Becker's Dental + DSO Review

23 BECKER'S DENTAL + DSO REVIEW // VOL. 2022 NO. 2 QUALITY & INFECTION CONTROL How the No Surprises Act could affect dentists By Ariana Portalatin T he American Dental Association offered guidance on how the recently enacted No Surprises Act could affect dental practices. The No Surprises Act went into effect Jan. 1 and protects patients from surprise medical bills after receiving emer- gency care, nonemergency care from out-of-network providers at in-network facilities and air ambulance ser- vices from out-of-network providers. The ADA provided more information March 30 about how the law will affect dental practices using guidance provided by CMS. The dental agency said the new law largely does not af- fect private dental practices because dental benefits are considered an exception to the law. However, the ADA said certain dental services could be affected if it falls un- der one of the service categories the law applies to, such as those provided in hospitals and ambulatory centers. The ADA also noted that good faith estimates are re- quired within three business days for uninsured patients who request the estimate or schedule a service at a pri- vate dental practice. They are not required for items or services scheduled or requested fewer than three days in advance or for emergency services. In a situation in which a patient is undergoing treatment and there is no time to create a new good faith estimate, the ADA said the good faith estimate must include a disclaimer stat- ing the estimate is only for items or services reasonably expected to be furnished at the time the good faith esti- mate was issued. n New York dentist pleads guilty to fraudulently prescribing opioids By Ariana Portalatin A New York dentist pleaded guilty to fraudulently pre- scribing opioids for herself, ABC affiliate news10.com reported April 13. Vivian Letizia, DDS, was arrested in September 2020 for writ- ing oxycodone prescriptions for four individuals and filling those prescriptions herself at pharmacies for her own person- al consumption. Dr. Letizia admitted that in December 2019, she fraudulent- ly submitted a prescription for oxycodone for a patient using that patient's name and date of birth with the intent of using the drugs herself. She then obtained the prescription from a phar- macy in Woodstock, N.Y. By pleading guilty, Dr. Letizia agreed to forfeit her state medical license and agreed that she would be prohibited from reapply- ing for a Drug Enforcement Administration registration number. Dr. Letizia is scheduled for sentencing Aug. 25. She faces up to four years in prison, a supervised release term of up to one year and a maximum fine of $250,000. n 1st-ever study examines longevity of root canals: 5 notes By Ariana Portalatin A first-of-its-kind study from the Regenstrief Institute and Indi- ana University School of Dentistry in Indianapolis provides new details about the longevity of teeth post root canal. Five notes from the study: 1. The new study shows teeth survive for about 11 years after a root canal, but the survival of a tooth also depends on the insur- ance status of a patient and follow-up treatment. For example, teeth that receive a root canal and a subsequent filling and crown last about 20 years. 2. The study results also showed tooth longevity varied across geographic regions. Teeth in the Northeast survived for an aver- age of 20.5 years, while teeth in the Western region survived for an average 8.7 years. 3. The study is the first to examine records from community dental practices, where most Americans receive dental care, according to a May 17 news release. 4. Thankam Thyvalikakath, DMD, PhD, director of the Regens- trief-IU School of Dentistry dental informatics program, said the study provides new insight into the longevity of dental procedures because it analyzes a wider range of patients, not just those from large health systems or those who are insured. 5. The research team gathered electronic dental records of more than 46,000 anonymous patients who received root canals from the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network, which in- cludes 99 small group and solo dentistry practices nationwide. n

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