Where has the time gone? The unofficial start of summer is here, and like clockwork, trips to the beach have started taking longer.While many of us enjoy a day off, a BBQ, or the pool opening, it’s...

Over the course of the next two weeks, the Maryland State Board of Dental Examiners will be holding three public meetings to discuss fee increases for licensees. According to the public...

I was recently reminded of the difficulties our offices have dealing with dental benefits at all levels, including government programs like Medicaid and private insurance.Many of us remember the big...

We had another successful MARPAC Golf Classic last week with more than 60 golfers taking on the Renditions Golf Course in Davidsonville. It was a beautiful day raising money for our political action...

Some might say that the legislative session is akin to sport. There are aspects of competitiveness, teamwork, cooperation and even opposing loyalties in both the Maryland General Assembly and sports...

Time is running out for MSDA members to be a part of the 2025 MARPAC Golf Classic. You have less than two weeks to get signed up to show off your golf game or enjoy the camaraderie. There are still...

Sine die is usually a try-to-keep-up sort of day as we keep a watchful eye on the final day of the Maryland General Assembly. Legislation is being passed back and forth between the House of Delegates...

GREAT NEWS!With two days left in the 2025 session of the Maryland General Assembly, our two priority bills are headed for the governor to be signed into law. HB 573/SB 792, the bill to modify...

With ten days left in this session of the Maryland General Assembly, there are long days that bleed into night as they race across the finish line. Luckily, the two bills that MSDA led work on...

Late last week, leaders of the House of Delegates and Senate and the Governor reached an agreement on the state’s budget that includes $1 billion in tax increases and $2.5 billion in budget cuts...

The high stakes for businesses from a proposed 2.5 percent tax on business-to-business services brought testimony of more than 400 people to Annapolis last week. There was a great deal...

Last week, the Maryland General Assembly House and Senate Rules Committee allowed legislation to move forward that would require professional associations, such as ours, to...

There are less than 40 days left in the legislative session, and the cross-over deadline, when a bill must have passed either the Senate or the House and “crossed-over” to the other house, is looming...

Thank you. Thank you to the dozens of people who came to Dentist Day in Annapolis this past week. I think everyone can agree that it was a resounding success. We had more than 70 people register...

It’s Dentist Day week! To those of you who signed up, thank you. It means a great deal that you are willing to give up a workday to advocate for our profession.We are excited to have Senator Pam...

The beginning of February means the beginning of Children’s Dental Health Month, when Maryland dentists across the state provide educational clinics and free oral health screenings as part of Give...

We are in the thick of things at the Maryland General Assembly. We testified before the House Health and Government Operations Committee last week about the eligibility requirements of the Maryland...

We are beginning to get into the thick of things in Annapolis. Hearings on the illogical expansion of the Dent-Care program will occur this week. We will be testifying that expanding the eligibility...

Session has started quickly and hearings are already being scheduled.The Governor’s budget was released last week finally revealing his plan to address a $3 billion deficit in the state budget...

The 2025 session of the Maryland General Assembly got under way last week. On Wednesday at noon, House Speaker Adrienne Jones and Senate President Bill Ferguson led their respective chambers to begin...

Yet another court has weighed in on the Corporate Transparency Act, and forced another change in course.According to the American Dental Association, “The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals panel...

I hope you are having a restful holiday season!Last week, there was a new development in the corporate transparency filing requirements.As we had mentioned previously, a judge had placed a nationwide...

Earlier this week, the Maryland State Board of Dental Examiners sent an email notifying every licensed dentist that voting was open for the open board seats. Unfortunately, of the five candidates,...

On Thursday evening, Governor Moore addressed the Maryland Association of Counties winter meeting, delivering a difficult message about the state’s fiscal crisis.The Governor laid it out succinctly...

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. As I reflected on the past year, I have been blessed with many things, including our MSDA family. The professional staff at the MSDA...

I feel confident in saying that every one of us, at some time or another, has felt the crunch of being understaffed, and the difficulties that go with finding new hygienists and assistants in our...

Now that the election is over, it’s time to start focusing on the Maryland General Assembly and the work we must do there.First and foremost is Dentist Day 2025. This year the annual event will be...

It happens every four years, and it seems like every four years there are more ads, mailers, and fundraising requests!Luckily, it’s almost over. Tuesday is election day and early voting has already...

Last year, Dr. Doring told you about a bill that had moved through the Maryland General Assembly about noncompete and conflict of interest clauses in contracts. Because of the different...

We are in the midst of a busy time as members of the Maryland General Assembly tick up their fundraising efforts and events before the annual session begins in January. This means numerous...

Next week, from Oct. 16-19, several of our colleagues will be in New Orleans for SmileCon 2024, the American Dental Association’s annual networking and continuing education conference. This year’s...

I am pleased to be the new chair of the MSDA Legislative Affairs Committee this upcoming year, and excited about the year ahead. Our advocacy work and the committee are both in a great place thanks...

Following the Election Committee Report to the MSDA House of Delegates, new officers of the MSDA were installed last weekend for 2024 – 2025: President-Elect - Dr. Charles Doring...

We are in the middle of a very busy stretch for our profession.Not only have we raised money for MARPAC, but we are also working diligently at the 2024 MSDA House of Delegates, learning new skills...

As many of us prepare for the MARPAC Golf Classic, the Chesapeake Dental Conference, and our MSDA House of Delegates meeting, I wanted to be sure to remind you of a couple laws that will be going...

As we turn from Summer to Fall, and get back into familiar routines with school, work and activities, it also means that the Chesapeake Dental Conference (CDC) is right around the corner.Have you...

I have been here this week attending the 2024 Institute for Teaching & Learning thanks to a scholarship from the ADA. Here, 40 dental school faculty and residency program directors from the US...

Next week I'm heading to the ADA in Chicago thanks to the teaching scholarship I received from the ADA Council on Education and Licensure (CDEL). I’m looking forward to the opportunity and...

During the 2024 Maryland General Assembly, legislation was introduced to require the Maryland Department of Health to annually review program reimbursement rates for all dental health codes with the...

In just a few weeks, Maryland LIVE! will again open its doors to dentists from across the state for the Chesapeake Dental Conference, MSDA’s premier education and networking event. The conference...

When we think of dental benefits, we generally think of traditional dental insurance and Medicaid. However, we often forget about health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts.Health savings...

This November we will be casting ballots for several federal and local elections, including President, U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives for Maryland’s eight congressional seats...

This November we will be casting ballots for several federal and local elections, including President, U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives for Maryland’s eight congressional seats...

The Chesapeake Dental Conference is quickly approaching…have you signed up, yet? The early bird discount is ending on Wednesday, so it’s a great time to snap up your spot! Every day new classes are...

One of the many goals of the MSDA is to increase access to care for underserved populations.  The MSDA and the MSDA Foundation have been working to achieve this through programs such as Missions...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Independence Day holiday! Several times a year, I use this weekly advocacy email to write about our political action committee, MARPAC. For those of you who are...

Thank you for the well-wishes you sent after last week’s email on workforce issues and one of our office’s hygienists who passed away after a 6-month battle with cancer. It has been one of the more...

I often get asked what the state of Maryland and organized dentistry are doing to eliminate staffing shortages, particularly with dental hygienists. As a general dentist owner of a dental practice in...

Get ready for another steamy day in Maryland! I am hoping to spend the next several weeks talking about some lesser-known bills that are important to dentistry and were signed into law over the...

Last week, the Office of Oral Health kicked off its Pathways to Bright Futures program at the National Museum of Dentistry in Baltimore. The program is funded by a grant from the federal government’s...

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been asked by a few people about our MSDA legislative accomplishments over the last several years. It got me reflecting on the many important priorities of our...

One of the most sacred moments of the year is Memorial Day – a day when we honor Americans who died in service to our country.May 30 was originally called “Decoration Day” to remember soldiers who...

On Thursday, the Utilization Review bill was signed into law by Governor Moore! We think this bill could have a big impact on how insurance carriers work with us to help care for our patients...

In anticipation of Governor Moore signing the Utilization Review (Prior Authorization) legislation, we’re continuing our weekly in-depth review of the bill. While we do our best to explain the...

We are moving into week two of the in-depth look at the Utilization Review (Prior Authorization) legislation that we expect to be signed into law in the coming weeks. Again, it is a large and complex...

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, in this weekly email, we will begin exploring in depth some of the legislation that passed the Maryland General Assembly and we expect to be signed into law...

Earlier this week, the Legislative Affairs Committee held our end of session meeting and debriefing for the 2024 Maryland General Assembly convening.It was quite a lengthy discussion on the many...

The Maryland General Assembly adjourned sine die on Monday evening with a number of our bills passing, including our priority bill, insurance utilization review. Here is some brief information on...

Lots to talk about this morning, but importantly, we are in the final stretch of the Maryland General Assembly! Sine die, the final adjournment of the session, occurs on Monday, April 8, at midnight...

There are 10 days left in the 2024 session of the Maryland General Assembly, and things are still moving…fast!Hearings and voting sessions on cross-filed bills are occurring every day, in every...

The cross-over deadline occurred this week, and we have positive news to share on our priority bills. Cross-over is the date by which one chamber must pass their bills to be considered by the...

I have an urgent request for volunteers to help provide screenings to kids at Whetstone Elementary in Montgomery County on Friday, March 22, as part of the MSDA Foundation’s Give Kids A Smile program...

I hope that you saw the emails this week about our efforts to pass a bill to address what you have said is one of your most pressing concerns: insurance reform.We have worked for more than two years...

It’s hard to believe we are more than half-way through the session! Each of our key priority bills have had hearings and are making their way through the process. We have been pleased that SB...

Thank you to the nearly 70 dentists, residents and students who attended Dentist Day in Annapolis 2024. We had an amazing turnout, and we were able to meet nearly every elected official on the...

Whew! It was a busy week in Annapolis.We testified on 7 bills this week in both the House Health and Government Operations Committee (HGO) and the Senate Finance Committee. On Tuesday, MSDA...

We are 10 days away from our annual pilgrimage to Annapolis to visit our elected officials in our state’s Capital on Tuesday, Feb. 20.Have you signed up, yet?We have number of key issues to...

We are moving through the Maryland General Assembly session-and it’s full steam ahead! This past week I testified on legislation by Delegate Andrea Harrison that would require some sort of exam for...

As the members of the Maryland General Assembly continue to introduce legislation, each Saturday, we will try to go into more detail regarding specific bills that the Legislative Affairs Committee,...

Good morning!I hope everyone stayed safe as the snow fell yesterday and earlier this week. It’s been quite a week as patients have tried to get into our offices, and parents having to be home with...

Gear up! The Maryland General Assembly has gaveled in and will be in session for the next 86 days (90 days total).It’s an exciting time of year for our advocacy agenda. Proposals that we have been...

As we ramp up for the 2024 session of the Maryland General Assembly, the MSDA annually holds the Maryland Dental Leadership Roundtable discussion with the many other dental organizations in the state...

During this time of year, we often reflect on time spent with friends, families, colleagues and patients while we reset goals and ambitions for the upcoming year. I was very pleased to see the...

December is often full of parties and fun for many of us. We take time to be with family and friends as we enter into the new year.As your mailboxes fill with holiday cards, I’m sure you’ve also seen...

On Monday, Dec. 4, the American Dental Association Health Policy Institute forwarded every member of our association an opportunity to participate in a survey regarding the Medicaid program.According...

As practitioners, we are constantly battling dental benefits providers on a myriad of issues including, but not limited to, reimbursement rates, prior authorizations, downgrading and denials...

Dear colleagues,Over the course of November, we often reflect on things we are thankful for. From social media posts to blessings around the Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving table, it’s a time for...

Every November 11, we honor those who so selflessly served our country in war and in peace. Originally, called Armistice Day, the day reflects the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh...

It looks like every inch of Maryland is feeling like Fall (or even Winter in some parts of the state!). We had a busy week this week on two of our top priorities.Workforce – We officially...

We had a great presentation at the Chesapeake Dental Conference yesterday with Delegate Ken Kerr, Ms. Danna Kauffman with Schwartz, Metz, Wise and Kauffman, a legal/lobbying firm representing MedChi...

I am looking forward to seeing many of you next week at the Chesapeake Dental Conference. The General Arrangements Committee and the MSDA staff have a great weekend planned full of educational...

We returned from the American Dental Association’s House of Delegates this week, and I am pleased that we were able to get a number of good things accomplished.Each of the reference committees...

This week, I am coming to you from the American Dental Association’s SmileCon and House of Delegates meeting in Orlando, Florida.SmileCon is the annual convention that the ADA presents for dentists...

Last week I wrote a bit about a September JADA article on the use of lead aprons when exposing dental radiographs. After reading that article and fielding several questions from colleagues, I sent a...

The Chesapeake Dental Conference is less than two months away (early bird pricing ends next week!). Have you registered and chosen classes? Is anyone from your staff attending to take advantage of...

Earlier this week, the Dental Benefits/Insurance Subcommittee held its first town hall meeting for MSDA members. We were very pleased with the nearly 50 attendees!The participants learned more about...

One of the most prevalent items that we hear about at the MSDA is the complexity, and often non-sensical nature, of dental benefits and insurance. According to an AGD May 8, 2023, article, “the...

I’m sure I say this every year, but the summer seems to have flown by. It’s hard to believe that we are already in the dog days of summer, and school will be starting in just a few weeks!August is...

The MSDA is part of what we call the tripartite-the American Dental Association, the Maryland State Dental Association and our local component working in tandem to provide opportunities for...

There are a few different things I wanted to touch on this week as we move past the midway point of July.  We were notified this week that there are nearly 1,000 providers who are helping...

The Insurance Subcommittee has been meeting regularly to look at how our organization can better serve your concerns with all types of dental benefits.One of the subcommittee’s areas of work is in...

We hope everyone had a nice Independence Day holiday! We're sure many took vacations around the mid-week holiday, and you may have even sharpened your golf game in preparation for our Annual MARPAC...

As our newer dentists can attest, dental school costs continue to climb (the average for a graduating dental school senior being almost $300,000), making it harder and harder to open practices of...

While the legislative session is finished, advocacy never ends. On the policy front, there are a number of issues being dealt with in summer studies, such as our prior authorization bill. We also...

On Monday, the United States will be celebrating Juneteenth, which marks the day when the last enslaved people in our country learned they were free, ending one of the darkest chapters in the history...

As schools let out for the summer and vacations begin, the MSDA is preparing for a number of activities with our committees, new dentists and Leadership Academy, as well as getting ready for our next...

The MSDA and the ADA leadership know the concerns that we all have with regard to insurance and dental benefits. Between learning the complicated web of benefits, dealing with the companies, the...

Memorial Day marks a special occasion when we remember those who died in service to our country. May 30, originally known as “Decoration Day,” was established by Gen. John Logan in 1868 to...

This past week, the University of Maryland School of Dentistry held its commencement ceremony for new graduates. And, one week ago, Howard University School of Dentistry held its ceremony.At the...

As health care professionals, we come across a myriad of issues. Whether it's addressing patient care and relationships or creating a positive practice environment for staff and patients, we are...

Great news!On Wednesday, May 3, Governor Wes Moore signed into law 188 pieces of legislation. In this tranche of signings were two of MSDA’s priority bills, HB 290 and HB 1159. HB 290 is the...

The Maryland State Dental Association has been approached by researchers from Harvard University regarding access to care and the barriers faced by underserved populations. MSDA staff sent the...

This week we had our annual after-session meeting of the Legislative Affairs Committee and MARPAC. We had a nice turnout of dentists for the evening. I appreciate everyone who was able to be at MSDA...

The 2023 session of the Maryland General Assembly is in the books. Once again, the Maryland State Dental Association had a great deal of success on our agenda. While we did not get everything we...

The Maryland General Assembly is in its final weekend before adjournment on Monday at midnight. The House of Delegates will be in session today to continue considering bills, while the Senate, after...

There are 10 days until the end of session and we need your help in reaching out to several members of the Maryland General Assembly on bills that are being held in the Senate Finance Committee...

We completed our regular meeting late yesterday with House of Delegates Health and Government Operations Chairwoman Joseline Peña Melnyk to continue discussing and finding solutions to the Hospital...

We are deep in the throes of session with the crossover deadline quickly approaching. On Monday, any bills must be passed by one chamber, or crossed over to the opposite chamber, in order to assure...

We had a very successful week with Dentist Day 2023 in the books and hearings on four separate bills. To start our week, we had hearings in both the House and the Senate on one of our priority...

We have a big week ahead of us as we descend upon Annapolis for Dentist Day 2023. Not only will we be meeting with legislators from across the state on Wednesday, we also have four hearings scheduled...

Good morning and happy holidays!As I think about the past year, I believe we were able to accomplish a great deal. My Top 5 includes:We were able to pass legislation to establish expanded...

This past week, the Task Force to Study Oral Health in Maryland submitted its final report to the Maryland General Assembly and the Governor. The report reflects two years of research, study and...

I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving full of family, friends, and good food. As we think about this time of giving, I hope you will consider the MSDA Foundation as one of your charities of choice...

While technically over, counting provisional and mail-in ballots has continued to occur over the last 10 days. In several races, these ballots have actually changed the outcome, including Maryland...

The 2022 Chesapeake Dental Conference and the 2022 meeting of the MSDA House of Delegates are both completed! Congratulations to the General Arrangements Committee, the MSDA elected delegates and...

If you aren’t at the Chesapeake Dental Conference, you are missing out! I have seen colleagues learning at continuing education courses, creating MSDA policy at the House of Delegates, visiting with...

The Chesapeake Dental Conference begins next week. It is always a memorable time to learn new skills, refresh old skills, and interact with our colleagues.MSDA staff and the General Arrangements...

Over the last 15 years, Maryland has led the country in providing resources for children’s dental Medicaid. Our Healthy Smiles program for kids is one of the best in the country. However, Maryland...

Henry Ford once said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”What’s most...

On Thursday, July 7, early voting started in Maryland. These early voting periods allow Marylanders to vote in person at several designated places in each county. I know that some people like to vote...

I am happy to be filling in this week for Charlie Doring who is on a well-deserved break. I had the opportunity to participate in the Oral Health Task Force meeting on Thursday. There were...

Advocacy at both the state and federal levels is an ongoing exercise. While the state legislative session lasts for only a few months, it is intense, and in actuality, we should be looking for...

It’s a beautiful weekend and many of us are starting to think about our summer plans, whether it be at the beach, at a golf course, at the swimming pool or just relaxing at home in air-conditioned...

Monday marks Memorial Day, originally observed to commemorate the sacrifices made during the Civil War, is now a day of remembrance for all those who died in service to our country. Originally...

It’s been a busy week in the MSDA advocacy world, so I wanted to give you an update on a few different things this week.MARPAC/Legislator events: MARPAC voted this week to support numerous...

It’s been a busy week in the MSDA advocacy world, so I wanted to give you an update on a few different things this week.MARPAC/Legislator events: MARPAC voted this week to support numerous...

Thanks to COVID-19, our stress levels have skyrocketed over the last two years.  The effects of the disease, and how we have had to deal with it, have caused every demographic to feel increased...

We have had a few questions come into the MSDA about dental hygiene license renewals. As we have received the information from the Board of Dental Examiners, I thought it would be good to provide...

This week Dr. Debony Hughes, the director of the Maryland Office of Oral Health, and I attended a listening session and conversation about the dental health needs in Montgomery County. The...

The 2022 Maryland General Assembly completed its work at midnight on Monday. Over the last several months we have used this Saturday email to keep our MSDA members up to date on our efforts with our...

One week to go! Yes, there is one more week of the 2022 session of the Maryland General Assembly. We are pleased that our priority bills continue to move forward.As I mentioned last week, the...

With Crossover Day this week, we had another good week in moving forward our priority bills. The Crossover deadline is when bills from one chamber must be passed in order to assure the bill is heard...

We had a very busy week, so there are a number of updates on our key bills to provide today.On Thursday evening, the House Health and Government Operations (HGO) Committee cleared our Expanded...

This week the Senate and the House spent more time on the floor, and more time working in committee through hearings and voting sessions. The days are certainly getting longer as the dog days of...

Yesterday, we testified before the House Health and Government Operations Committee on two of our key bills, HB 968, our Expanded Function Dental Assistants bill, and HB 969, the Maryland State Board...

This week in the Maryland General Assembly we had two bills before the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee. On Tuesday, we testified before the committee on our Expanded...

Good morning!We have had a busy week in the advocacy world. Yesterday, we closed out a second successful virtual Dentist Day week. Over the course of the week, we had more than 40 meetings with...

Colleagues,Dentist Day week is upon us! We have a lot of appointments set up with legislators across the state, and our Dentist Day seminar is set up for Wednesday morning beginning at 8 a.m...

Dear Colleagues,We are in the thick of things with the Maryland General Assembly. Last week we provided testimony, oral and written, on three separate bills. We testified in support of each of the...

The 2022 session of the Maryland General Assembly is fully underway. Hearings are being held virtually and the House and Senate have begun considering bills, in particular the redistricting maps for...

While the Omicron variant has changed a lot of plans over the last couple of months, signs are pointing toward a downward trend of positive cases and an ever so slight decline in hospitalizations...

The 2022 Maryland General Assembly gaveled into session on Wednesday, Jan. 12, at noon. Both presiding officers are entering their first election year session at the helm of their respective chambers...

Happy new year! I hope you are well and staying as safe as possible as we continue providing care to patients in the midst of yet another surge.I have a few updates to share this week. First,...

As we look to the new year many of us will be completing some last-minute continuing education (CE) credits. With that in mind, please consider attending our CE course to benefit MARPAC, the Maryland...

The Maryland General Assembly convened and adjourned this week for a special session to tackle several items. Special sessions are rare and can only be called for by the governor, most often...

The holidays have begun and while we are seeing a few more familiar routines this year, another COVID-19 variant is rearing its ugly head just in time for visits with friends and family. Please stay...

Last week I urged anyone who had a free minute to check out the meeting of the Oral Health Task Force that was held on Thursday morning. I know we are all very busy, but I urge you to go back and...

Good morning.I wanted to share a couple updates with you today.First, the exciting news is that the oral health task force that became law on July 1, should be up and running in August. The Maryland...

Tomorrow, July 4, we celebrate Independence Day. It was on this day in 1776 that the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence formally announcing the thirteen...

Over the last few weeks we’ve seen how we need to constantly be vigilant in addressing public perception of the dental office. In two local publications, an article written by Kaiser Health News...

May 23, 2021Earlier this week, Governor Hogan signed into law more than 200 bills that had cleared the Maryland General Assembly during the session that was completed last month.In previous years,...