Rhode Island Association of Orthodontists

THE NEXT MEETING OF THE RIAO IS MAY 19, 2010 (details forthcoming)

Rhode Island Association of Orthodontists
Health Care Accessibility and Quality Assurance Act 

It is with great pride that the Rhode Island General Assembly has voted unanimously to pass H5454.  This landmark bill states that, “no contract between a dental plan of a health care entity and a dentist for the provision of services to patients may require that a dentist provide services to its subscribers at a fee set by the health care entity unless said services are covered services under the applicable subscriber agreement.”

In plain English, this prevents insurance companies from setting fees for non-covered services.  This bill was made possible because of a huge grassroots effort from the dental community and our lobbyist, Patrick Quinlan.  All of us here in Rhode Island owe him a huge debt of gratitude.   He has also been hired to consult with the ADAPAC as 27 other states have now entered similar legislation to prevent this unfair practice from taking effect in their states.

Submitted by:

Matthew Almeida, DMD

President:
Dr. Jordan Jaffe
147 County Road
Providence, RI 02806
jafortho@aol.com

NESO Director:
Dr. Matthew Almeida
8 Crepean Blvd
Cumberland, RI 02864
neosmiles@neosmiles.net

Vice President:
Dr. Frank DeQuattro
24 Salt Pond Road, #C1
Wakefield, RI 02879
carolyn@drdequattrodmd.com