Kathy has been a dental hygienist, educator, speaker, author, consultant, seminar, and study club leader for over 40 years. She speaks frequently about the correct classification, documentation, treatment planning, and CDT procedure code selection for patients with periodontal disease. In addition, she holds a license with the ADA for Current Dental Terminology© which allows her to provide the most up to date understanding of current procedure codes.
Her national engagements include presentations to the American Dental Association’s Annual Meeting, ADHA Center for Lifelong Learning, RDH Under One Roof, and the Pacific Northwest Dental Conference. Her most recent honors include being selected as a recipient of the 2023 Sunstar RDH Achievement of Distinction in the category of Entrepreneurship and a member of the inaugural class of Fellows for the American Dental Hygienists’ Association.
Kathy has articles published in RDH Magazine, RDH eVIllage, Dentistry Today, Dentistry IQ and others specifically addressing dental hygiene treatment planning and correct CDT procedure code selection. Through her company, Professional Dental Seminars, Inc., she provides customized in-office, interactive workshops to address dental practices’ specific concerns related to treatment planning, CDT procedure code selection and long-term management of periodontal patients.
For over 25 years, her faculty appointments have included the Dental Hygiene Program at Concorde Career College in Aurora, CO, the Dental Hygiene Programs at Pierce College in Tacoma, WA and Shoreline Community College in Seattle, WA. Through the University of Washington’s Continuing Dental Education Program as well as the Pacific Northwest Dental Hygiene Institute, she has taught local anesthesia and restorative procedures for out-of-state hygienists seeking licensure in Washington state and the Teaching Practicum Series for Eastern Washington University’s Degree Completion program for licensed dental hygienists seeking their Baccalaureate Degree.
Kathy currently serves as a Director for the DentalCodeology™ Consortium, reviewing and developing procedure codes relevant to dental hygiene practice which are presented to the Code Maintenance Committee of the American Dental Association each year. She has attended these hearings since 2017, providing verbal testimony and answering questions related to procedure code submissions.
Course Description
Accurate, evidence-based diagnosis is the best method to determine appropriate, medically necessary treatment. Once this diagnosis is determined, the clinician will develop a treatment plan. This includes selecting the correct CDT procedure codes for the treatment. Too often, the procedure code selected may be inaccurate because dental software programs ONLY include the code number and title, NOT the descriptor.
Many clinicians are unaware of the ADA’s Current Dental Terminology (CDT) descriptors for each procedure code which must be used by the business staff to correctly bill patients and their insurance carriers. Inaccurate billing can not only cause the practice to undercharge and lose production but can also result in patients having to pay more out-of-pocket dollars then they were expecting to pay, which then can lead to mistrust. This can further lead to patients refusing to have ANY treatment completed because they cannot believe the “estimate” which they were given.
As technology and treatment modalities evolve, new CDT procedure codes are developed, and current CDT procedure codes are amended by the ADA’s Code Maintenance Committee (which meets every March). Over the past 5 years, there has been a significant increase in procedure codes specific to preventive products used and recommended by hygienists. This course will provide the latest nomenclature and descriptors for procedures which can be performed by dental hygienists.
And what about the ICD-10 Diagnostic Codes for dental and dental hygiene procedures (over 800) listed in the current CDT Procedure Codes Manual? How and why do we need to know these? So many questions!
Objectives:
- Explain the definitions and descriptions of the CDT Procedure Codes for Evaluations, Preventive Services, Periodontal Therapy, Caries Management Products and the additional procedures provided by dental hygienists. When services are billed correctly, insurance benefits will be maximized, and production will increase.
- Discuss the basics of “Dental Insurance 101” and what is happening within the dental ‘insurance’ industry related to benefits. Typically, how do insurance carriers benefit (or not benefit) these procedures? And what about billing Medical Insurance for these dental procedures? Yes, you can!
- Describe various verbal strategies for communicating with patients about their need for preventive, periodontal or restorative treatment and the importance of allowing your office to help them manage their long-term dental care.
Sponsored by the following companies:
To register and pay online go to: https://vdha.wildapricot.org/event-5823692
Please register by Friday, September 6, 2024 (ONLY credit / debit cards accepted)
*Use the same email address you registered with for the day of the event
Course Fee: ADHA / VDHA Member - $25.00
Current SCADHA Member - FREE
Non ADHA Member - $50.00
Earn (2) CE credit hours by attending this event in its entirety.
No refund for cancellation one week prior to course date. Course will begin promptly at posted time.
Northwest Dental Hygienists' Component is an approved course provider by the Virginia Board of Dentistry.
If you have any questions contact:
Sue Daugherty, BS, RDH
Northwest Dental Hygienists' Component, CE Chairperson
Email - Flossy3511@aol.com
