NY Medicaid investigation; Levin on performance reviews; Ibbetson on products

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Some 29 New York state dentists and orthodontists received $13.2 million in Medicaid payments in 2012 for services that appeared unnecessary or may not have been performed at all, according to a new report by federal health investigators. Read Features Editor Donna Domino's article here.

Though performance reviews typically only occur once a year, their impact on job performance and attitude can be tremendous -- if they are done properly. The key is to take a positive approach, according to Dr. Roger Levin.

Are your patients going to use products such as electric toothbrushes and oral irrigators? In her latest column, Carrie Ibbetson, RDH, offers seven upsides and a few downsides to selling products in your office. She details the advantages to patients and also emphasizes how product knowledge can help you put your patients first. Read more here.

The University of the Pacific has opened a new $151 million campus in San Francisco for the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry. With recent reports on the number of California dentists nearing retirement, DrBicuspid.com spoke with Dr. Patrick J. Ferrillo Jr., the dean of the school, about the new facility and how the next generations of dentists are being educated. Read more here.

An investigation into the billing practices of a number of New York State dentists merely heralds the latest news from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. How did you feel when you read this news? What steps need to be taken to prevent this kind of situation from developing? What are you telling your patients, and what are you talking with your peers about? Let us know in our Forums.

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