Back to Work - A Message from the VDA Board of Directors

It has been over a month since the VDA and the ADA made the recommendations to postpone non-emergency procedures for the safety of our members, their staff, and their patients. Since that time, the full focus of the VDA has been to put our members in the best position to safely return to caring for patients as soon as possible.

 

The ADA recommended seeing only emergencies until the end of April. While some other Governors have extended Executive Orders to pause non-emergency work into May and June, ours has not done so at this time and we have sent many messages to Governor Northam urging him not to exceed the recommendations of the ADA and CDC in the Commonwealth.

 

Each office and institution will need to make their own decision on when and how to re-open their practice, based on factors including the ability to adhere to ADA and CDC guidance and recommendations, staffing, appropriate PPE, regional variances in the spread of the disease and the needs of your patients. We will be continuing to share resources on VDA’s COVID-19 Hub to help inform that decision.

 

Here is what to expect from the ADA and VDA in the coming days.

 

The VDA Board has established a task force, chaired by Dr. Vince Dougherty, to identify solutions for our members, particularly access to PPE and other issues faced by practices planning to resume seeing patients. Many of our members donated their PPE to local hospitals and other front-line healthcare workers as the virus began to spread. In the coming days you will see recommendations from the VDA and ADA regarding what PPE to use to minimize the risk of transmission in a dental office setting, updated guidance on best practices for treating patients, and efforts to ensure our members have access to the PPE they need to keep patients, staff, and themselves safe. You are encouraged to adhere to the interim guidance on minimizing the risk of transmission from the ADA and CDC. 

The VDA joined a coalition of healthcare associations to ask Governor Northam to issue an executive order declaring civil and criminal immunity to health care providers that act in good faith during the pandemic. Doing so will enable dentists and other health care providers to focus on the difficult task of combating the COVID-19 outbreak without fear of legal retribution as we treat patients. This past week VDA members sent more than 1,500 messages to the Governor’s office urging him to issue the order, and we will continue to advocate for this measure.

 

We know that our members have been dealing with a number of third-party payer issues. The ADA has been focused on these issues and is working to promote appropriate payment for temporary procedures, out-of-network benefits, frequency limitations, telecommunication technology, point-of-care COVID testing and infection control expenditures. We expect to have more to share with you on those issues in the days ahead.

 

We will continue to advocate for our members at both the state and federal level to give you access to the financial resources you need to resume seeing patients, including support for practices excluded from the CARES Act. We are also seeking flexibility around the amalgam separator and e-prescribe laws. We will continue to post new resources in the COVID-19 Hub that are available to you at the state and federal level and give you member-exclusive access to top experts in the field to help you navigate your options and answer your questions.

 

We joined this profession to care for the oral health of our patients. This is VDA’s mission. And, with the challenges that this past month has brought your practice and to you personally, we know that chief among them is being unable to see and care for your patients.

 

While much is still unknown, it is becoming increasingly clear that our economy is going to be reopened piecemeal, and we are not going to have an immediate return to normal. These changes will affect dentistry as well. It remains our goal to equip our members with all of the tools to make decisions that are in the best interest of your patients and to return as quickly and safely as possible to doing what you love: practicing dentistry.

 

Respectfully,

 

The VDA Board of Directors