Journal of the Louisiana Dental Association

LDAC. Richmond Corley, Jr., D.D.S.Senior Vice President/CEO, LDSlouisiana dental services, inc.The 2007 Year End ReportAs the year 2007 comes to a close, I thank you onbehalf of the LDS Board of Directors for yourcontinuing support of the LDA/LDS Endorsed Productsand Services Program.From a start-up authorization by the LDA House ofDelegates in 1991 followed by the incorporation of LDSas an LDA wholly owned subsidiary forprofitcorporation, this business venturehas become a major source of non-duesrevenue for the LDA Board of Directorsto use in support of membership benefitsand other related expenses in the day-todayoperations of the LDA.LDS, along with its wholly ownedsubsidiary for-profit corporation namedProfessional Dental Plans, Inc., and its revenue sourceCrescent Dental Plans Inc.®, will once again in 2007provide in the neighborhood of over $100,000 to theLDA in non-dues revenue for the benefit of themembership. LDA members who have supported theLDA/LDS endorsed products program with theirpurchases from endorsed vendors should beparticularly proud of this accomplishment that hasbenefited ALL of the membership.The LDS Board has worked over the passing years tokeep the Endorsed Product and Services Program at ahigh quality level. Each and every one of you thatparticipate in this program is reminded that LDS staff isready to be your advocate, if the need should everarise, over any issue of satisfaction between you andany endorsed vendor that is covered under the currentagreement between the vendor and LDS.During the year 2007, LDA/LDS dropped itsendorsement of Acadian Ambulance Medical Services(covering defibrillator equipment) and EBSCOIndustries (waiting room magazine subscriptionservices) because of non-revenue activity. Thedefibrillator equipment issue is well covered by twoother endorsed vendors, namely New Line Medical andSouthern Anesthesia and Surgical.Three newly endorsed companies have been addedin 2007, but one of these, CDA Select Choice LoanProgram is on an indefinite hold because of recentchanges in the Federal laws regarding college studentloan consolidation programs. The second of these,Bruner and Company, which is dedicated to Web sitedevelopment for the dental office is now in fulloperation to provide an off the shelf semi pre-designedbuild it yourself Web site package and also acustom designed dental office Web site packageat competitive pricing. The third companyadded to the endorsed products and serviceslist for this year is Southern Anesthesia andSurgical (SAS), which is a long-establishedcompany that many of you who are OralSurgeons are very familiar with. It is an adjunctcompany to our endorsed relationship with IMEPEmergency Response System. You have all receivedtheir LDS business relationship announcement letterand catalog in November. We urge you who practice inthe specialty of oral surgery to designate the LDA asyour professional organization of choice to receive anybenefits of your purchases from SAS.Three of our long-standing endorsed vendors haveshown significant increase of sales to LDA members inthis calendar year. These are CareCredit, NOVA andOffice Depot. One of our newer endorsed companies,Fortress Insurance Company, has also shownsubstantial growth.Some of you may also be aware that the ADA hasnow included the use of amalgam separators in itslisting of best practices for the safe disposal of amalgamwaste. The LDA/LDS Endorsed Products and ServicesProgram is pleased to remind you that Amalgaway, aleader in dental amalgam separation technology, hasbeen endorsed for several years. They are prepared tosupply you with the latest amalgam separators. AnotherLDA/LDS endorsed vendor, SolmeteX, is also availableto provide highly efficient mercury removal systems.Moving from LDS activities to those of its whollyowned subsidiary, Professional Dental Plans, Inc. andits endorsed relationship with Crescent Employee6 LDA Journal