The Leading Business Education Network for Doctors, Financial Advisors and Health Industry Consultants

Deferred Investment [An Incentive to Access]

By D. Kellus Pruitt; DDS

On Friday, the editor of the Chicago Dental Society’s [CDS] blog “Open Wide” posted a progressive, brief article titled, “State of Illinois offers incentive for dentists to treat Medicaid patients” (no byline).

http://chicagodentalsociety.blogspot.com/2009/12/state-of-illinois-offers-incentive-for.html

CDS says that last week, Governor Pat Quinn signed a law which allows Illinois dentists who treat Medicaid patients to accept payment deposited into a tax deferred investment portfolio instead of the traditional delayed, unpredictable payments that offer no tax advantages – only headaches.

Illinois Governor Quinn is a vast improvement over his predecessor. What was his name? He’s gone on to become a TV personality …. Oh yeah. Blagojevich!

I don’t know about you, but for me, Quinn’s incentive to access could offer not only more relief for those who cannot afford dental care in Texas, but it could also be a more or less painless way for dentists to fund IRAs – rather than having to do it at the last minute like I’ll do in a few months – just like every year. Instead of having an IRA hanging over my head, all I would have to do is donate my skills to help a few more people every now and then. That’s noble, charitable duty, friends – even with the Quinn incentive.

I especially respect current Medicaid dentists who work for nothing at all on the more profitable days.

To HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius

Pay attention. You only think you run the show.

The nations’ dentists you need aren’t being paid what they deserve, yet they put up with expensive and threatening CMS bureaucracy and struggle on – simply because they wish to ease suffering everyone else chooses to ignore.

Medicare dentists are American heroes to be sure. But let me warn you, Ms. Sebelius, they will turn on you hard and cold if you try to push them around. It’s time that you welcome real dentists to the bargaining table instead of ambitious ADA-approved stakeholders. You need us more than we need you, Ms. Sebelius. Forget the ADA. That is a foundation on which we can build … or not.

And this is for my stunned dentist colleagues in Texas who cross the street to ignore grandiose special bastards like me. Most of you detest the messy stuff I drag around, but nevertheless can’t stop watching from a safe distance. Rather than get your own hands messy, most of you simply pay the TDA to quietly and ineffectively hide or delay huge approaching problems. So what’s the trade-off? To remain “In the Loop,” you must obediently take up your differences with leadership in the approved, professional manner through designated ADA representatives. And. that’s so cute.

Now that you read about Quinn’s incentive, don’t you also hope that a TDA committee has already approved a draft of a deferred investment proposal to be offered to state lawmakers as soon as possible? After all, similar plans are already being tried in not only Illinois, but in four other states as well: Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi and Arkansas.

Hope as we may, nimrods, I fear those in Austin who should be paying attention to legislative opportunities such as this only heard about Quinn’s incentive to access law a minute or so ago at best.

Of Face Book Accounts

Both the TDA and the ADA desperately need functional Facebook accounts like Chicago Dental Society’s. By the way, it is the CDS which will be hosting their annual mid-winter dental conference in Chicago – reliably a tremendous meeting. This year it is Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 25-27, 2010 in the McCormick Place West Building.

http://www.cds.org/mwm_2010/

The TDA’s Facebook Wall is pristine white and graffiti-ready, and the spray paint is free to any artist who walks by. Not unexpectedly, it’s a mess. Nobody is joining, and whoever is in charge of managing the site is busy deleting unacceptable comments from a jerk who has no respect for anyone. (It’s not me). The TDA Facebook is in trouble, and it has been suggested that it should be shut down. It is indeed an embarrassment.

Assessment

Here’s something we’ll all laugh about later: The one dentist in Texas who could have sent the rogue artist on down the road (me), was kicked off for badmouthing BCBSTX and the NPI number as well as 13 other listed allegations, including posting pornography. I’ll let the TDA Director of Membership explain that and the other allegations if you are curious. I was not provided access to the evidence on which the sudden and uncontestable revocation of my TDA benefit was based. But there’s still hope because a friend of mine resented the way I was treated and complained to the TDA using the approved channels. That was 2 months ago. I wonder how well that one is progressing from the Austin City dump.

The ADA Facebook is no better. Over 1600 fans have piled up at the door waiting for the ADA’s grand opening, yet nothing is happening. What do you think is going on there?

If you’ve missed hearing from me for the last 2 weeks and have an inquisitive mind, I’ve been pursuing answers for such questions about ADA and TDA transparency on Twitter. They call me Proots.

Conclusion

Your thoughts and comments on this ME-P are appreciated. Feel free to review our top-left column, and top-right sidebar materials, links, URLs and related websites, too. Then, subscribe to the ME-P. It is fast, free and secure.

Link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/HealthcareFinancialsthePostForcxos

Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Medical Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com

OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

DICTIONARIES: http://www.springerpub.com/Search/marcinko
PHYSICIANS: www.MedicalBusinessAdvisors.com
PRACTICES: www.BusinessofMedicalPractice.com
HOSPITALS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781466558731
CLINICS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439879900
BLOG: www.MedicalExecutivePost.com
FINANCE: Financial Planning for Physicians and Advisors
INSURANCE: Risk Management and Insurance Strategies for Physicians and Advisors

Filed under: Breaking News, Funding Basics, Health Insurance, Health Law & Policy, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: ADA, BCBSTX, Blagojevich, Chicago Dental Society, CMS, Darrell Pruitt, DDS, dentists, IRAs, Kathleen Sebelius, Medicaid, NPI, Pat Quinn, Proots, TDA, Texas Dental Association, twitter | 10 Comments »