NDA Journal 20 SNDS President’s Spring Message Ronald J. Laux, DDS SNDS President’s Message It was snowing in Las Vegas earlier in the day in February when I was writing this report. Not Arctic snow, just some flurries, but still, this is Vegas. Of course, none of it stayed around and the sun is shining now. Things are back to normal, and the same can be said of the Southern Nevada Dental Society. Our Executive Director Ms. Esther Johnson has done a tremendous job since starting last September. The meeting schedule is back to normal, relationships with sponsors have been restored, the SNDS office and website are operating as they should, and membership is being addressed. The Executive Board is extremely thankful for all Esther has been able to learn and accomplish in a short period of time. Primary focus now is on the 2023 Nevada State legislative session. SNDS has worked with the NDA and its lobby firm Tri-Strategies, Inc. to develop a battle plan for the session. A very informative membership meeting in January featured a presentation by Tri-Strategies outlining proposed bills concerning dentistry. One of the proposed bills supports dental loss ratio in dental insurance plans. Basically, dental insurance plans will be forced to pay 80% of paid premiums to actual patient care, or have to pay a refund. They can keep up to 20% for administrative services. In addition, they will have to keep records of paid services and be held accountable. We are very optimistic all our supported bills will pass, and the dentists and their patients will benefit. Relations between the SNDS and the UNLV School of Dental Medicine continue to evolve. SNDS started hosting meetings at the school in January, and will continue at least through the Spring. The School has provided some great speakers for our Continuing Education programs and many faculty members serve on the Executive Committee of SNDS. Dr. James Mah, interim Dean, has been instrumental in fostering a great working relationship. I believe this serves both sides well. The new graduates will be the future of dentistry and we want to help develop them as leaders. Please keep an eye on your social media outlets for notices about upcoming events. There will be membership meetings, Opioid and Infection Control CE classes, and the CE CAFÉ summer series. Remember, we are here to serve you for the betterment of our members and the protection of your patients. Your success is our reason to exist. Respectfully submitted, Ronald J. Laux, DDS0
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