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02/01/2017

OSOMS President's Update - February 2017

Dear OSOMS Member:

Our Executive Board met on Sunday morning, January 22, 2017, to discuss issues affecting our specialty. We enjoyed outstanding attendance which afforded us great insights into the challenges affecting us. I am pleased with the range of practice types represented on the Board. The Board is comprised of members ranging from solo practitioners to two-person to multi-practitioner groups, and dedicated academic faculty. No matter what your practice situation, you have representation on the Board. However, we need participation from others to maintain the quality Board we have enjoyed over the years.

Political changes influence our profession and we must maintain awareness and provide input. I appreciate the knowledge of the political climate provided by Nathan DeLong, Esq. and Dave Owsiany, J.D. of the ODA. They understand the policies that affect us and are willing to listen and work to protect our profession and specialty.

Presently, there are serious attacks on our specialty rules in Ohio brought on by the American Board of Dental Specialties (ABDS) which represents specialties not recognized by the ADA. The ABDS represents implant dentistry, dental anesthesiology, oral medicine, and orofacial pain. They have an aggressive legal team which wants to use Ohio as a test case. These specialties have never been able to meet the specialty criteria established by the ADA. If you know a member of the Ohio State Dental Board (OSDB), please contact that member to express our concerns about protecting the public by only recognizing the specialties recognized by the ADA. No other state recognizes the ABDS, why should Ohio? The ADA and the ABDS have different standards in recognizing the criteria for earning specialty status. If the OSDB recognizes the ABDS specialties, are they going to recognize the next “specialty” that comes along? Please feel free to contact me or any Executive Board member for more insights into this challenge and more talking points for the OSDB. Fortunately, Drs. Greg Ness and Kelly Kennedy will meet with OSDB member Dr. Burton Job (an OMFS on the OSDB) when he arrives in Columbus February 7th for the OSDB meeting February 8, 2017.

Other areas of concern include the opioid abuse crisis in Ohio. Since we perform a large number of procedures which require analgesics, our specialty is under scrutiny. Please take a careful look at your prescribing practices to see if some other combination of analgesic therapies can help minimize the number of opioids you prescribe. Of course, we must maintain our vigilance in protecting any narcotics we may have on our premises for our procedures. Senate Bill 319 which proposed several new strategies to fight opiate abuse passed the Ohio Senate 33 - 0. It will pass the House by the end of the year. It has provisions which will require any health care providers who have any scheduled drugs in their office to have a TDDD. We have worked with the ODA and the Pharmacy Board to minimize regulatory overlap between the OSDB and the Pharmacy Board. We’ll provide updates, but be prepared to apply for a TDDD if you don’t already have one.

Dental anesthesia problems in California have prompted investigations into our operator/ anesthesia practices. Thanks to Dr. Dave Morrison, our District IV Trustee, we are aware of Caleb’s Law which seeks to increase the safety of administering and monitoring general anesthesia/deep sedation to children during dental procedures (by destroying our operator/anesthesia model). Although we adhere to strict patient safety practices, we must remain vigilant in our anesthesia practices and prove our vigilance by maintaining and documenting our safety. We must monitor our patients with pulse oximetry, EKG, and capnography (even with open systems). We have a separate staff member helping monitor vital signs, but it does not have to be an anesthesiologist or a nurse anesthetist. If California sets precedents, our safe anesthesia practices, which benefit the public in an extremely cost-effective manner, will come under attack. We have a unique model and must safeguard our ability to practice anesthesia safely. Please consider the value of the SIMS program (provided by Drs. Deepak Krishnan and James Phero) which will be offered again on Friday April 28, 2017, the day before our Annual Meeting on anesthesia practices (coordinated by Dr. Kelly Kennedy) on April 29, 2017. If you are up for an anesthesia review, please schedule it so Dr. Ken Molnar doesn’t have to remind you of your obligation. If you are asked to perform an anesthesia review, please help your colleague comply.

If any of these issue prompt you to become more involved in preserving our specialty, please contact me or any other Board member. Please remember how you sacrificed to become an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. You know you are a conscientious, well-trained practitioner. Please show that to your patients and your community on a daily basis. Also, please remember that we have to prove it to our legislators.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Dornauer, DDS
OSOMS President 2016-2017

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