Practice Affairs Committee Advances AAE Advocacy and Strategic Goals in First Meeting of the Term  

The Practice Affairs Committee serves as the AAE’s advocacy arm, addressing practice management and advocacy issues affecting our members at local, state, and federal levels. On September 11, the Committee held its first meeting of the current term to discuss key issues impacting AAE members, strategies to enhance member engagement in advocacy efforts, and ways to further advance AAE’s Strategic Goals 3 and 4. 

Principal Functions of the Practice Affairs Committee include:  

• Monitoring and responding to advocacy issues affecting endodontists at all government levels. 
• Regularly updating the AAE Board of Directors and membership on legislative activities, regulatory changes, and third-party payer policies impacting the specialty. 
• Participating in AAE grassroots advocacy efforts and encouraging member involvement. 
• Investigating and addressing member complaints regarding dental plan policies. 
• Providing assistance with coding questions and proposing changes to CDT codes via the Code Maintenance Committee as needed. 
• Representing the AAE at policy forums, including: 
• ADA Code Maintenance Committee 
• American Association of Dental Consultants Annual Meeting 
• ADA Lobby Day 
• Supporting Practice Affairs Committee leadership and staff in responding to members’ advocacy and practice management inquiries in Connection. 
• Maintaining essential publications relevant to endodontists’ practices and AAE advocacy initiatives  
• Overseeing the periodic review of AAE guidelines and position statements 

At the meeting, the Committee continued its robust discussions on the ongoing dental plan reform advocacy campaign. This campaign, aimed at protecting endodontists from predatory payment practices, is a testament to the Committee’s unwavering commitment. Additionally, the meeting featured a detailed conversation about the development of forthcoming practice management resources to aid dental practices during contract negotiations with dental plan networks. 

The AAE would like to recognize and commend the ongoing efforts of its Practice Affairs members in advocating for the broader AAE membership among dental stakeholders and the public. AAE Practice Affairs Committee members include Drs. Kenneth Wiltbank (Chair), Ammon Anderson, Beth Damas, Jason Foreman, Shawn Lafkowitz, Paul Lindauer, Maria Maranga, Harold Martinez (Board Liaison), Andrew Miller, Elizabeth Perry, Kayla Tavares Tio, Kenneth Tittle, Dentonio Worrell, and Kevin Yu.