DrBicuspid.com Practice Management Insider

Dear Practice Management Insider,

New procedure codes covering preventive resin restorations, interim pontics, and interim retainers are included in the ADA's recently updated list. But coding expert Tom Limoli warns that at least one of the new codes is poorly designed and has the potential for healthcare fraud and inappropriate utilization.

Read more about what the eight new codes cover in our latest Practice Management Insider Exclusive.

In other Practice Management Community news, the growing number of malpractice suits over missed oral cancer screenings was dramatized at last month's Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting in a mock trial highlighting the litigation risks that dentists face when they fail to check for the disease. Most cases settle out of court, with amounts averaging six figures, but million-dollar settlements are common if the patient dies. Click here to read more, including tips on how to avoid getting sued.

Meanwhile, debate over midlevel providers continues, with the ADA challenging the findings of a recent Pew Center on the States report that claimed to demonstrate how dental practices can profit from adding them to their team. But several states are debating the issue. Vermont, Connecticut, and Oregon are considering legislation to create variations of a dental therapist to address access-to-care issues in underserved areas, while a similar measure failed in Washington.

In a related story regarding access to care, the ADA is also disputing a predicted dentist shortage, asserting that workforce changes alone cannot overcome the many barriers that prevent too many Americans from attaining good oral health. Read the ADA's arguments here.

And legislation to ban fee capping continues, as more states consider bills that would prevent insurance companies from setting fee caps on dental procedures not included in patients' policies. Read how Florida and Illinois are tackling the issue, joining a dozen states that have already blocked fee capping.

Efforts to eliminate proposed 1099 tax-reporting requirements for small businesses moved closer to success after the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate voted to repeal the 1099 mandate included in the healthcare reform law. Click here for details about the Senate's amendment and here for the House's action.

Finally, in another Medicaid story, eight West Virginia community health centers have filed suit in federal court, claiming the state's Medical agency has mismanaged Medicaid and underpaid them for more than a decade. Several other states have successfully litigated similar suits over inadequate Medicaid reimbursement. Click here to read more about the West Virginia case.