Practice Management Resources

Address Changes

Below is a checklist of major entities that will need your new address.

Tripartite Dental Association

While the tripartite includes the GSLDS, the MDA and the ADA, you only need to update your address with the GSLDS. Each of the three levels shares a database and therefore, all three entities will become aware of your address change. This will ensure you continue to receive publications, notices and more. You can call the GSLDS to do this at 314-569-0444 or email Susan Prosperi.

Missouri Dental Board License

The Dental Board Rule 20 CSR 2110-2.175 (page 13) requires licensees to notify the Board, in writing, of any change in mailing address and telephone number within 30 days of the change. This is especially important so that the Board can send your license renewal notice each cycle. Click here to easily do this through an online change of address form.

BNDD & DEA Permits

See Prescriptions

Insurance Providers

The address associated with your insurance policies is a condition of the insurance contract. It is important that the insurance company be able to properly notify you of changes to your policy. MDIS, the insurance subsidiary of the MDA, has often witnessed where an incorrect address has caused a policy to lapse from non-payment because the renewal statement was not received. If you are an MDIS client, you may call 800-944-7550 or visit MDIS online. You also will want to update your address with any dental insurance companies for which you are a part of their provider network.

Business Contacts

Who else do you have frequent business transactions with? Make a list and make sure they all have your new address!

Active Patients

As stated in Dental Board Rule 20 CSR 2110-2.114 (page 7), if you are moving your practice to a location inconvenient to active patients, or if you are ceasing to practice, there are rules regarding notification and Patient Abandonment of active patients for any unfinished treatment. Active patients are those who have received care and/or treatment within the previous 12 months.

Biohazard Waste Disposal Companies

Contract Analysis
When a dentist decides to join a dental/preferred provider organization, dental health maintenance organization or discount dental plan, he or she enters into a contractual relationship with the dental insurance carrier. Although insurance carrier contracts vary widely, most have key common provisions and related documents. As with any contract, dentists should obtain advice from their legal counsel.


The MDA offers its member dentists, through the ADA, a Contract Analysis Service at no charge. The ADA's Contract Analysis Service analyzes third-party contracts, including contracts from managed care companies, to inform you in clear language about the provisions of the contracts so you can make informed decisions. Although the contract is analyzed by the ADA, members must request the analysis through the MDA as their state dental association. 

Fax, mail or email the contract you desire to be analyzed to the MDA, Attention Shantel Smith, Contract Analysis Service. 

Additional Resources:

Community Presentations
Speaking at a school, church, daycare or other group about dental health? The Dental Society has resources to help you in your presentation. We have brushing puppets ,DVDs, typodonts and brushes, and books which may be checked out, as well as activity sheets.  Call the Central Office at 314-569-0444 to reserve typodonts, puppets or DVDs.

Dental Amalgam Disposal

Amalgam Rule Update: The amalgam separator rule became effective as of July 14, 2017. The compliance date, meaning the date that existing sources subject to the rule must comply with the standards in this rule, is July 14, 2020.

The rule requires dentists to submit a one-time compliance report.  This report is to be submitted to the local wastewater control authority.  That is MSD if the dentist’s practice is located within MSD’s service area, which includes St. Louis City, most of St. Louis County (out to Highway 109, and not including Eureka), and the City of Arnold.  MSD’s only involvement is to collect and retain the reports.  To assist the dentists in compliance with the rule, MSD has sent a mailing to all licensed dentists and dental specialists in its service area.  The mailing informed them of the requirements of the rule, deadlines for submittal of the compliance report, and a blank report and instructions for completing it.  

  • View the 2018 letter to dental dischargers
  • Dental office FAQs
  • One-time compliance report

The ADA has made multiple presentations and has extensive information on its website regarding the rule.


To help dentists with the disposal of their amalgam waste, the ADA has developed "Best Management Practices for Amalgam Waste," which outline ways to handle and dispose of amalgam waste. 

Evidence Based Dentistry

Evidence-based dentistry is an approach to oral healthcare that requires the judicious integration of systematic assessments of clinically relevant scientific evidence, relating to the patient's oral and medical condition and history, with the dentist's clinical expertise and the patient's treatment needs and preferences. 

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HIPAA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires all health plans, including ERISA, health care clearinghouses and any dentist who transmits health information in an electronic transaction, to use a standard format. Those plans and providers that choose not to use the electronic standards can use a clearinghouse to comply with the requirement. Providers' paper transactions are not subject to this requirement.

Informed Consent

Informed consent is more than simply getting a patient to sign a written consent form.  It is a process of communication between a patient and dentist that will allow the patient to decide whether or not to agree to a proposed treatment.

Such information may include an explanation of the procedure and the benefits, as well as potential complications of a proposed procedure and the practitioner's expectations for the outcome of the procedure.

Patient Rights & Responsibilities

The MDA Board adopted the statement in November 2010, and we encourage members to adopt this or a similar statement consistent with the Association's, and further, to make it available to each patient and post it conspicuously in your office or clinic. The MDA has created a 1-page PDF document (that includes language about informed consent) that can be used as-is to provide to patients or display in your office. Also available is an editable Word file to change, should you desire. If you do make changes, we encourage you refer to the rights and responsibilities enumerated in the statement as a guide.

Jury Duty
You may be exempt from jury duty, but it is not automatic. You must follow the specifications in the Statute, which say: Upon timely application to the court, the following persons shall be excused from service as a petit or grand juror: a. Any person licensed as a health care provider as such term in defined in Missouri Statute 538.205, but only if such person provides a written statement to the court certifying that he or she is actually providing health care services to patients, and that the person’s service as a juror would be detrimental to the health of the person’s patients.

Rules & Statutes
Statute - General Provisions as to Juries, Section 494.430

Online Review Toolkit

Toolkit on Managing Online Reviews Available for Dentists

Many prospective patients use online reviews to evaluate potential healthcare providers—including dentists. To help dentists manage their online reputations, the ADA has developed a toolkit with tips on responding to reviews on social media or other websites. Guiding dentists through the fundamentals of reputation management and HIPAA-compliance in regards to reviews, this resource provides sample responses to positive and negative reviews, information on how to spot fake reviews, and updates on how the ADA is advocating on behalf of dentists with the Federal Trade Commission.

  • Access the full toolkit here to share with members and potential members.
  • Download a shorter article to use in your communications channels to dentists.

Order Lab Books

A set of 5 lab books may be purchased for $40 (member rate) and can be sent directly to your office. Each book measures 5.5” x 8.5”.  Perforated across the top for easy tear-off, there are 50 forms per book, each with carbon copy and wrap around cover to ensure no bleed between copies; approved by the Missouri Dental Board. View a Sample page.

To place an order:

Prescriptions

A Missouri dentist who prescribes controlled substances must have a state drug registration from the Missouri Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD) as well as a federal drug registration from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

BNDD and DEA only have authority over controlled substances only. Under the law, no BNDD or DEA registration is required to prescribe or dispense non-controlled drugs (such as antibiotics).

A person must have their state registration first before applying for their federal registration. A BNDD registration is issued for a dentist’s primary practice location, as well as any practice location where that dentist stocks controlled substances.

Electronic Prescribing for Controlled Substances 

The Electronic Prescribing for Controlled Substances (EPCS) statue  takes effect on January 1, 2021. It applies only to any prescription of a Schedule II, III, or IV controlled substance. Read more including FAQs to assist members with ePrescribing questions.

Provider Insurance Disputes
The Missouri Department of Insurance may be able to assist providers with disputes involving balance billing, assignment, recoupments or the prompt payment of claims. When health claims are delayed, denied or unsatisfactorily settled by insurance companies and HMOs, the department can assist providers to the extent of their authority under the law.  Before filing a complaint, the department encourages providers to first contact the company or HMO. Document all conversations and keep all written records. If you are unsatisfied with the outcome of those efforts, you may wish to file a complaint.
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The department provides a step-by-step process for filing a complaint as well as important information about what information is required for the complaint process.  The department may also be reached at 800-726-7390.


Membership List
The Greater St. Louis Dental Society can supply you with membership list or address labels to announce the opening of a new practice or to welcome a new associate. They are sold divided up into each district: Central, North, West, South and Southwest. Each district costs $10 and the dentists own district is provided free. To order the membership list or labels, please call the Central Office at 314-569-0444 or complete the Request for Membership List.

  • All requests must accompany a sample of the material for which they are to be used
  • Please allow one week to process all requests, once approved
  • Labels/Lists can only be used on a one-time basis
  • GSLDS will only provide addresses for practicing dentists, no emails or fax numbers
  • Labels/Lists will only be used with the material approved by GSLDS
  • Labels/Lists will not be distributed to another individual or organization

Radiation Inspections

Overview

The state of Missouri (19 CSR 20-10.050, page 5) actively enforces for all facilities the performance of radiation inspection surveys performed by Qualified Experts. 

  • Cone Beam CT machines must be inspected on a three-year rotation 
  • All other machines (intraoral, pano) must be inspected on a six-year rotation


Effective January 1, 2014, it is the responsibility of the owner of x-ray machines to provide for both initial and periodic inspection of x-ray machines, and to ensure radiation shielding is adequate, through use of MRCP-approved Qualified Experts (QEs) in radiation safety.

Third Party Payer Complaints
If you're experiencing problems with third-party payers, you may complete the online Insurance Complaint Form to provide basic information regarding payer issues and complaints. An MDA staff member will contact you for further assistance in lodging this complaint and forwarding it on to the ADA as they keep a close watch on carrier trends and problems. Additionally, members can get one-on-one support for dental benefit issues, including third party payer, provider contracts, coding and dental plan issues—just email or call the ADA’s Third Party Payer Concierge to speak directly to an expert for advice on: Third party payers, Dental benefits, Provider issues, Coding issues and Dental plans.

Website Compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act
Passed by Congress in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (AwDA) was the nation’s first comprehensive civil rights law addressing the needs of people with disabilities—prohibiting discrimination in employment, public services and accommodations, and telecommunications. Considering it’s been around for almost 30 years, you may feel like you know about it and are complying with its precepts: that places of public accommodation, including dentists’ offices, be accessible to persons with disabilities. However, this webinar addressed a topic you may not be considering closely enough: your practice website.

With the advent of the internet and business websites that provide access to the public, the U.S. Department of Justice has taken the position that websites open to the public also must be accessible in various ways to persons with sight or hearing impairment.

Specifically, recently there have been several Texas dentists who have received letters from attorneys alleging their websites violate the AwDA because the sites are not accessible to individuals with blindness or hearing impairment. Such letters typically request the payment of some amount of money in order to avoid a lawsuit and may also insist on prompt compliance with the law.

Such claims appear to be on the increase. If you have a practice website you may similarly be at risk. While the task of putting your website into full compliance may require some time and expense, there are certain steps that can be taken in the short term.

The MDA has two documents, provided by the ADA, on its members’ only website to provide information. These will be useful to consider if you or a team member update your website, or you may wish to discuss (and share) them with the website host company (or other individual) that maintains your site. 

• Website Accessibility: A quick rundown, in a brief, executive summary-type format, of steps members might take to make their websites less susceptible to a claim. 
• Website Accessibility Claims: Strategies for Dentists
A white paper-type document that describes in greater detail strategies for members (and their attorneys), including steps to consider in case they receive a demand letter; also discusses actions that members might consider in order to make their websites more fully accessible to persons with disabilities.
 

Well Being Committee
The Missouri Dental Board has established a committee on Well Being to aid in early identification, intervention, treatment and rehabilitation of dentists and dental hygienists who may be impaired by reasons of illness, substance abuse or as a result of any physical or mental condition.  The MDA has a contractual agreement with the Dental Board to support and maintain the Board’s Well Being Committee.  The Committee is governed by a board of directors consisting of one member from the MDA, one member from the Missouri Dental Hygienists Association and one member from the Missouri Dental Board. There is a full-time licensed administrator, Rebecca A. Mowen, on staff to handle the day-to-day operations of the Committee and to provide counseling.  Rebecca may be reached at 314-571-6284, 314-435-1101 (cell) or wellbeing@modental.org  

Additional Resources:

Workplace Posters
You are required to place OSHA, as well as Missouri and federal labor law posters in your office. The posters required are all free of charge.
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Workplace Policies

The ADA provides excellent, extensive resources on workplace policies and staff management, including: