IDA made history on Saturday, June 13, when it held its first remote House of Delegates meeting via a Zoom web conference.

“Certainly it was different and there were some minor technology glitches, but overall the meeting went incredibly well,” noted Executive Director Doug Bush.

The virtual meeting was necessitated by COVID-19 meeting restrictions. Indiana is not alone in its steps to find creative ways to conduct meetings. Dental association representatives from California, Ohio, Minnesota and Mississippi sat in as observers as they contemplate how they will conduct their House meetings in upcoming months. The ADA is also considering changes to how it will conduct its House of Delegates this fall.

The meeting served as culmination of Dr. Steven Ellinwood’s year as president. Acknowledging that his year was disrupted, he stated his legacy will always be associated with the year of the COVID pandemic. He extended his thanks to the IDA staff and also the COVID Task Force stating, “This group was instrumental in getting us over the hump and back into our offices. I will never be able to thank them enough for the burden they lifted from me and the IDA team.”

Dr. David Wolf (IDDS) assumed his presidency at the close of the meeting. Dr. Steve Hollar (NC) advanced to President Elect, Dr. Jill Burns (EI) advanced to Vice President. Dr. Thomas Blake (IK) prevailed in a two-man race for the office of Vice President Elect. Dr. Rebecca De La Rosa (IDDS) was unopposed and will be the 2020-21 Speaker of the House. Dr. Jenny Neese (BH) was unopposed and will be the 2020-21 Vice Speaker.

Other actions of the House included:

• New members of the IDA delegation to the 2021 and 2022 ADA House of Delegates were elected: Drs. Lorraine Celis (NC), Steve Ellinwood (IK), Vanchit John (IDDS), Matt Kolkman (IK), Heather Maupin (IDDS), and Daron Sheline (NC) were elected to two-year terms; Dr. Mark Mihalo (NW) was elected to a one-year term for the 2021 meeting.
• The House approved a proposal that aligns IDA’s dues structure with changes made by the ADA in 2019. This reduces the graduated dues structure for new graduates from four to two years, and removes the 25 percent dues discount for Active Life Members.
• Peer Review and Well Being were designated programs of the IDA Board of Trustees, moving them from subcommittees of the Dental Practice Committee and bringing them under direct oversight of the Board.
• The House voted to join the Coalition for Modernizing Dental Licensure, an organization that has the goals of replacing single encounter, procedure based license exams with modernized clinical assessments, and increasing licensure portability.
• The House referred IDA’s existing policy on Best Management Practices for non-accredited dental assisting programs for additional study and a report to the 2021 House.
• The House also referred IDA’s existing policy on Mid-Level Providers for additional study and a report back to the 2021 House.
• The House called for legislation that will allow teledentistry to be a reimbursable service.
• The House called for legislation that will allow dentists to administer certain vaccines.
• An amendment to the Constitution and Bylaws was passed that established Vice President Elect as an IDA officer.

The House of Delegates’ next scheduled meeting is May 14-16, 2021, in Indianapolis, in conjunction with the Midwest Dental Assembly.

As ADA President Dr. Chad Gehani stated in his June 4 message, Congress recently passed the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act, a bill which will significantly revise the SBA loan program that was created at the outset of the pandemic.

Changes to the program include:

• Shifting the coverage period of the loan from eight weeks to 24 weeks. In other words, PPP funds can now be used for up to 24 weeks from the date of distribution, allowing dental offices more flexibility in the allocation of funds.
• Deferring payroll tax for PPP loan borrowers through Dec. 31, 2020. Fifty percent of the deferred amount will be due Dec. 31, 2021, and the other 50 percent of the deferred amount will be due Dec. 31, 2022. For an explanation on how this will affect your cash flow and financial statements, consult your accountant.
• Deferring PPP loan repayment for 10 months instead of six months.
• Changing the way PPP funds can be apportioned. While the PPP program originally required borrowers to use 75 percent of the requested funds for payroll expenses in order to be eligible for forgiveness, the new Flexibility act lessens that requirement and allows borrowers to use 40 percent of funds for non-payroll expenses while still being eligible for full forgiveness.
• Extending the rehiring deadline to offset FTE unemployment levels. Borrowers will have until December 31, 2020, to return their FTE levels to their status pre-COVID.
• Extending the maturity date. If any portion of the PPP loan was not under previous guidelines/SBA Interim rules, that portion of the loan would originally mature and be due two years from the date of disbursement. That time has been extended, allowing the loan to mature up to five years from the date of disbursement.

For questions about how these new provisions will affect your practice, contact your accountant or local loan servicer.

Tuesday, July 14, was the deadline for most dental offices to have installed an amalgam separator. Each dental discharger subject to the rule must complete, sign and submit a one-time compliance report to its respective Control Authority by October 12, 2020, or 90 days after transfer of ownership. New sources must submit a report no later than 90 days after first discharging to a publicly-owned treatment works (POTWs). In Indiana, the Control Authority may be a local wastewater utility, or the U.S. EPA Region 5 office, depending on the dental office location.

All Indiana dentists should have received an email from the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency that included a list of POTWs and an EPA report form for those who do not report to a POTW. If you have questions about your reporting or location status, contact IDA Director of Professional Services Ed Rosenbaum.

IDA and the ADA have numerous resources to help members through this process. Please visit the following links for guidance and special offers for members:

• IDA Vendor Partner Solmetex page
• Dr. Tom Murray: Have You Installed Your Amalgam Separator?
• ADA Amalgam Separator Page

Indianapolis dentist Dr. David Wolf has begun his term as the 2020-2021 president of the IDA. Dr. Wolf formally assumed his duties as the association’s president on Saturday, June 13, at the IDA’s online House of Delegates meeting. He will serve as president until June 2021.

Dr. Wolf has been a member of the IDA since 1987 and has served in multiple volunteer roles, including work with the Council on Dental Education, chair of the Young Dentist Committee, Annual Session Committee, Professional Development Committee and IDPAC. Dr. Wolf practices in Indianapolis and also volunteers his professional services in numerous capacities, including mission trips to Haiti, Ecuador, Romania, and Tanzania, and regular work at Gennesaret Free Clinic, Donated Dental Services and Wheeler Mission.

IDA is looking forward to a great year of leadership with Dr. Wolf!

IDA’s annual House of Delegates meeting has been condensed into a virtual, one-day meeting due to continued restrictions on large gatherings. The House will assemble via a Zoom web conference beginning at 8 a.m. ET on Saturday, June 13, and will meet until the close of business in the afternoon. The meeting is open to any IDA member who wishes to log in and observe. Email Laurie Campbell if you would like to register to attend.

• House of Delegates agenda (member login required)
• Profiles of election candidates