FAQs for LDA Members Only

You can fill out the Update Your Information form on this Web site, e-mail the LDA at info@ladental.org or call (800) 388-6642. By changing your information with us, it will automatically be updated with the ADA as well.

Under Louisiana law, workers compensation insurers may reimburse providers according to a fee schedule set by the Department of Labor. Many dentists have found the workers comp fee schedule to be substantially lower than their regular fees. However, Louisiana dentists are not required to provide treatment for workers comp cases. A dentist can insist, prior to beginning treatment, that the insurer pay the dentist’s regular fee or the dentist will not provide the requested services. Based upon feedback from some members who have done a fair amount of workers comp cases, it seems insurers usually agree to pay the dentist’s regular fee when approached in such a manner. Therefore, a dentist does have some leverage with a workers comp insurer if he/she negotiates up front rather than simply billing his/her regular fee after completing treatment without having gotten the insurer to commit to the higher fee prior to beginning treatment.

Louisiana law requires health care providers to furnish to a patient, upon written request, copies of the patient’s medical records, including any information related to the patient, which the health care provider has transmitted to any company, agency or person. Generally speaking, the only exception to this requirement is if knowledge of the information contained in a patient’s record could be harmful to him/her. A dentist may require payment of a reasonable copying charge, as per the schedule listed in Chapter 3, Section 318 of the Rules portion of your handbook issued by the State Board of Dentistry. However, a dentist cannot refuse to provide a patient copies of his/her records because the patient owes money to the dentist for treatment received. The patient’s intended use of the records generally does not affect the dentist’s obligation to provide copies either. As noted in the ADA’s Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct, dentists have an obligation, “on request of either the patient or the patient’s new dentist, to furnish, either gratuitously or for nominal cost, such dental records (including x-rays) or copies or summaries of them…as will be beneficial for the future treatment of that patient.”

Many dentists want to know if a particular C.E. course is acceptable to the State Board of Dentistry for meeting their C.E. requirements of 40 hours every two years. Actually, it is the organization sponsoring the C.E. that must be approved, not the specific course. Generally, the State Board of Dentistry will accept for credit dental C.E. that is approved or sponsored by the:

• American Dental Association (ADA) and its affiliates
• Academy of General Dentistry (AGD)
• National Dental Association and its affiliates
• Accredited dental schools
• Armed services or VA
• Dental specialty societies (all levels) and their approved study clubs

There are some specific qualifying criteria that apply for specialty component organizations. However, any organization recognized by ADA-CERP or the AGD as an approved provider of dental C.E. can generally by presumed to have met those standards. The State Board also accepts C.E. sponsored by the American Dental Hygienists (ADHA) and its affiliates for credit for hygienists. The full list of accepted sponsors and qualifying criteria can be found in Chapter 16, Section 1615 of the Rules portion of your handbook issued by the State Board of Dentistry.

Yes, at least one-half of the minimum credit hours (20) must be attained by personally attending clinical courses pertaining to the actual delivery of dental services to patients. However, 10 of these 20 hours may be attained by completing ADA or AGD certified Internet or correspondence courses which are clinical in nature and require successful completing of a written examination at the conclusion of said course.

Yes, the 2006 legislature passed a bill revising the Dental Practice Act and creating a new type of license for dentists who have retired from active practice, but wish to continue donating their services without compensation in a facility operated for charitable purposes. 

Retired volunteer dentists are required to have been previously licensed in Louisiana with no history of serious disciplinary actions, practice a minimum, on average, of eight hours per month and meet continuing education requirements (including CPR) to ensure their skills remain sharp, practice in a community clinic without remuneration.  In accordance with R.S. 9:2799.5(D)(1), this would shield retired volunteer dentists from liability except in cases of gross negligence or wanton neglect, which should relieve them from the considerable expense of standard professional liability coverage, and undergo any recommended remediation if they have been out of practice more than a year. The law also provides that retired volunteer dentists wishing to return to active practice must comply with requirements substantially similar to any other dentist who has ceased active practice.