Dental Insurance Decoded: Simplifying Participation & Credentialing

Instructor: Malika Azargoon Course Description: This course equips dental practices with evidence-based strategies to enhance clinical decision-making and patient communication considering the external factor of dental insurance participation. Participants will learn to integrate critical thinking, teamwork, and patient-centered care to address the complexities of case acceptance through effective communication and streamlining the credentialing process to align with operational and patient care goals. Course Objectives: • Explain the key components of clinical decision-making—including a solid knowledge base, critical thinking, clinical reasoning, evidence-based practice, patient-centered care, and teamwork—to address the complexities of dental insurance participation and its impact on delivering effective, patient-focused care. • Identify evidence-based communication strategies for engaging adult patients—including active listening, nonverbal cues, patient-centered methods, and consideration of social contexts—to effectively explain recommended treatment and financial responsibilities to improve case acceptance rates. • Explain an evidence-based approach to establish criteria that includes subjective and concrete components to guide dental practices through the step-by-step process of insurance credentialing to ensure clarity, trackability, and team motivation.

Learn Today, Prevent Tomorrow! Infection Control Training for Dental Practices

Instructor: India Chance, RDH, CDIPC Course Description: The purpose of infection prevention is to protect the healthcare provider and patient from disease transmission and workplace hazards. According to the CDC, it is the responsibility of the dental care provider to render the “safest dental visit possible”. This course provides detailed instruction on the CDC recommended infection control practices and certain safety engineering controls for dental practices as required by OSHA. At the completion of this course, the attendee will be able to recognize and comprehend the recommended and required guidelines put forth by the CDC and OSHA. The attendee will also have the information needed to apply the recommended and required CDC and OSHA guidelines in the dental office setting. Course Objectives: • Review the regulatory agencies that enforce dental standards/laws • Define infection prevention & control – making a safer work environment • Interpret the standard precautions required by the CDC & OSHA • Identify implementation strategies for strengthening IPC • Discuss the latest updates from the CDC, OSHA, & FDA

Approved by Maryland Department of Health State Board of Dental Examiners

Malika Azargoon

With over 20 years as a professional in the dental industry, Malika Azargoon has established herself as a top dental management consultant in the DC Metro area. Her initial plan was to pursue a career in dentistry, but as her family grew, her focus and passion shifted from building her own practice to helping others create and grow theirs. Zar Dental Consulting now serves over 100 different practices fueled by Malika’s commitment to client-focused, results-driven best practices. Dentists and their teams find that Malika “speaks their language” and understands their different pain points. For this reason, she has been named the “Dental Therapist” and “Team Whisperer.”

India Chance, RDH, CDIPC

India Chance is a distinguished dental safety specialist, celebrated for her comprehensive expertise as a Registered Dental Hygienist, Certified Infection Control Educator, and Authorized OSHA Trainer. As the visionary founder of Learn2Prevent, India spearheads initiatives to enhance dental compliance, emphasizing exceptional patient safety practices. Her significant contributions have garnered recognition from esteemed institutions such as the CDC Office of Oral Health and the Association for Dental Safety (ADS). Her unwavering dedication to advancing dental health standards is further highlighted by her roles on the Editorial Review Board for the ADS and Inside Dental Hygiene, as well as her position as a Dental Board Inspector for the Maryland State Board of Dental Examiners. In acknowledgment of her profound impact on the field, India received the 2023 Emerging Infection Control Leader award from the Association for Dental Safety.