PDAIS is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Dental Association (PDA) and provides a variety of business and personal insurance programs to Pennsylvania dentists, their families and staff.

Phone: (877) 732-4748Email: memberbenefit@pdais.com www.pdais.com

sights

CEO Corner Gilbert R. Davis, PDAIS President & CEO

Summer 2017 | Volume 5, Issue 1

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pg. 3

Measuring Your Practice’s Marketing

Limited-Time Double Rate Discount to Refi with SoFi

Protect Your Most Valuable Asset

pg. 6

Long-Term Care Insurance

pg. 6

pg. 5

Team Member Spotlight

Keeping Politics Out of the Dental OfficeBy: TDIC Risk Management Staff

Today’s political climate is more tumultuous than ever, reaching a level of polarization that often spills

into daily interactions. Individuals on all sides are emboldened to share their viewpoints, with conversations taking place in coffee shops, supermarkets and yes, even the dentist’s office.

But like the holiday dinner table, a dental office is no place for political or religious discussions.

The Dentists Insurance Company (TDIC) reports an increase in calls to the Risk Management Advice Line re-garding heated political debates erupting

in the office among both staff and patients. These impas-sioned discussions can create a negative environment and cause tension among all involved.

While individuals certainly have a right to their own viewpoints, business owners also have a right to outline appropriate workplace behavior. A good starting point is developing a professional code of conduct for employees specifying what is and isn’t acceptable. Conversation about politics and religion should be off-limits, as should any topic that may cause

CONTINUED ON PG. 4

ADA Visa From U.S. Bank Gets Enhanced Benefits

pg. 7Welcome to another issue of PDAIS Insights. Insights aims to educate our clients and PDA members about risk management and practice management topics to assist you in improving the efficiency of your business. Due to the volatile political climate we currently find our nation in, we chose “Keeping Politics Out of the Dental Office” as our lead article. Exciting News! We are pleased to announce our ability to offer PDA Member discounts on auto and homeowner’s insurance to your dental staff! Please see page 9 and pass along this information to your staff. I encourage you to contact a PDAIS representative to discuss any possible gaps in your insurance coverage to ensure you and your dental practice are adequately protected or to obtain a competitive quote. Also, please visit www.pdais.com/vendors to learn about PDA’s Endorsed Vendor Program and how this valuable member benefit can save you money. We believe that the success of PDAIS is not only due to the superior service and products we offer, but more importantly the relationships we build with each of our clients.Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter and for your continued partnership. We would love to hear from you about your experience with PDAIS. Please don’t hesitate to contact me directly at gdavis@pdais.com.

Dental StaffDiscounts pg. 9

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Measuring Your Practice’s Marketing

You don’t have to be a guru to know that something left unmanaged rarely achieves the intended results – and nowhere is this truer than

the ever-expanding world of Internet marketing. While your practice goals will determine the

marketing methods used, your ability to measure performance and adapt your strategy accordingly will drive results and allow you to replicate success. It’s often easier to focus on short-term results (maybe it’s society’s lacking attention span or the fact that you have a million other things on your to-do list), but that doesn’t negate the need to track the results of longer-term strategies. Two important online marketing

methods that take longer to cultivate results are search engine optimization (SEO) and social media outreach. Read on for ways to effectively measure the performance of these essential pieces of the marketing pie.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Where do you rank for key search terms? If a prospective patient searches for Your City and Dentist, is your practice at the top of page 1? How about Your City and Invisalign (or other key service)? Search engine optimization isn’t just about ranking, it’s about ranking for the right

By: Heather Frechette-Crowley, Director of Product Marketing at ProSitesProSites is a PDA endorsed vendor

RAISE THE BARINCREASE YOUR INCOME BY MAXIMIZING YOUR RETURN ON REFINING PRECIOUS SCRAP METALS

Crowns and bridgework • Silver alloy powder • Partials • and more! Request your free, insured shipping kit with sealing containers. Current Rates: 97% Gold • 90% Platinum and Silver • 85% Palladium

Call or go online today for your free shipping kit

800-741-3174 • www.easyrefine.comPDA Members always earn a 5% premium on the total value of all metals.

CONTINUED ON PG. 8

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Are you still paying off student loans for you or your children? PDA has partnered with SoFi to offer our members and their families an

opportunity to reduce the cost of their student loans by refinancing. PDA members and their families are eligible to receive a double rate discount of 0.25% (normally 0.125%)1 when you refinance your student and Parent PLUS loans through SoFi.com/PDAIS by September 30.

SoFi is the market leader of student loan refinancing and has originated $20+ billion in loans for over 300,000 borrowers. SoFi consolidates and refinances both federal and private loans, potentially saving borrowers thousands of dollars.

The main benefits of SoFi include:• Double Rate Discount: PDA members and

family members receive a limited-time double rate discount of 0.25% (normally 0.125%)1 when you refinance student or Parent PLUS loans through SoFi.com/PDAIS by 9/30/17.

Limited-Time Double Rate Discount to Refi with SoFiBy: SoFi, a PDA-Endorsed Vendor

• Savings: SoFi dentist borrowers save $800 a month2 on average over the life of their loans when they refinance.

• Rates: Low variable and fixed rates available. Check out current rates at SoFi.com/PDAIS.

• Simplicity: Consolidate all existing student loans (federal and private) into a single loan with one monthly payment.

• Perks: SoFi offers member events, a referral program and more.

• No Hidden Fees: No application fees, no origination fees and no prepayment penalties.

If you have any questions about SoFi student loan refinancing, please visit SoFi.com/PDAIS or contact customer service by calling (855) 456-7634 or emailing ask@sofi.com.

Terms and Conditions Apply. SOFI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. SoFi refinance loans are private loans and do not have the same repayment options that the federal loan program offers such as Income Based Repayment or Income Contingent Repayment or PAYE. SoFi loans not offered to residents of Nevada. Other state restrictions may apply. See eligibility requirements at sofi.com/legal. Licensed by the Department of Business Oversight under the California Finance Lender Law License No. 6054612. SoFi loans are originated by SoFi Lending Corp., NMLS # 1121636.1If you apply and are approved, the interest rate shown in your loan documents will include an additional rate discount because of your organization’s SoFi partnership at the time of loan origination. Offer good for new student loan refinancing customers only. Offer valid on applications submitted through the organization’s custom URL by 11:59pm P.T. on September 30, 2017. Application does not need to be funded before September 30, 2017 to receive the discount but must be funded within 90 days of submission. Applications started and submitted after September 30, 2017 will reflect the organization’s regular rate discount. 2See sofi.com/legal

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CONT’D FROM PG. 1 Keeping Politics Out of the Dental Officeanother employee to feel uncomfortable.

TDIC reports a call from a concerned dentist who felt comments made by a team member during a political discussion were discriminatory. The dentist requested advice on how to address the concern without further alienating either employee or inflaming the situation.

TDIC recommended the following language:

“Teammates get upset when discussions on the job delve into political and religious topics because everyone, while entitled to their opinion, can have very strong and different points of view. That is why our office has established a policy regarding professional conduct in our practice. I am asking all of you to curtail any further discussion of politics or religious beliefs while at work to avoid making others uncomfortable or pressured to discuss topics that are not appropriate in the office.”

Dentists should review their professional conduct policies or develop them if not already included in their employee manual. The policies should be communicated to all staff members, including associate dentists. The policies can then be applied universally and consistently should an incident occur.

It is easy for an employee to become defensive when confronted with an accusation of unbecoming conduct. The employee may claim he or she never made the statements in question, or may challenge how the statements were interpreted. Having clearly defined professional conduct policies in place takes any interpretation out of the equation, and can protect you in the event an employee makes an accusation of failing to address an uncomfortable situation.

Patients, too, have attempted to engage dental office staff in controversial conversations. While practice

owners have no authority over the topics their patients can discuss, they can intervene if the patient crosses the line.

TDIC recommends that dentists speak directly with the patient, pointing out that the dental office is no place for political debates. It is important to be firm, brief and specific about what has occurred. TDIC recommends the following language:

“While I can appreciate your right to express your opinion, your comments were concerning to

me and they made my staff uncomfortable. It would help us if you could curtail your discussions of politics in our practice and save them for a more appropriate forum. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.”

Should a patient respond with belligerence or anger, it is reasonable to dismiss him or her

from care. As a business owner, a dentist has the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason as long as it is not deemed to be discriminatory. While dismissing a patient simply due to differing political beliefs would be considered discriminatory, dismissing a patient who becomes threatening, hostile or does not respect your office policies would not.

The decision to dismiss should only be made if the patient is not mid-treatment. Otherwise, continue treatment and begin dismissal proceedings once the treatment is complete. Be sure to follow a formal dismissal protocol. Indicate the reasons for dismissal and document the patient’s initial demeanor, statements and behavior, as well as attempts to discuss the issue with the patient.

In today’s highly politicized world, it is often impossible to escape controversial conversations. But by outlining clear and specific expectations for staff, it is possible to create a safe, welcoming atmosphere in which to practice dentistry. And while confronting those who are vocal about their opinions can be uncomfortable, it is necessary to ensure a positive experience for patients and staff alike. n

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Insights into.. . Long-Term Care Insurance

My name is Joel Waldman, DMD, CLTC and, like you, I was a dentist here in PA. I had to suddenly stop practicing dentistry due to my

developing an essential tremor. I can speak from personal experience regarding

the life-altering consequences of developing a chronic illness, injury or cognitive impairment. Since 2012, I have been a certified long-term care insurance specialist and am now part of PDAIS’s team.

While no one likes to think about the prospects of “bad things happening” and getting older, please take heed of the fact that more than 70% of people 65 and older need long-term care at some point in their lives!* No matter how well you’ve saved or invested, long-term care needs can create a major drain on your financial resources unless you take action to protect yourself and your family.

A message from our Benefits and Long-Term Care Consultant, Joel J. Waldman, DMD, CLTC

Here’s the good news:1. You can “write off ” the cost of the insurance premiums as a health expense on a sliding scale according to age or through a Health Savings Account (HSA).2. There are discounts on the premiums that are available for PDA members.3. I can assist you in identifying what policy will specifically meet your needs. That is, you are not limited to a single product and/or insurance company.

To learn more, please click here or contact me at (814) 450-8677 or email me at JWaldmandmd@pdais.com.

*T. Tompson, J. Benz, J. Agiesta, D. Junius, K. Nguyen, and K. Lowell. (2013, April). Long-term Care: Perceptions, experiences, and attitudes among Americans 40 or older. Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Meet your unite® Best-in-Class workers’ compensation agency – hand-picked for knowledge, expertise, and commitment.

And right around the corner.

Contact PDAIS today to discuss your unite® Best-in-Class workers’ compensation program and receive a free quote!

PDAIS | 877-732-4748| 3501 North Front Street Harrisburg, PA 17110 |

www.PDAIS.com

unite®. Workers’ comp insurance designed just for small business by Eastern Alliance.

EASTERN ALLIANCECONGRATULATES

unite is a registered trademark of Eastern Insurance Holdings, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of ProAssurance Corporation. PDAIS logo is a trademark of Pennsylvania Dental Association Insurance Services. © Copyright 2017

www.unitecommunity.com

2017

Meet your unite® Best-in-Class workers’ compensation agency – hand-picked for knowledge, expertise, and commitment. And right around the corner.Contact PDAIS today to discuss your unite® Best-in-Class workers’ compensation program or

Click here for a free quote!

Meet your unite® Best-in-Class workers’ compensation agency – hand-picked for knowledge, expertise, and commitment.

And right around the corner.

Contact PDAIS today to discuss your unite® Best-in-Class workers’ compensation program and receive a free quote!

PDAIS | 877-732-4748| 3501 North Front Street Harrisburg, PA 17110 |

www.PDAIS.com

unite®. Workers’ comp insurance designed just for small business by Eastern Alliance.

EASTERN ALLIANCECONGRATULATES

unite is a registered trademark of Eastern Insurance Holdings, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of ProAssurance Corporation. PDAIS logo is a trademark of Pennsylvania Dental Association Insurance Services. © Copyright 2017

www.unitecommunity.com

2017

unite®. Workers’ comp insurance designed just for small business by Eastern Alliance.

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Team Member Spotlight

Chris Wasko, ARM, CPSIDIRECTOR OF SALESTEAM MEMBER SINCE 2009

(877) 732-4748, EXT. 129CWASKO@PDAIS.COM

Chris Wasko, ARM, CPSI joined PDAIS in 2009 and is the Director of Sales. Prior to this, Chris was a Vice President at Marsh & McLennan, the world’s largest insurance broker.

Chris is responsible for monitoring the prospective new business opportunities at PDAIS and Mid-Atlantic Insurance Resources, as well as maintaining the relationships with our company partners and the local and district dental societies and dental schools. He also serves as the broker for the Lehigh Valley, Third District, Sixth District, Eighth District, Ninth District and the Harrisburg area of Pennsylvania as well as Bergen, Hudson, Passaic and Middlesex counties in New Jersey.

What Chris most enjoys about working at PDAIS is his daily interaction with his clients and their staff, and as their insurance broker, making their lives a little easier.

Chris earned his B.S. in Accounting and Economics in 1988 from King’s College in Wilkes-Barre.

Chris lives in Carlisle with his wife of 27 years, Anita. He has two children, a 26-year-old daughter and a 20-year-old son, and enjoys running, golfing and watching TV.

What’s your most valuable asset? Many people believe it is their home,

cars, boats, etc. Very few would say their income/paycheck.

That’s because most people do not immediately equate this question with their ability to earn a paycheck. If you are sick or injured and unable to work or earn a steady paycheck, how would you pay for the things you love, or the insurance to protect

Protect Your Most Valuable AssetBy: Kristi Saul, URL Insurance Group

DID YOU KNOW? More than 50% of home

foreclosures & bankruptcies are due to a disability, critical illness & medical bills surrounding

these conditions. Only 2% are due to death.

them? Would you be able to pay your monthly mortgage or rent and still be able to pay your monthly bills, credit cards or car payments? Adding individual disability insurance to your portfolio is the best way to protect your way of life.

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ADA Business Resources announced July 10 that the ADA Preferred Rewards Visa Signature Card from U.S. Bank now boasts a new look

and enhanced benefits and perks for cardholders.New applicants can earn 20,000 bonus points

after they spend $5,000 on eligible purchases (net of credits/returns) in the first 90 days, according to ADA Business Resources. In addition, existing cardholders will be eligible to earn 20,000 bonus points after they spend $125,000 per calendar year and will no longer be charged foreign transaction fees.

The ADA Preferred Rewards Visa card does not charge an annual fee and allows for points to be redeemed for travel on over 150 airlines with no blackout dates. The card, which is co-endorsed by 40 state dental societies, including PDA, also still offers two reward points per net $1 spent on all eligible state society purchases and five rewards points per net $1

ADA Visa From U.S. Bank Gets New Look, Enhanced BenefitsBy: U.S. Bank, a PDA-Endorsed Vendor

spent on ADA products, such as the CDT Code book or registration for ADA 2017 in Atlanta.

According to ADA Business Resources, the average ADA Visa cardholder redeems approximately 54,788 points per year. These points can be redeemed for over $500 worth of gift certificates, cash back or merchandise. When redeemed on travel, members can buy a plane ticket with average real value of over $800, which is equivalent to earning 1.7 points per $1 spent.

All new card applicants will receive the card with the new artwork effective immediately. Existing cardholders are eligible for the new benefits immediately and can expect to be reissued the new card in October.

For more information or to apply, visit adavisa.com/36991.

And at The Dentists Insurance Company, TDIC, we won’t treat you like one. We were started by, and only protect, dentists. This singular focus has led to an unparalleled knowledge of dentistry and the best ways to protect you. This respect for your profession supports exceptional service, including an in-house claims team, razor-sharp legal team and industry-leading risk management resources.

Because with us, business is about doing what’s best for you.

Protecting dentists. It’s all we do.®

877.732.4748 | tdicinsurance.com

Endorsed by the Pennsylvania Dental Association

You are not a policy number.

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CONT’D FROM PG. 2 Measuring Your Practice’s Marketing

services. If you’re looking to bring in more families, it’s going to be important that your practice appear for the search terms parents are most likely to use when looking for a dentist. While page ranking may be the most visible, there are several SEO performance indicators that should be taken into consideration. These include growth in organic website traffic, bounce rate per keyword (this can help you understand how content is perceived by different segments), increase in organic conversions, and increase in click-thru-rate among others. For most doctors, SEO can be more complicated than the DAT. The good news is that outsourcing is now completely acceptable, unlike when you were trying to get into dental school. ProSites has a number of free SEO resources, including whitepapers such as Local Search and How It’s Affecting Your Practice, and on-demand webinars like How to Get More Patients from Your Website.

Social Media – What started as a fun way to stay in touch with your college friends and stealthily look up an old flame has morphed into one of today’s most powerful marketing tools. According to Smart Insights, Facebook increased its market penetration in 2016 to 89% of US Internet users. Oh, and Instagram (which is owned by Facebook) came in second with 32% penetration. While other social media platforms exist (LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.) Facebook is by far the most widely used. Since you like the odds in your favor, your practice has a Facebook page, but how do you know if it’s working? Insert redundant reference to the importance of defining practice goals. If your goal is to increase awareness, track reach and exposure (the number of people who follow your Facebook page and see your posts). On the other hand, if your focus is on increasing follower engagement the number of comments, likes, and shares are good indicators that your messages are resonating. And finally, if

your goal is simply to direct visitors to your practice website, it makes sense to track the number of visitors coming directly from Facebook, as well as clicks and conversions. Now that you have a sense of social media’s potential, you may be second guessing your decision to have your nephew handle the page in his spare time. Don’t worry – just like chewing gum while wearing a retainer – under estimating the value of social media is a common mistake. For guidance on how to harness the power of social media, download our free whitepaper, Running a Dental Practice in the Age of Social Media.

There’s no doubt about it, measurement can be a bear - especially if you don’t have the aptitude for it. Nevertheless, it’s critical to ensuring your valuable time and resources are used wisely. Whether you’re looking for help in creating a strategy to achieve your goal, or are still in the process of determining what your goal is, PDA endorsed vendor, ProSites, is here to help.

To learn more, call a ProSites internet marketing advisor today at (888) 932-3644 to see how ProSites can help you achieve measurable practice growth. Life is complicated, but marketing your dental practice online doesn’t have to be.

Article by Heather Frechette-Crowley. Heather Frechette-Crowley is Director of Product Marketing at ProSites where she regularly blogs on all things dental marketing-related. She has more than 18 years of experience in online marketing, product marketing and corporate communications across the healthcare and financial services industries. Heather holds a Master’s Degree in Communications from Suffolk University in Boston, MA. For more information about ProSites, please visit www.ProSites.com or call (888) 932-3644. n

[1] Global Insights, Global Social Media Research Summary 2017

*Total savings depends on the types of insurance purchased and individual factors.

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3 easy ways to get a quote

Visit: www.PDAIS.com/quoteEmail: memberbenefit@pdais.comCall: (877) 732-4748

Exciting news!

PDAIS was recommended to me by one of the owners of the practice I work for. I called PDAIS and spoke to Jennifer Jones. She was very helpful, answered all of my questions and very quickly provided several estimates for both auto and homeowner’s insurance. I changed both of my policies and am now saving hundreds of dollars each year! They also took care of cancelling my current plans and provided me with declaration letters immediately. Call to get a quote - PDAIS is the best!

Jamie Jaskolka, Office Manager Affordable Dental Solutions

Customer Testimonial

3 easy ways to get a quote

Please let your staff know about this great savings opportunity. They can contact us for a quote by emailing sbell@pdais.com, calling (877) 732-4748 or visiting www.pdais.com/dentalstaff.

We could save your staff or more!* 25%

*Total savings depends on the types of insurance purchased and individual factors.

Your dental team can receive the same AUTO & HOMEOWNER’S insurance discounts as PDA Members