On April 1, 2021, Governor Charlie Baker signed into law the Massachusetts unemployment bill that allows small businesses to exclude forgiven Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans from their gross taxable income while still claiming deductions for expenses covered by the PPP funds. The new law also suspends a planned increase in unemployment insurance rates through 2022, providing further relief for employers.

As a member benefit, the MDS is now offering the complimentary on-demand webinar Pharmacologic Management of Acute Dental Pain & the Prescription Opioid Epidemic, which fulfills Board of Registration in Dentistry (BORID) requirements for pain management. In this webinar, Drs. Richard Harold and David Keith will review the history of pain management and dentistry's responsibility in combating the prescription drug epidemic.

A message from MDS President Dr. MaryJane Hanlon addressing the March 16, 2021, violent attacks against Asian Americans in Atlanta. Dr. Hanlon encourages MDS members to spend some time reflecting on how we can collectively do better to make everyone feel welcome, respected, and heard. The MDS does not tolerate discrimination, of any kind, period.

The ADA has created a practical toolkit that members can use when faced with questions regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. "Patient Return: Talking with Your Patients About COVID-19 Vaccines" is available to member dentists to instill confidence in the vaccine, which will address this public health crisis and help eliminate COVID-19.

Join your colleagues for a night of cooking and socializing on Friday, March 26! This virtual cooking class will be led by Shazia Rizvi, who will teach you how to make chicken or vegetarian biryani with mint yogurt. Presented by the MDS Dentist Health and Wellness Committee and the MDS Membership Committee.

All patient-facing dental personnel became eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine as part of Phase 1 on January 21. The MDS urges dental professionals and their and patients and families to use the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's vaccine location map to find available sites and appointment times.

At its March 3 meeting, BORID discussed the letter from the MDS advocating against penalties for dentists who employ dental staff with an expired license or without a license. BORID agreed not to enhance penalties at this time and the MDS agreed to work with BORID to launch a communications campaign to educate members on licensing requirements.

The MassHealth Dental Program restored adult dental benefits effective January 1, 2021, due to the work of advocates and the legislature in Massachusetts. MassHealth members over the age of 21 are now able to access a greater number of dental services, including root canals and crowns, in addition to other important services such as preventive and partial/complete dentures, which were previously covered. 

The MDS Dentist Health and Wellness Committee invites members to join its recently launched MDS Book Club! Turn off the TV, put down the phone, dust off your reading glasses, and pick up a good book. Meetings are held via Zoom to discuss the selection and allow some socializing with colleagues.

The expiration date of all professional licenses, including dental hygienist licenses, set to expire during the Massachusetts state of emergency has been extended to June 30, 2021. Continuing education credits still need to be completed before renewing.

As announced on January 13, 2021, the MDS is partnering with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to help with the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out to dental professionals. Effective January 21, all patient-facing dental personnel are eligible for the vaccine as part of Phase 1.

Governor Baker announced in December that the state should receive approximately 300,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in December and 2 million doses by the end of March 2021, with additional doses arriving in June. We have compiled vaccine resources, such as answers to members' questions.

Dr. MaryJane Hanlon, President of the Massachusetts Dental Society, addresses the surge of COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts and the importance of keeping dental offices open and safe during the second wave of infections.

To help MDS members and their staff better understand the COVID-19 precautions to take when traveling during the pandemic, the MDS and MDS Member Savings Partner HR2Fit have produced a resource to answer questions regarding testing, quarantining, and other issues.

The MDS and Yankee Virtual 2021 made the LiveHelpNow Challenge list of top companies providing exceptional customer service for the month of January. During Yankee Virtual 2021, which was held virtually from January 28-30, MDS staff manning the web chat were available for 9,000 visitors and successfully completed more than 700 live web chats.

Speakers discussed the Commonwealth’s reopening guidelines and how dentists are implementing requirements, safety measures, and physical distancing protocols across practice settings.

The Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) law that requires employers to provide eligible employees with up to 26 weeks of paid, job-protected family and medical leave in a single benefit year went into effect on October 1, 2019.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, several dental insurers have updated their policies to include coverage of teledentistry.

If your office is utilizing PPE fee code D1999 or charging a PPE fee, you must notify patients of the new charge before their appointment. It is recommended that you do this at the time of scheduling or prior to the appointment to ensure they are not surprised by the additional charge.

The MDS wants to clarify that the recent WHO interim guidance is NOT applicable to Massachusetts. Residents in cities and towns across Massachusetts, in line with recommendations from state and local officials, remain able to safely receive routine, emergency, or likely to become emergent oral health services.

If a dental patient or staff member develops COVID-19, you must notify all patients who were treated within 48 hours after the person was in the office. Additional CDC guidance provides what to do if it has been less than or more than seven days since the diagnosis.

The House of Delegates elected a new slate of Officers for 2021-2022, including Dr. Abe Abdulwaheed as Vice President, a general dentist in Quincy and former South Shore District Trustee, at its January 27 meeting, and passed three resolutions, including one approving a full-time dental school faculty dues discount.

The MDS stands with members of our communities, including our dentists and patients, who face injustice and racism in their day-to-day lives. Leadership is needed on this issue from all walks of life, including dentistry, if we as a society are going to achieve the change that we need.

Dr. Janis Moriarty Urges You to Take Part in the MDS Foundation COVID-19 Recovery Fund Program.

The MDS is pleased to welcome our new President, Dr. MaryJane Hanlon, who is associate dean for clinical affairs and assistant professor in the department of comprehensive care at the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Hanlon is the fourth woman President in the Society’s history. 

The MDS made the LiveHelpNow Challenge list of top companies providing exceptional customer service for the month of May. 

Phase 2 requires dentists to create an addendum to their Phase 1 attestation form that documents the practice’s prioritization policy for providing Phase 2 care. The prioritization plan should identify patients and services that, based on the provider’s clinical judgment, are most critical. The addendum should be kept with the attestation form and updated as needed.

Governor Charlie Baker announced on July 6, 2020 that Massachusetts is entering Phase 3—the Vigilant Phase—of the state’s four-phase reopening plan. Phase 3 offers no change for dental practices, which can continue to see patients for all procedures. 

On June 6, 2020, Governor Baker announced Phase 2 reopening details. Phase 2 allows dental providers to cautiously and incrementally resume all elective, non-urgent procedures and services, including routine hygiene appointments. Elective cosmetic procedures were allowed starting June 24, 2020. 

The ADA has recently updated its Return to Work Interim Guidance Toolkit, a resource that recommends measures to take to help protect patients, staff, and dentists from COVID-19 as practices reopen and begin to provide more than emergency and urgent care.

The SBA has resumed accepting Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loan applications as of Monday, April 27, at 10:30 a.m. EDT from approved lenders on behalf of any eligible borrower. Contact your lender now!

The ADA has released Interim Mask and Face Shield Guidelines on the PPE recommended in order to practice during the COVID-19 pandemic and to minimize the risk of virus transmission.

While dentists should only be treating patients requiring emergency care, the MDS reminds practitioners that they should not treat patients who are diagnosed or suspected of having COVID-19 because OSHA categorizes dental providers as having a very high exposure risk.

Even when dental providers take precautions and screen emergency patients for COVID-19 symptoms, the CDC recommends that dental providers contact all patients who received emergency dental care 48 hours after treatment and ask patients if they are exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19.

To help dentists adhere to BORID record-keeping requirements, the MDS has developed a Telehealth Clinical or Progress Note Template that providers can use to track remote patient visits.

How does temporarily closing your office affect your staffing decisions? The MDS offers help with a webinar and answers to frequently asked staffing questions, such as, “Do I need to pay staff during a shutdown?"

To help offset the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) available to frontline health care providers, MEMA is coordinating donations of PPE from dental offices.

Self-employed workers and independent contractors are now eligible for unemployment benefits through the state’s new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, which provides up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits.

Following the MDS’s strong recommendation that dental offices close to patients seeking elective or non-urgent care, the MDS has released interim guidelines to help dentists determine which procedures are considered emergencies and which are considered non-urgent.

Several dentists have reported receiving a call threatening them with dental license suspension if they did not immediately pay a fine by wiring money to an unnamed account, often overseas. If you receive such a call, the MDS and BORID warn you to not engage with the caller. Instead, contact BORID.

The special edition of the MDS Connection features a recap of the 2020 House of Delegates, including speeches from President Dr. Janis Moriarty, President-Elect Dr. MaryJane Hanlon, and MDS Executive Director Dr. Robert Boose, who is retiring this spring. 

State Dental Society Leaders were informed that the American Dental Association (ADA) filed an antitrust class action lawsuit against Delta Dental Plans and the Delta Dental Plan Association. The lawsuit alleges that independent Delta Dental carriers across the country violated federal antitrust laws. 

MDS President Dr. Janis Moriarty and Guest Board Member Dr. Alec Eidelman testified on November 19 before the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Public Health in favor of a bill to eliminate the live patient component of dental licensing exams.

On October 19, 2019, all Massachusetts dentists mistakenly received a message from the state's Department of Public Health (DPH) regarding MassHealth and licensure. The DPH asks that you please disregard this message. If you are a licensed dentist who was identified as non-compliant by MassHealth, you should have received a separate message indicating such by Wednesday, October 23, 2019.

Did you know that your MDS membership includes complimentary membership for your staff? If you haven’t taken advantage of this member benefit already, encourage your staff to enroll today and share the perks of membership, including continuing education and more.

PureLife's mission is to make a positive difference in human and environmental health. They offer an affordable mail-back program for sharps, amalgam, medical, and X-ray waste, saving MDS members hundreds of dollars over traditional pick-up services.

The MDS has recently been contacted by numerous member dentists who are being audited by Delta Dental of Massachusetts and who feel that this is an inappropriate intrusion into the relationship between dentists and their patients. The MDS reviewed these members’ complaints and believes these complaints merit further investigation.

With the new Paid Family and Medical Leave law going into effect on July 1, you must update your state labor law posters. MDS Member Savings Program partner J.J. Keller & Associates provides federal/state employment law poster sets, as well as a poster update service.

There will be new code/benefit frequency and limitation regulatory changes for certain periodontal codes for the MassHealth and Health Safety Net dental programs that will take effect April 22. It was previously announced the changes would take effect March 22.

The 2019 House of Delegates has elected the following officers for the 2019-2020 term: