Atlanta Dentist Appointed To Legislative Study Committee

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Sep 10, 2015, 04:27 ET

ATLANTA, Sept. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Atlanta dentist Dr. Richard A. Smith has been selected by Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle to represent the Georgia Dental Association on the Consumer and Provider Protection Act Study Committee, a Senate study committee made up of four state senators and six health, consumer and insurance representatives. The committee will hold its first meeting on Sept. 14, 2015.

"I am honored and privileged to serve on this committee and represent the dental community," said Dr. Smith. "Over the next few months we will seek input from stakeholders from across the state to understand contractual challenges between providers and insurers."

Smith is a general dentist at Dentistry@St. Joseph's Doctor Center in Atlanta. Serving on the committee with him is Angela Waller, RDH, practice administrator at Tifton Regional Dental Group in Tifton, Ga.

The Consumer and Provider Protection Act Study Committee was created by the passage of Senate Resolution 561 during the 2015 legislative session. The committee is charged with examining conditions and issues surrounding contractual relationships between insurers and providers and recommending actions or legislation to address them. Regulation of rental networks, unilateral revisions to contracts, and the prevalence of incorrect data related to network adequacy throughout the state are among the issues to be studied. The committee's findings will be filed in a report by Dec. 1, 2015.

About the Georgia Dental Association
The Georgia Dental Association (GDA) is the state's largest dental association, representing 3,300 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information in Georgia, the GDA has promoted the highest standards of dentistry through education, advocacy and professionalism since 1859. A constituent of the American Dental Association, the GDA is based in Atlanta.

Contact: Carol Galbreath
(404) 636-7553
[email protected]

SOURCE Georgia Dental Association