HOW THE FDA SERVES AND PROTECTS PATIENTS
Advocacy
The FDA is the voice of Florida-licensed dentists in the Legislature. It maintains a clear and consistent message that dentistry is health care that works. The FDA supports legislation that protects the high quality of dental care that Florida's residents receive.
The FDA also sponsors public-education activities that highlight the importance of good dental health for people of all ages. The FDA supports Children's Dental Health Month (February) and Senior Dental Health Awareness Week (November) to teach the public good oral-health habits. Save That Smile is the FDA's newest public-awareness campaign, designed to increase the use of mouthguards and reduce the occurrence and severity of dental-facial injuries among children who play contact sports. The FDA also sponsors Give Kids a Smile, a dental-care access day aimed at enhancing the oral health of thousands of needy children.
The FDA also promotes dental-care access programs such as Project: Dentists Care. PDC, an FDA charitable organization, is a network of dentists throughout Florida that provides dental care to patients who otherwise could not afford dental care. It is part of the Florida Department of Health's Volunteer Health Care Provider Program. PDC has 40 affiliated clinics.
The Florida Dental Health Foundation, the FDA's charitable and educational organization, benefits the public by funding and promoting public-education programs and scholarships for dental-hygiene, dental-assisting and dental-laboratory-technology students
Professional Education
The Florida National Dental Convention, the FDA's official annual meeting, is one of Florida's largest conventions and one of the largest dental conventions in the southeast. FNDC is held every June at the Gaylord Palms Resort. Traditionally, about 10,000 member-dentists and their dental staffs and families attend FNDC. While most attendees are from Florida and the southeast, some travel from as far away as South America.
Attendees can choose from a variety of credit and non-credit courses. FNDC exhibitors display some of the latest technology available in dentistry.
LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY
As the voice of Florida-licensed member-dentists, the FDA supports legislation that protects the high quality of dental care that Florida's residents receive.
Combating the Illegal Practice of Dentistry:
In 2000, the FDA helped push through legislation that stiffens the penalties and puts more teeth into the laws against unlicensed practice.
Before the 2000 Legislature, only dentists - and, unfortunately, many unsuspecting patients - recognized the illegal practice of dentistry as a problem and a threat to public health.
Today, however, because of the FDA's efforts, the media, legislature, attorney general and local and states attorneys also recognize the illegal practice of dentistry as a problem.
The 2000 Florida Legislature passed a bill making the unlicensed practice of any health-care profession, including dentistry, a third-degree felony with a mandatory one-year jail sentence and up to a $5,000 fine.
Freedom of choice:
In 2000, the FDA supported legislation that requires the State of Florida to offer its employees an indemnity dental option with a choice of dentist.
Patient-protection initiative:
In 1997 the FDA successfully lobbied for a law that protects patients who receive care through prepaid limited health service organizations (PLHSOs). The law requires disclosure guidelines and a 90-day written notice or contract terminations. It also prohibits gag clauses, which prevented doctors from telling patients about all available treatment options.
Improved care for special-needs patients:
In 1998 the FDA successfully battled the insurance industry to guarantee that health-insurance companies cover general anesthesia and hospitalization for necessary dental care for patients with special needs.
Most dental procedures can be safely performed in a dental office using local anesthesia. But sometimes, these routine approaches are inappropriate, ineffective or dangerous for some patients. Dentists have developed alternative techniques, including providing care under general anesthesia in a hospital, surgical center or in a specially equipped dental office.
Unfortunately, however, these special patients often were denied insurance reimbursement. These denials created financial hardships for families that resulted either in a compromise or refusal of dental care.
Because of the new law, health-insurance companies must cover alternative techniques for special-needs patients.
Increased Medicaid provider fees:
In 1998 the FDA lobbied for a 13 percent ($10.1 million) increase in Medicaid dental-provider fees. Despite increases in costs to provide dental care, Medicaid dental-provider fees stayed the same for almost a decade.
