CDA
at
W
ork
came through. “I put somemedication into the
fracturedarea to relieve thepain, but if Iwas able
todo the root canal, the toothwouldhavebeen
properly restored. I thought, this is ridiculous—so
muchmoneywas spent on transportationandnothing
got done.”HealthCanadaeventually removed the
predetermination requirement for anterior endodontic
treatment, a significant policychange thatwould
benefit others in similarly traumaticcircumstances.
More recently, theTechnicalWorkingGroupnegotiated
2 further changes to theprogram. TheNIHB
EndodonticTrial Project, avoluntary trial that runsuntil
March31, 2016, allowsdentists tovoluntarilywaive the
predetermination requirement for standard root canal
treatment onbicuspids andfirstmolars, although their
work is subject toapotential audit. Predetermination
has alsobeenwaived for completedentures for eligible
patients. According toDr. Poon, thesechanges are
helpingdentists treat their patientsproperlywithout
beingheldbackbyadministrative issues.
TheTechnicalWorkingGroupcontinues topress for
incremental improvements to theprogram. Among
thechanges itwould like to see: improvedcoverage for
crowns, coverage for partial dentures that is in linewith
the industry standardof anewpartial every5years,
andan improvedprocess for coordinatingbenefits. “My
workwith theTechnicalWorkingGroup is something
I need todo tohelpmypatients,” saysDr. Poon. “We
want to support thedentistswho treat FirstNations and
Inuit patients.”
a
Dr. Phil Poon (r.) receives theCDADistinguishedService
Award in2011 fromDr. RobertMacGregor, CDApast-
president.
