Volume 7 • 2020 • Issue 4

The Alberta Dental Service Corporation (ADSC) is now accepting patient information electronically through CDA Secure Send. The ADSC requires diagnostic records and supporting documentation when requesting pre-determinations for any procedures outside the applicable fee schedules. AlbertaDental ServiceCorporation andCDASecureSend CDA Secure Send is a free service through your membership with your provincial dental association. It is accessed through CDA’s Practice Support Services website ( services.cda-adc.ca) . Using this service ensures that patient information is sent in a secure manner, provides faster turn-around times and saves you mailing costs. Also, your office staff can access this service to send patient information on your behalf. Continue to send predetermination claims through your practice management software using CDAnet and ITRANS. But you can send your patients’ supporting documentation securely through CDA Secure Send, instead of through mail or fax service. To send in your diagnostic records, use the following steps: • From the CDA Secure Send tab, click “New Recipient” and add the ADSC claims email address claims@adsc.org . Please ensure the email address is entered correctly. • When sending your diagnostic records, please indicate the patient’s full name and either the patient health number (PHN) or file number in the subject line. • Note that it is not necessary to use the CDA Secure Send password function. If you are not currently subscribed to CDA Secure Send, visit CDA’s Practice Support Services website ( services.cda-adc.ca) and subscribe to the service. If you need help getting started, call the Help Desk at 1-866-788-1212 to speak to a representative. O n May 1, 2020, Dr. Jim Armstrong, who had been officially installed as CDA president six days earlier, addressed the standing committee on finance of the House of Commons. The committee meeting, held virtually, included statements from representatives from several professions and industries about the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In his remarks, Dr. Armstrong explained the financial toll of the pandemic on the more than 18,000 dentists across the country. “As dental offices begin to provide services again in the coming months, they will need to take on a multitude of new and additional costs,” he told the committee. “These new costs cannot be defrayed by adding to the cost of services. Furthermore, in order to maintain safety, we will not be as productive as in the past: we will not be capable of seeing as many patients per day as we did previously.” Dr. Armstrong outlined the support that would be helpful from the federal government to support dentists, which included an extension of the eligibility period for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, grants or tax credits to defray costs of changes to dental offices necessitated by increased infection control measures, funding to help more Canadian businesses provide Extended Health Care benefits, and better access to PPEs. “Currently during this pandemic, governments cover the cost of PPEs for public hospitals,” he said. “It would be greatly appreciated if provincial dental associations could have access to a guaranteed supply of these PPEs at no cost for distribution to their members.” CDA President Addresses Finance Committee 16 | 2020 | Issue 4 CDA at W ork