Dr. Paul A. Palo expressed his concern in his December JADA letter to the editor1 that we possess too much of a fee-for-commodity mentality, in response to Dr. Christensen’s September column2 advocating that we ensure we provide quality care at reasonable fees.
Dr. Palo asks when we have ever heard a patient ask a surgeon, "How much for a coronary bypass graft?" If we, as a profession, are to believe Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, who addressed the House of Delegates in Las Vegas, we will be publishing not only our fees but also a measure of our quality. He also indicated there will be system incentives for those who offer and those who purchase high-quality, competitively priced care. ADA members may access Secretary Leavitt’s address at "www.ada.org/members/ada/governance/hod/06_speech_leavitt.pdf".
And because the federal government is involved, we had better do a very good job of advocating our positions at the negotiating table. That requires all of us to support the advocacy systems within the American Dental Association, namely the American Dental Political Action Committee (ADPAC) and the Grassroots Action Team Network.
A mere annual $40 contribution is the minimum for ADA members to join ADPAC; consider contributing more via a membership in Capital Club at "www.ada.org/members/advocacy/adpac/capital.asp". And please sign up for the Grassroots Action Team Network at "www.ada.org/members/advocacy/grassroots/join.asp".
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