By Molly Pereira, CDA Executive Director/CEO
From the Spring 2023 Journal of the Colorado Dental Association
Molly Pereira
What were you doing in May of 2002? I was just starting my second full-time job; I had been hired as the director of communications for the Colorado Dental Association. I had a different last name, more stamps than I can remember in my passport and an 800 sq. ft. apartment on Capitol Hill in Denver located next to a very noisy alley. I had made it. I was finally making just enough money to not have to have a roommate and I could afford a reserved parking spot next to that questionable noisy alley (based on my parallel parking skills, this was a good thing).
What started as a great job that enhanced my skills and taught me even more, slowly turned into a career that I never saw coming. Fast forward 21 years and here I am with a different last name, two kids, a suburban house still with a Denver zip code, an expired passport and a full life. The CDA has been a second home to me and its members are like a second family. I’m honored to be the new executive director and CEO of the CDA. I am proud to be the first female and Asian American leading the association in this role. And I am dedicated to taking this incredible organization to the next level through member benefit growth, member inclusivity, dental practice representation, and influence by advocacy. The mountains are tall ahead, and there is definitely more than one mountain range, but I have a phenomenal growing team and the most committed leaders dedicating their every spare minute to organized dentistry. We got this!
Each issue, I write a column usually about communication, wellness, teamwork, etc. This issue, I want to write about FOMO – Fear of Missing Out (see my 10-year-old if you need to learn other acronyms). What concerns me is that our members may not have FOMO when it comes to member benefits and maybe that’s because they don’t know about the benefits they have access to.
When I was growing up in the ’80s in Colorado, we had these things called Gold C Coupon Books. They were thick pocketbooks of colorful coupons printed on newsprint – I can still remember the smell of that paper. They cost $7 and inside there were hundreds of dollars’ worth of coupon savings. It was a GREAT deal, BUT you had to remember to take the coupon with you when you went shopping and not leave it on the counter. And every time, we left that coupon on the counter. So even though we invested in this great “membership,” we didn’t benefit from it because we forgot what the benefits were. Do you see where I’m going with this?
The CDA offers hundreds and thousands of dollars of savings through its membership but you have to use the benefits or they’re no better than that retro rainbow-colored Gold C book.
I want to let you in on what I believe are currently the top five underused benefits/benefit categories of the CDA:
- Dental Insurance and Coding Assistance (MEMBERS ONLY Call 800-621-8099.)
- The ADA CDT Coding Department will answer coding questions from members, like how to properly code a procedure or how to correct a code in response to an insurance claim denial.
- The ADA Third Party Concierge will provide answers to questions about insurance disputes and appeals and can help analyze insurance contracts.
- The ADA Credentialing Service powered by CAQH ProView allows you to credential with multiple dental plans quickly and easily online.
- Wellness (MEMBERS ONLY benefit)
- ClassPass Membership with free access to 4,000 hours of on-demand audio and video workouts and 10% off in-person classes and wellness experiences (ada.org/classpass).
- FREE mental health counseling and wellness coaching for members and their household members through the CDA Member Assistance Program (cdaonline.org/wellness).
- Insurance Coverage (MEMBER DISCOUNT)
- Benefit from having your own broker for all of your insurance needs (worker’s comp, health, cyber, disability, business owners, etc.). COPIC Financial Service Group has a long history with the CDA and its team will do the research for you to find the best plans that match your needs (720-858-6285).
- Malpractice coverage created by Colorado dentists, for Colorado dentists through the Dentists Professional Liability Trust. When you need help, nothing is better than being able to pick up the phone and talk to an dentist liability expert who knows Colorado law (303-357-2600).
- Dental Supplies (MEMBER DISCOUNT)
- The Dentists Supply Company (TDSC) can literally save you more money than you pay in dues when you purchase supplies through their website. Once you login you can see the discounted pricing and have access to fast (and free depending on purchase amount) shipping. In a world where we need instant click gratification and competitive pricing, why wouldn’t you use this service (cdaonline.org/tdsc)?
- Credit Card Processing
- This benefit isn’t necessarily underused but I just don’t understand why it’s not used by everyone. Best Card is a Colorado company that prides itself on “people, not prompts.” That means you get great rates and immediate human customer service. Fun fact: Best Card was started in the CDA office! Now it’s not only endorsed by the CDA but also the ADA (bestcardteam.com).
Did you know about every bulleted item on that list? If you did, my work here is done. If you didn’t, I hope feelings of FOMO are starting to creep in. Don’t miss out on what the CDA offers and if there is a benefit that we can look into for members, don’t hesitate to contact me about it at molly@cdaonline.org or 303-996-2844.
By the way, if you look up Gold C Coupon Book on eBay, they referred to as “vintage” – I can’t decide whether I feel proud or insulted about that.