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Member BenefitsSome organizations distribute a premium when they ask you to join their membership. While paperweights and calendars might be nice, the Chicago Dental Society doesn’t offer such disposable items. Instead, we offer you what you can use—tangible benefits—such as continuing education, an array of insurance programs to meet your practices needs and political representation at the state and national levels. As part of a tripartite membership with the American Dental Association and the Illinois State Dental Society, some of the benefits you get when you join CDS:
CDS members are dentists—either general practitioners or those in one of the eight specialty designations—who fall into one of three membership categories:
Group major medical/disability/long-term care/professional liability and business overhead insurance; peer review and mediation services; organized legislative activities; continuing education activities; scholarly journal and other publications; organized community relations activities; and patient referral service.
DuesThe cost of association and CDS publications is included in the membership dues. Individual publication costs are listed on the invoices. The subscription cost of the CDS Review is $17; student dues are not applied towards the Review. Admittance to the Midwinter Meeting is free to CDS members (registration fee is $150 for ADA members who are not also members of CDS). There are a number of categories of dues for members of the Society: Full, Life, Retired, Retired/Life, Half-year, Postgraduate, Associate, Academic Chapter, Disability and Reduced dues for recent graduates. As of 2004, the Illinois State Dental Society collects tripartite dues for CDS members in Lake, Cook and DuPage counties. Full DuesMembers who pay full dues are those who have been in practice for three or more years. In 2009, full dues totals $953: $498 to the American Dental Association; $330 to the Illinois State Dental; and $125 to CDS. Life DuesLife members pay half of the full dues rate. To become a life member you must have been a member of the American Dental Association for 30 consecutive years or 40 non-consecutive years and have already reached age 65. In 2009, life member dues totals $477: $249 to the American Dental Association; $165 to the Illinois State Dental Society; and $63 to CDS. RetiredRetired members must be completely retired from the practice of dentistry. They must also be an active member prior to retiring to become eligible for retired dues. Dues are approximately one-quarter of the full dues amount. In 2009, retired dues totals $195: $125 to the ADA, $35 to the ISDS and $35 to the CDS. Retired/Life DuesRetired/life members do not pay dues. To become a retired/life member you must have been a member for 30 consecutive years or 40 non-consecutive years; be 65 years old and have completely retired from practice. Half-Year DuesHalf-year memberships are available July through December providing the individual was not a member of the Society in the previous year. In 2009, half-year membership dues totals $477: $249 to the American Dental Association, $165 to the Illinois State Dental Society; and $63 to CDS. Postgraduate Membership DuesIn 2009, the postgraduate’s dues are $35 per year. CDS will collect American Dental Association postgraduate dues in the amount of $30 and Illinois State Dental Society postgraduate dues in the amount of $30, if the dentist prefers, eliminating the dentist’s need to send separate payment to the ADA. Associate Member DuesIndividuals who do not live in the tri-county area covered by CDS may join providing they are members of the American Dental Association. Associate member dues are $125, which includes free entrance to the Midwinter Meeting and a subscription to the CDS Review. Academic Chapter DuesStudents are encouraged to become involved in organized dentistry during their years in dental school. Dental students from the University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry pay no dues. Academic Chapter dues are $10 for all other dental students. Student dues are directly applied to the Academic Chapter activities. Benefits include the entrance to the Midwinter Meeting and the CDS Review. Temporary Disability WaiverCurrent members who are injured or ill and who are unable to practice dentistry are eligible for a dues waiver in the amounts of 100%, 75% and 50%, based on the degree of disability. To be eligible to apply for a dues waiver, the dentist must be a current member of the tripartite organization (the American Dental Association, the Illinois State Dental Society and CDS). Medical or financial supporting documentation will be required to process waiver requests. All waiver information remains strictly confidential. Reduced Dues for Recent GraduatesRecent graduates are entitled to four years of reduced dues-the first four calendar years out of dental school. You must maintain membership each year to remain eligible for the reduced rates. In 2009, reduced rates are as follows:
CDS branchesThere are approximately 4,200 CDS members in the Chicago metropolitan area. Because this large number of members is located over a wide geographical area (Cook, DuPage and Lake counties), the organization is divided into nine branches. Branch membership may range up to 900 members, making some of the branches larger than some state dental societies! Although CDS officers and directors manage the activities of the combined branches, each branch has its own officers, directors and committees to handle the affairs of the branch. The branches meet regularly for business and scientific programs. The branch structure provides a source of trained and experienced leaders for the parent society. Most Chicago Dental Society board members and officers have previous experience in their branch organizations. Dividing the tri-county area into nine sections formed the nine Chicago Dental Society Branches. The CDS Board of Directors has adopted a policy that assigns new and non-members to specific branches based on zip code, effective January 1, 2006. The nine branches are as follows (see chart):
InsuranceCDS sponsors a range of insurance plans for its members and their families. Insurance coverage for CDS members includes:
Disability and Business Overhead Expense InsuranceDisability income insurance is a unique coverage that protects your earned income and retirement benefits should you become disabled as the result of sickness or injury. Chances are you do not have enough coverage to maintain the lifestyle to which you are accustomed. The plans are underwritten by the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, and administered by Treloar and Heisel, 800.852.4900. Some plan features include:
Treloar & Heisel, Inc., has been providing the dental profession with non-cancelable, guaranteed renewable, disability programs for more than 35 years. For more information, rates and applications, or for a personal appointment to review your coverage, call Treloar & Heisel, Inc., 800.852.4900 or 708.479.8100. Long-Term Care InsuranceYou’ve worked your career building a retirement nest egg and possibly an estate for your heirs. Unfortunately, an extended need for home healthcare services or a nursing home stay can dramatically reduce any savings you may have accumulated. The cost for long-term care will come from you, as Medicare may only provide for a limited benefit, if care is needed. Therefore, you may wish to consider participating in the Long-Term Care Insurance Program administered by Treloar & Heisel, Inc. Some plan features include:
For more information, rates and applications, call Treloar & Heisel, Inc., 800.852.4900 or 708.479.8100. Professional liability insurance: “The dentist’s package policy”In 1998, CDS gave its endorsement to the Cincinnati Insurance Company and its Dentist’s Package Policy covering occurrence form professional liability, worker’s compensation, office and general liability and employment practices liability.some of the features offered through the Cincinnati Insurance Company include:
A.M. Best Company rates the Cincinnati Insurance Company A++. For more information about the above products, or a complete statement of coverage and exclusions, contact Southpoint Insurance Agency, Inc., 708.478.3440, ext. 702. Workers Compensation Insurance
CDS has reached agreements with Accident Fund Insurance Company of
America and the Southpoint Insurance Agency for the endorsement of the
WorkSafe Partners Group Dividend Program for Workers Compensation
insurance. This new benefit will allow CDS members to obtain a 5%
up-front discount and make them eligible to receive a back-end dividend if they elect to
participate in the program. Other insuranceMembers who may be interested in major medical insurance coverage may contact the Illinois State Dental Society for information about its program. CDS is not a plan sponsor for major medical insurance. Preferred-provider financingGE Healthcare Financial Services provides equipment financing, financing for practice acquisition/expansion, leasehold improvements, supplies, working capital and loan refinancing/loan consolidation for regular members of the CDS (Cook, Lake and DuPage County). As part of the agreement, CDS members are not charged loan documentation fees to apply with the exception of those seeking practice acquisition financing. This saves CDS members the customary $99 documentation fee. In addition, for those who finance with GE Healthcare Financial Services for a minimum of 48 months, a 1% rebate is applied to the member dentist’s account. Therefore on a loan for $100,000, the doctor’s account receives a $1,000 rebate for being a CDS member. Practice acquisition loans are excluded from this rebate. GE Healthcare Financial Services also contributes $10,000 annually in support of the CDS Scholarship Program for Illinois dental school students established by the Board of Directors and under the auspices of the Grants and Donations Committee. Members may call GE Healthcare Financial Services at 866.702.6322 or visit www.gehealthcarefinance.com for information and further details. Publications to support your practiceCDS publishes its membership magazine, the CDS Review, seven times a year. The November issue is the Preliminary Program of the Midwinter Meeting. In addition to practice management and peer-reviewed clinical articles, the CDS Review regularly publishes a Branch News section for its members. Columns and departments within the publication provide information on the legal issues, personal and business finances, scientific abstracts from other dental journals and personal health tips and information. Each issue contains Dental Dateline. This single page is devoted to articles of public interest. Members are encouraged to copy this section and include it in mailings to their patients or to make it available in their waiting areas. Space is provided so that this section can be personalized. During the Midwinter Meeting, the publications department publishes the Daily Review. This award-winning tabloid newspaper includes up-to-the minute information about programs and social events. CDS Web site
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