On Wednesday, June 8, 2011, Governor Cuomo signed an important piece of legislation into law that will improve public health and safety of New Yorkers statewide.

Beginning January 1, 2012, all dental offices in New York State will be required to have Automated External Defibrillators (AED’s) on-site.Dentists in New York are already required to be trained to use these devices. AED’s save lives and now over 10,000 dental offices across the State will have them available. NYSDA’s support of AEDs in dental offices is a result of the indisputable evidence that they greatly improve outcomes for people experiencing cardiac arrest.

While dental offices are not a site where cardiac arrest is likely to occur, as many people frequent dental offices, the availability of an AED provides additional protection for those in a dental office who may experience an unanticipated cardiac event, regardless of the cause.

The importance of early defibrillation cannot be over-emphasized:

• The prognosis of pre-hospital cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation is dependent on the first few minutes following the arrest
• The availability and use of AEDs has resulted in a marked increase in the effectiveness of pre-hospital CPR in saving lives
• It is estimated that an individual’s chances for survival decreases by 10% for each minute that defibrillation is delayed
• Early defibrillation has been shown to be more effective than CPR alone
• The national average for survival after sudden cardiac arrest is 5-6% without immediate defibrillation
• In metropolitan areas, the survival rates are actually lower, 1-2%, leading many communities to equip first responders with AEDs
• Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) programs have raised survival rates up to 60%

List of AED providers

Frequently Asked Questions

 

New York State Dental Association
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Medicaid Fee Schedule Changes

Medicaid Fee Update

Wednesday, May 18, 2011, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) announced the implementation date for its new fee-for-service dental fee schedules. Click here for a pdf of the new fee schedule.

• Claims submitted after May 15, 2011 will be reimbursed in accordance with the new fee schedule.
• The new schedules and accompanying policy changes are effective for all claims for dental treatment provided in dental offices and in Article 28 facilities, respectively.

As a result of NYSDA’s discussions with DOH, fees for treatment provided in Article 28 facilities were not cut by 35 percent across the board. Instead fees for individual procedures will be reimbursed at not less than 65 percent, or more than 100 percent of the office-based fee-for-service fee schedule. NYSDA now anticipates that additional increases in payments for Article 28-based treatment services may be forthcoming.

The most significant policy changes include the frequency with which reimbursement will be made for complete and partial dentures from four to eight years. The new fees do not include changes to the fees for orthodontic or pediatric treatment.

In summary, NYSDA continues to oppose any reductions in Medicaid payments to dentists which would negatively affect patient access to needed care. NYSDA persists in strongly advocating for restoration of the funds cut from the dental Medicaid program. Further, NYSDA has advised DOH that there are places where significant savings can be realized without reductions in the already inadequate fee schedule, advocating for an overhaul of the program’s administrative system that would result in immediate and additional significant savings without jeopardizing access and provider participation.
Effective April 1, 2011

Medicaid will continue to allow dentists treating patients in Article 28 facilities in operating rooms and emergency departments to submit claims for treatment services at a reduced payment level. Services may be billed at 65% of the current Medicaid dental fee-for-service fee schedule. The Department does not plan to reduce the total level of this reimbursement when the fee-for-service schedule is restructured on May 1st – although the facility based payment may undergo some realignment at that time.

Dentists providing service in the ER or in Ambulatory Surgery can bill Medicaid $87.00 for D9420 [hospital visit] for each patient served. This code can also be billed for inpatient surgery. Other specific treatment codes will be reimbursed at 65% of the current Medicaid dental fee schedule.

Dentists cannot bill the fee schedule for hospital or free-standing clinic services except orthodonture.

 

March 2011 – New York State Medicaid Update

• Billing assistance/Claims: eMedNY Call Center (800) 343-9000
• Article 28 Clinic/APG Reimbursement: E-mail: apg@health.state.ny.us or call (518) 473-2160

The new deadline for the enforcement of the Part D Prescriber Enrollment is February 1, 2017. The deadline was extended to be certain that the necessary provisions are in place to minimize potential disruption of beneficiaries’ access to needed Part D medications.

This additional time will allow for prescribers to have adequate time to complete their enrollment. Documentation can be found here.

Additional information can be found on our website under FAQs and Medicare by clicking here.

6NYCRR Subpart 374-4, Standards for the Management of Elemental Mercury and Dental Amalgam Wastes at Dental Facilities (effective May 12, 2006) requires dental facilities to install dental amalgam separators; recycle dental amalgam waste and elemental mercury; and maintain records on the installed separator and recycled dental amalgam wastes.

Onondaga County WEP is in the process of inspecting dental offices and have found most operating and maintaining separators very well.  However, very few offices were following the law exactly to the letter.  As a result, a few areas of improvement were pointed out.

• Filters must be changed when full.  (Part 374-4.2 (a)(5)).
• Dentists must have amalgam waste storage containers. (Part 374-4.2 (b)). Dentists must comply with the record keeping requirements. (Part 374-4.2 (c) and (d)).
• Dentists must abide by the prohibitions contained in Part 374-4.2 (e).

More Information:

OCWA Cover Letter

Mercury Recycling for Dentists FAQs

Dental Waste Management Environmental Conservation Law

Date: November 2009

Recently, consumers in New York State have been exposed to a significant number of products involving teeth whitening. While certain over-the-counter products may be safe, other products available for self application or through retail outlets have the potential to cause harm.

• Underlying dental health conditions may make a patient a poor candidate for certain teeth whitening processes. These processes may not be effective, and may actually do harm to a patient’s teeth and gums.
• The application of teeth whitening products in a retail outlet, not subject to the infection control requirements of a dental office, creates a risk of disease transmission for the consumer and individuals working in such an establishment.
• The application of teeth whitening products by or with the assistance of someone who is not a licensed dentist or dental hygienist may constitute the illegal practice of the profession of dentistry, which is a crime.
• The State Board for Dentistry office will refer any allegations of the illegal practice of dentistry to the Office of Professional Discipline for investigation. Individuals should consult with a licensed dental health professional and have their overall dental health evaluated before making decisions regarding teeth whitening products and services.

Guidance to Dental Professionals on the Ebola Virus
As of October 16, 2014, dental professionals are advised of the following:

A person infected with Ebola is not considered contagious until symptoms appear. Due to the virulent nature of the disease, it is highly unlikely that someone with Ebola symptoms will seek dental care when they are severely ill. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the ADA Division of Science, dental professionals are advised to take a medical history, including a travel history from their patients with symptoms in which a viral infection is suspected.

Any person within 21 days of returning from the West African countries Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea may be at risk of having contacted persons infected with Ebola and may not exhibit symptoms. If this is the case, dental professionals are advised to delay routine dental care of the patient until 21 days have elapsed from their trip. Palliative care for serious oral health conditions, dental infections and pain can be provided if necessary after consulting with the patient’s physician and conforming to standard precautions and physical barriers.

An elevated temperature (fever) is often a consequence of infection, but Ebola is not the only infection that may have similar signs and symptoms. The most common signs and symptoms of Ebola infection are:

• fever (greater than 38.6°C or 101.5°F) and severe headache
• muscle pain
• vomiting
• diarrhea
• stomach pain or unexplained bleeding or bruising

You are advised not to treat dental patients if they have these signs and symptoms for Ebola. If a patient is feeling feverish and their travel history indicates they may be at risk of Ebola, dental professionals and staff in contact with the patient should:

• immediately protect themselves by using standard precautions with physical barriers (gowns, masks, face protection, and gloves)
• immediately call 911 on behalf of the patient
• notify the appropriate state or local health department authorities
• ask the health department to provide you and your staff with the most up-to-date guidance on removing and disposing of potentially contaminated materials and equipment, including the physical barriers.

The Ebola virus is spread through direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with blood and body fluids (urine, feces, saliva, vomit and semen) of a person who is sick with Ebola, or with objects (like needles) that have been contaminated with the virus. Ebola is not spread through the air or by water or, in general, by food. Again, there is no reported risk of transmission of Ebola from asymptomatic infected patients.

Information and resources on Ebola are posted on the CDC’s website at cdc.gov. A checklist for healthcare providers (PDF) specific to Ebola is included on the site.

Additional Resources

• CDC Health Alert Network (HAN) — Evaluating Patients for Possible Ebola Virus Disease: Recommendations for Healthcare Personnel and Health Officials
• CDC Recommended Infection Control Practices for Dentistry
• CDC Health Care Provider Preparedness Checklist for Ebola Virus Disease (PDF)
• The ADA Practical Guide to Effective Infection Control (P692)
• The Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention
• New York State Department of Health – Get the facts about Ebola