Trustee Report

Dr. Gayle Glenn

The 2008 Governmental Affairs Conference was held January 29-30, 2008 in Washington, DC. SWSO members who attended included: Scott Hamilton (COGA and AAOPAC representative), Jim Dyer, Larson Keso, Frank Miller, Michael Ragan, and Gayle Glenn (SWSO Trustee). Patton-Boggs, our legislative consultants, provided training for Capital Hill visits and scheduled appointments with our federal legislators. Talking Points were developed regarding the following issues: SCHIP expansion, increasing health care options for small businesses through Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Association Health Plans (AHPs), Access to Care, Economic Stimulus Package, repeal of the Alternative Minimum Tax, raising the threshold for application of the Estate Tax (Death Tax), Student Loan Interest Deduction, and GME Funding. I would like to thank those who took time away from their offices and family responsibilities to represent SWSO at this important conference and to visit their federal lawmakers.

Discussion of the 2008-09 AAO budget predominated the February Board of Trustees meeting. The BOT recommends that the House of Delegates consider keeping the dues stable and funding the resultant deficit from excess reserves. Your SWSO Delegates will have considered the budget during the AAO Annual Session in Denver.

Consumer Awareness continues to be one of the AAO’s Critical Issues. The “More Than a Smile” campaign continued in 2007-08 as funded by the two-year $450 member assessment passed by the 2006 House of Delegates. The Council on Communication has given notice that they plan to ask for funding to continue the campaign in 2008-09 and beyond.
Other budget funding requests from COC include funds to expand the National Facial Protection Month campaign through the use of a celebrity athlete/spokesperson, a viral video, and outreach to 10 major media markets. The council also proposes expansion of the National Orthodontic Health Month campaign through the use of a Celebrity Chef, a Radio Media Tour, and outreach to the top 10 TV markets in the U.S. and Canada. The Top 10 TV Market Outreach will replace the satellite media tour and b-roll media package that has been used in the past. Plans also include translation of www.braces.org into Spanish and French.

Orthodontic Education has also been identified as a critical issue. The Task Force on Faculty Recruitment and Retention has proposed the establishment of 10 “Faculty First Awards.” The awards of $30,000 each would go to “new hires” in accredited orthodontic programs for 2008-09. The program calls for a salary supplementation for the first year with a 1-year “pay-back” of teaching for a total commitment of 2 years. If a recipient doesn’t complete the 2 years, he/she will have to pay back the salary supplementation on a pro rata basis.

Several projects are being proposed to implement the Communications Audit Action Plan. These include a Brand Design Manual, media training, creation of “Bulletin Online” and some recommended changes to “The Bulletin.” Capital budget expenditures are needed to keep the AAO functioning as a state-of-the-art organization. Requests for funding include:

1. Website projects to address recommendations regarding website design which will advance the AAO identity.
2. Google Search Appliance to be added to the AAO website platform, as recommended by COIT.
3. Installation of a new Association Management System (AMS). It is recommended that we replace our existing iMIS system with a more efficient system to increase the quality of member service.

Relationships with the ADA and other healthcare organizations continue to be important to the AAO. As a result, the following budget requests were considered:

1. The Council on Education has proposed a joint breakfast meeting with the educators from the American College of Prosthodontists and the American Academy of Periodontology during the ADEA meeting, to enhance relationships between the specialties.
2. The Council on Orthodontic Healthcare requests that one of its members serve as the AAO representative at the National Association of Dental Plans meeting in Orlando, Florida.
3. The Council on Information Technology submitted a plan to form a team that would participate in a number of ADA SCDI working groups.
4. Other Dental Professional Meetings: Funds are requested for a representative from the AAO to attend the ADA SCDI and Dental Products working groups, ADEA meeting on hospitals, and the ADA Evidenced-based Symposium. 
5. SNODENT Task Force: The National Health Information Infrastructure (NHII) was created to establish a single electronic health record for communicating patient information. Systematized Nomenclature of Dentistry (SNODENT) is a group of dentally related concepts, terms and descriptors that describe a patient’s dental diagnosis in an electronic medium. This Task Force will oversee and define all electronic claims nomenclature, develop dental diagnostic codes and continue development of treatment codes to ensure that the perspective of the orthodontic profession is present in SNODENT.

Government regulations are an ongoing concern for the AAO and its members, especially with the upcoming Presidential election. COGA will sponsor a Professional Advocacy Conference January 26-28, 2009 in order to increase AAO presence in Washington, DC.

Mark your calendars for the following upcoming meetings:

1. November 14-16, 2008 Regional “Orthodontist as CEO” Conference at the Grand Hyatt in New York City.
2. February 5, 2009 Leadership and President-elects Conference in Orlando, FL.
3. February 6-8, 2009 AAO and American Academy of Periodontology Conference in Orlando, FL.

I would like to congratulate Dr. Carmen Briceno, 2007 graduate from Baylor College of Dentistry, for winning the 2008 Milo Hellman Research Award. Her thesis is titled “Healing of the Root and Surrounding Structures Following Intentional Damage with a Miniscrew Implant.”  It is quite an honor to have this high award going to a student from one of our schools within the SWSO boundaries. Congratulations to Dr. Briceno and her research committee for achieving this recognition for outstanding orthodontic research.

Is your staff looking for effective continuing education resources and a way to share ideas with others? The AAO Orthodontic Staff Club is connecting orthodontic staff around the world. More than 1,000 staff members now belong. Each participating individual receives a quarterly eNewsletter, an Annual Session registration-fee discount, access to the AAO website, a free subscription to the AAO online education lectures, and a free e-mail address through AAOMail. Annual club fees are only $25. To sponsor your staff’s enrollment, complete the application available at www.AAOmembers.org.

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