NMDA Journal Winter 2019-20

4 New Mexico Dental Journal, Winter 2020 President’s Message Time of Reflection As the holidays conclude, it is the perfect time to reflect on our values. This season is my favorite time of year, as I find myself celebrat- ing the love of family and friends, expressing gratitude for the ability to practice dentistry, and finding the opportunity to constantly better myself in step with the excitement of the coming New Year. Many events have unfolded, both in our state and throughout the country, that affect both our patients and you as members. Our political landscape has become increasingly polarized, contentious, and outright appalling. As we enter our state’s legislative session, I hope we can all model civility to our patients, families, and elected officials as we promote oral health for all New Mexicans. As we evaluate what is most important, we must continue to direct our energy to the membership experience. This is impossible without feedback from you. It is essential that you keep us apprised of services or events that you desire and those you deem un- needed or requiring improvement. We want to make fiscally responsible decisions that have the greatest impact on member value. Without your membership, we not only have the inability to remain sustainable, but we lose our voice—one that is much stronger when we are united. Although we often discuss the benefit of moving past the status quo, we cannot proceed forward without active insight and involvement of our long-term, seasoned members. New perspectives and fresh eyes lead to successful decision-making only Jennifer Thompson, DDS when complemented by judgment and ex- perience. Legacy interweaved with balanced and diverse thought will keep us on a path toward improving how we serve our current and prospective members, our profession, and our patients. I firmly believe in the power of relationships. Establishing synergy between colleagues with mutual respect and friendship is what I value most from our organization. Many of us are introverts at our core, but each of us needs help or support with something. Of all the practice and regulatory resources avail- able, the most basic benefit we can offer is personal interaction. We want to enable you to succeed as a doctor, lead fulfilling lives, and contribute to your community in mean- ingful ways. This includes setting the tone as leaders and experts in oral health. We know that many barriers to receiving care exist and include financial hardship, transportation or commu- nication problems, and perception of need. While there is no single solution, proven pre- ventative measures do work. Education, fluo- ride, and sealant application truly decrease the burden of disease. Crippling student debt upwards of $300,000 is a huge burden to bear and significantly limits the practice options of our new graduates. We need to increase incentives like loan repayment programs for dentists to live and work in underserved com- munities. Cultivating, educating, and incentiv- izing dentists from these rural areas to return home and serve their own communities can be part of the solution. Changing our work- force by creating tiers of care through mid- level provider models or advertising direct-to- consumer dentistry as a silver bullet is not. With many of our patients largely depen- dent upon assistance from dental benefit programs, both publicly funded and private plans, we should continue to educate the public on the complex issues we all face. En- courage patients to ask employers, third-party payers, and legislators to make sure these plans are high quality, adequately funded, and administered efficiently. Patient treat- ment is impacted if claims are not processed in a timely, transparent, and fair manner. Chronically underfunded, poor quality plans cannot be solved with minimal provider reimbursement and low patient utilization. For publicly funded plans to succeed, they must have adequate providers enlisted to provide services, and nominal increases in provider reimbursement are a band-aid that falls desperately short of a comprehensive solution. Perhaps the most sacrosanct is the doctor- patient relationship. There is nothing we strive to protect more. Patients should be able to choose treatment by providers of their choice, in a location of their choosing, without penalty or intimidation. Our patients suffer when contracts that dilute treatment options and affect professional judgment exist. We want to empower our patients to make decisions that prioritize their oral health, which ultimately protects their overall well-being. As dentists, we strive to be compassionate people. Most of us entered the profession because we were drawn to the notion of helping others and to answer a calling greater than ourselves. We want to provide cultur- ally competent care to all New Mexicans. I take great pride in the impact our collective endeavors have had on our communities. The significance of our association’s efforts—serv- ing as a trusted leader, framing important oral health issues, and producing actionable ideas—is only possible through the support of our members, our legislators, and through the engagement of our community partners. It is especially true during this time of reflec- tion that we recognize that our strength as an organization is realized in our ability to col- laborate toward shared goals. Respectfully Yours, Jennifer Thompson, DDS NMDA President 2018–2019 mobile 919-475-1560 | office 505-327-6233 jenniferthompsondds@hotmail.com