The Evolution of Insurance, Dental Discounts and In-office Membership Plans in Dental Practices
Tuesday, September 19
4:15 PM – 5:00 PM (PT)
This session will feature an expert panel examining evolving industry trends from the long-standing prevalence of traditional insurance plans and dental discount plans to the current popularity of in-office membership plans for dental offices. As more people seek affordable alternatives to traditional dental insurance, the panel will discuss current demand and future outlook from various dental industry experts.
Michael Cole
Senior Vice President of Insurance Plan Management
Dental Care Alliance
Mike Cole joined Dental Care Alliance (DCA) in April 1999 and is currently the insurance plan management senior vice president. He oversees insurance relations, DCA’s Membership Plan, and the credentialing and delegated credentialing departments. Before joining DCA, Mike was a network manager for Prudential Healthcare and United Concordia Companies, Inc. Mike has over 30 years of working in the dental industry on both the plan side and for Dental Care Alliance. Mike has been instrumental in fostering partnerships between the plans and dental support organizations (DSOs). Working together to achieve the best outcomes has led to the creation of the NADP credentialing application, NADP-supported directory validation process and innovations for patient satisfaction. Mike has been active with NADP for the last 11 years and has served on the Operations Workgroup, where he is currently the vice-chair and the DSO Advisory Council since inception. Mike received a Star Award from NADP in 2015 for his work on a standardized dental application. He received the prestigious Don Mayes Leadership Award in 2019 from NADP and was the first DSO designee to be recognized. Mike served as co-chair of the Insurance Committee with ADSO from 2020-2022. The committee was formed in response to COVID-19, and it met biweekly to stay current with topics relevant to DSOs. Mike also serves on several advisory councils, including Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Liberty and DentaQuest. Mike graduated from the University of Missouri – Columbia and is a Certified Employee Assistance Professional (CEAP).
Michelle Hart, RDH, MBA
Associate Vice President, Dental Networks
Humana
Michelle has been in the dental industry for over 30 years. She started out working in a variety of clinical practice settings as a registered dental hygienist for more than ten years before expanding her education and entering the payer side, serving in many different capacities at Delta Dental of Massachusetts, Guardian for 22 years and is currently at Humana for the past five years.
In her current role as associate vice president of dental networks, Michelle is responsible for network expansion, retention, credentialing, and compliance for all lines of business, ensuring that all Humana members have access to participating dentists to maximize their dental benefits.
Leesa Olson
Assistant Vice President of Launch Loyalty
Careington
Leesa Olson, assistant vice president of Launch Loyalty, has more than 20 years of healthcare industry experience focused on building national and international provider networks, client relations and account management, discount plan compliance, and in-office membership plan innovation, as well as building and leading high-performance, results-driven teams. Leesa is also actively involved in multiple industry organizations, including Women in DSO, The Association of Dental Support Organizations (ADSO), and The National Association of Dental Plans (NADP). Leesa and her team have a proven track record of working collaboratively with corporate healthcare companies to create, execute and administer innovative, membership-based health savings plans to grow their businesses.
Kris Virgin
Vice President of Compliance
Careington
Kris Virgin is vice president of compliance for Careington International Corporation and affiliate companies DialCare, Careington Benefit Solutions, and Munroe Sutton. During his career at the Careington family of companies, Kris accumulated more than two decades of experience in dental provider network operations and regulatory compliance on a national level. As vice president of compliance, Kris oversees compliance of Careington companies’ wide array of business lines, all regulated at the state level, including Discount Plan Organization (DPO), Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), Third Party Administration (TPA), and Insurance Agency. As Careington expanded into the operations of telehealth products through affiliate company DialCare, Kris played a critical role in company formation and registration and finalizing policies, procedures, and licensure that span the telehealth compliance spectrum, including networks of physicians, mental wellness professionals, dentists, and veterinary professionals. When working on compliance initiatives, Kris strives to interpret and apply the statutes and regulations that shape all business lines’ operations and markets to maintain the Careington company's status as a nationally recognized leader in the health and wellness benefits space. Kris is active in several trade associations, including the National Association of Dental Plans (NADP), where he participates on the Government Relations Workgroup (GRW). He is also active in the Association of Insurance Compliance Professionals (AICP), Consumer Health Alliance (CHA), Center for Telehealth & e-Health Law (CTeL), Health Care Administrators Association (HCAA), and Society of Professional and Benefit Administrators (SPBA). He is a board member of the Texas Association of Benefit Administrators (TABA), currently serving as the secretary/treasurer.
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