Council On Orthodontic Practice Report
Dr. Gayle Glenn
The Council on Orthodontic Practice met August 15-16, 2003 in St. Louis.
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT FORMS CD
The Adult and Child Medical History Forms have been revised and are included in the new Practice Management Forms CD (which is replacing the “forms-on-disc”) as well as in printed form.
The Return Correspondence Regarding Requested Treatment Form is included in the Practice Management Forms CD and is also available in printed form. The August Bulletin included this form as a sample along with a letter from Liz Franklin, the AAO Liability Services Manager.
OFFICE DESIGN MANUAL
The COOP reviewed a “mock” web site, from sub-committee, of the proposed new version of the Office Design Manual. The proposed new version would be available on CD-ROM and on-line, replacing the printed binder form. The sub-committee will continue their work and prepare a formal budget to submit to the BOT for the 2004-05 fiscal year.
COOP SPONSORED CONFERENCES
The Orlando 2004 Annual Session: “Practice Transition/Orthodontist as CEO” will be a full-day program on Friday, April 30, 2004. This will be a ticketed event moderated by Randall Berning. Other speakers include Dr. Clark, Dr. Domer, Dr. O’Neil, and Dr. McDonald. The theme will be Growth, Vision and Transition for Orthodontist CEO’s.
Orlando 2004 Annual Session: “Staff Development/Train the Trainer Program” will be held Saturday, May 1, 2004. This will be a ticketed event targeting 100 clinical staff, 100 administrative staff, and 50 doctors. The program will feature an initial General Session, followed by break out sessions for administrative staff, clinical staff, treatment coordinators, and doctors.
Dr. Rebecca Poling, Lori Garland Parker, and Debbie Best are the organizers of the program designed to teach staff trainers how to train others. The session will be captured on Digiscript for distance learning purposes.
2006 “Orthodontist as CEO”: This will be a stand-alone conference similar to the 2003 conference held in Tampa, Florida. Dates and location will be announced.
INFORMED CONSENT
A sub-committee was formed to review the AAO Informed Consent. Suggested revisions will include recommendations from the Claims Committee of the AAOIC.
PRACTICE OPPORTUNITIES/ALTERNATIVES PROGRAM
A sub-committee reported on the status of these programs. Katie Repking, the Practice Opportunities Coordinator gave a report. Letters were sent out to the Chair/Program Directors requesting dates to present the Practice Alternative Programs to the graduate students during the 2003-04 academic year.
SCHOOL NURSE PROGRAM
The COC and COOP collaborated on this project designed to educate school nurses on the basics of dealing with minor orthodontic emergencies. The COC has developed “Handling Orthodontic Emergencies at School”, which will be posted on the AAO public web site as well as the web site of the National Association of School Nurses. The COOP suggested laminating this information card and mailing to school nurses as a public service. BOT approval and budget are pending.
STAFF DEVELOPMENT AND HUMAN RESOURCES
Key issues were identified as recruitment, selection, training, and retention
of staff. A sub-committee was formed to investigate a formal staff training
program.
The Orthodontic Staff Training Resource Syllabus was reviewed. It was
suggested that this should be made readily available for members and staff
at the Constituent Meetings and at the Annual Session. The Syllabus will
be available at Member Services Booths.
BROCHURES
Tobacco Use Brochure – A new brochure was designed informing patients of the adverse effects of smoking and tobacco use on orthodontic treatment. Production is pending.
Dental Trauma Brochure – This is currently in sub-committee. It will be similar to the brochure currently available from the American Association of Endodontists.
High Risk/Tooth Decay Brochure – Production is pending.
Brochure to target parents (or grandparents) of patients. Ideas included “Preparing your mouth for retirement “and “Your child needs orthodontic treatment – Do You?” This will be referred to COC for their input.
ORAL CANCER SCREENING
The COOP suggested that copies of the Oral Cancer Screening Video from the University of Pittsburgh be added to the AAO Library. The ADA recently launched the third phase of its oral cancer awareness campaign.
WOMEN IN ORTHODONTICS
The Women Orthodontists’ Luncheon, held in Honolulu during the 2003 Annual Session, was well received with over 125 women attending. Plans are under way to have a similar event in Orlando. This initiative supports the AAO Strategic Plan to “address issues/challenges facing the diverse population of orthodontists “ and “develop and deliver programs based on membership diversity and community needs”.
SPECIAL NEEDS PATIENTS
Letters from parents with “special needs” were reviewed and discussed. This is a very broad category, and most offices handle such situations on a case-by-case basis. A survey of the Research Family may be utilized to determine if members need or want additional training on how to handle patients with physical and behavioral disabilities.