Dental Association General Assembly on Thursday, April 29, Dr. Stephen "Steve" Zeller was celebrated as the 2021 Dentist of the Year.
Dr. Zeller was presented with the award prior to the meeting by KDA President, Dr. Allen Reavis. The award presentation can be viewed on YouTube.
Dr. Reavis nominated Dr. Zeller for the Dentist of the Year Award because of his dedication to the Kansas Donated Dental Services Program (DDS), which provides free, comprehensive dental care to individuals who are disabled, elderly, or medically fragile.
In addition to serving as Board President of the Kansas Chapter of Dental Lifeline Network, Dr. Zeller is also the top provider of care through the DDS program in the entire country.
Learn More About Dr. Zeller
New Kansas E-Prescribing Law Will Take Affect July 1, 2021
Many Dentists Will Not Be Affected
The KDA has recently received calls from a few dentists who have heard from their dental tech company (or perhaps others) about a new Kansas law beginning July 1, 2021 requiring electronic prescribing.
There is, indeed, a new state law regarding e-prescribing; however, it only affects prescribers who issue over 50 prescription orders per year of “controlled substances that contain opiates."
Specifically, the new Kansas law states “Every prescription order issued for a controlled substance in schedules II-V that contains an opiate….shall be transmitted electronically.”
There are a number of exceptions to this law including the “50 prescription threshold” stated above.
The Kansas Board of Pharmacy has notified the KDA that they will be publishing guidance about the new law in the near future.
To complicate matters, a new federal law began January 1, 2021 requiring all prescribers issuing orders for controlled substances under Medicare Part D to file prescriptions electronically.
The KDA will keep members updated on both laws as new information becomes available.
Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act Becomes Law
The Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act of 2020 was signed into law Wednesday, January 13, 2021 after the culmination of a multi-year effort by several organizations, including the American Dental Association (ADA), to persuade Congress that health care insurance, including dental plans, should no longer be protected from some of the federal antitrust laws.
The new law makes the conduct of health insurers subject to more of the nation’s antitrust laws, like all other U.S. businesses, and helps remove additional obstacles to investigation and enforcement.
Since health insurers will now be subject to the same enforcement as other businesses, the ADA believes that both the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice will be more likely to investigate alleged anticompetitive practices and activities of health care insurers.
The ADA has developed an FAQ for ADA dentists with questions about how this law will affect dentists and dental practices. Download the
one-page summary and the
ADA FAQ.
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