Bridging the Gap: The Ostrich Syndrome – Health Care at the Crossroads

Program Overview

Clinicians struggle with fitting everything into a prescribed time slot. Patients are confused by diagnostics and proposed treatment. Business administrators walk a fine line to get optimal coverage and reimbursement that is supported by an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Symptoms: Cookie cutter diagnostics, stressed staff, unpredictable patient engagement, patient push back, poor reimbursement, claims rejections are overwhelming

Etiology: Inadequate data collection, overlooked disease risk factors, outdated diagnostics, lack of comprehensive treatment planning, inaccurate procedure codes, insufficient documentation, incomplete submissions

Treatment: Join Kathy S. Forbes and Anne Guignon for a lively discussion that will explore one of the most dangerous phenomena that health care providers face every day by throwing a spotlight why an accurate diagnosis, precise coding, and appropriate treatment are the real antidotes.

Your Presenter

Anne Guignon RDH, MPH

About Your Presenter

Anne Nugent Guignon, RDH, MPH, CSP is a visionary thinker. Anne’s WHY began back in 1971. She simply wanted to know what worked best for clinicians and their clients. As her curiosity grew, so did her passion for sharing information with other in-the-trenches clinicians. Anne’s global thinking resulted in numerous accolades for mentoring, research, and guiding those in the healthcare and client services.

Anne is a highly sought-after international speaker, prolific author, and a recognized expert on the oral microbiome, ergonomics, salivary dysfunction, cariology and erosive tooth wear, and employment law matters. Through the years Anne has received numerous recognitions for her numerous contributions to the dental community, and in 2015 she was awarded the CSP, the National Speakers Association’s highest earned credential.

In 2021, Anne founded The Out Of The Box Learning Academy, a continuing education resource for health care professionals. The Out Of The Box Learning Academy is a Nationally Approved AGD PACE Program Provider. Despite her numerous accomplishments, Anne’s clinician heart is always focused on making clinical practice better, easier, and more rewarding.

Your Presenter

Kathy Forbes, RDH, BS, FADHA

About Your Presenter

Kathy has been a dental hygienist, educator, speaker, author, consultant, seminar, and study club leader for over 40 years. She speaks frequently about the correct classification, documentation, treatment planning, and CDT procedure code selection for patients with periodontal disease. In addition, she holds a license with the ADA for Current Dental Terminology© which allows her to provide the most up-to-date understanding of current procedure codes.

License to use the ADA CDT codes is granted to Kathy S. Forbes, RDH, BS. The use of this statement enables the speaker and host association to hold a CDT course. The dental procedures codes are owned and published by the ADA in its reference manual Current Dental Terminology. The ADA is the exclusive owner and copyright holder of the CDT (“Code”).

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

Analyze the time constraints clinicians face and their impact on patient engagement, diagnostics, and treatment compliance.
Recognize common deficiencies in data collection, disease risk assessment, outdated diagnostics, and incomplete treatment planning.
Demonstrate best practices for procedure coding, insurance submissions, and documentation to optimize reimbursement.

Develop strategies to mitigate patient confusion, improve engagement, and minimize resistance to treatment recommendations.
Evaluate techniques to balance accurate diagnosis with reimbursement policies while ensuring compliance with healthcare regulations.
Apply evidence-based approaches to enhance diagnostic accuracy, improve treatment planning, and optimize financial sustainability.