About Me!

A lifetime resident of the Pacific Northwest, Dr. Bruce Johnson was born in Alaska and raised in Edmonds.

He studied at the University of Washington receiving his doctorate from the School of Dentistry in 1980. He practiced in North Seattle for 10 years prior to establishing his Bothel practice in 1991.

To better understand your needs, Dr. Johnson believes in a commitment to education. Continual involvement in Dental Study organizations and professional affiliations have been Dr. Johnson's most important source for staying at the forefront of rapidly changing dental technology. The vital information and professional satisfaction he receives from his continuing education are his most powerful tool in offering you and your family the best, state of the art dental care.

Dr. Johnson was selected by a vote of his peers to be included as one of Seattle's topDentists as reported in Seattle Metropolitan magazine January, 2009 issue!

 

Dr. Johnson is a current member of:

• Seattle Study Club
• Donated Dental Services (providing free dentistry to needy individuals)
• The American Dental Association
• Washington State Dental Association
• Seattle King County Dental Society
• Academy of General Dentistry

Manage Your Oral Health

Whether you are 80 years old or eight, we have the oral health information you are searching for. Find answers to your questions about insurance, legislation and policies, mouthguards, root canal treatment and more.

Have You Heard about Direct Reimbursement?

Direct Reimbursement (DR) is a self-funded dental benefits plan that reimburses patients according to dollars spent on dental care, not type of treatment received. It allows the patient complete freedom to choose any dentist. Instead of paying monthly insurance premiums, even for employees who don't use the dentist, employers pay a percentage of actual treatments received up to a cap amount set by the employer. Moreover, employers are removed from the potential responsibility of influencing treatment decisions due to plan selection or sponsorship. DR is the ADA's preferred method of financing dental treatment.

A quality dental benefits plan can aid in the recruitment and retention of employees. Dental benefits are consistently cited as one of the most sought after employee benefits.

Website shows cost of dental services to patients, insurers

A website is available that helps patients and insurance companies estimate how much dental services will cost.

In order to ensure the costs listed on FAIR Health, www.fairhealthconsumer.org, and other similar websites are accurate, the American Dental Association is recommending dentists submit their full fees to insurance companies on dental claim forms, consistent with current ADA policy.

The slogan of FAIR Health is “Bringing Fairness and Transparency to Health Insurance Information.” The nonprofit organization houses a database that helps insurers determine their reimbursement rates for out-of-network charges and provides patients with a clear, unbiased explanation of the reimbursement process, according to the website.

After typing in the zip code and the procedure, a chart gives the CDT code, the estimated charge, estimated reimbursement and out-of-pocket cost. For example, by typing in the Chicago zip code of 60611 and “root canal,” the user is given a number of different choices. If “root canal-front tooth,” is selected, CDT code D3310 appears, an estimated charge is given, and both the reimbursement amount and the out-of-pocket cost are listed.

The ADA, which granted FAIR Health a CDT license in February, wants dentists to be aware the website is out there for their patients to peruse.

FAIR Health was formed in 2009 as a result of an investigation by former New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who uncovered conflicts of interest in one system that health insurers used, the Ingenix database, to calculate reimbursement for patients who received care from providers outside their plan’s network.

“The investigation uncovered a fraudulent and conflict-of-interest ridden reimbursement system affecting millions of patients and their families and costing Americans hundreds of millions of dollars in unexpected and unjust medical costs,” states a news release by the New York AG’s office.

As part of the collective settlement the attorney general’s office reached with the insurers, FAIR Health received millions of de-identified health care claims that many had used to help them determine their rates and the data continues to be analyzed to maintain its accuracy.

In some circumstances, in addition to submitting the full fee, dentists should alert the payer if the dentist is providing an additional discount to the patient.

“Dentists should always submit full fees to insurance companies on dental claim forms,” said Dr. Phil Eversman, chair of the Dental Benefit Information Service for CDBP. “Dentists should not submit contractually-discounted fees because this could artificially skew the maximum allowable fees determined by carriers based on data submitted by dental offices.”

Submitting fees that insurers offer to contracting providers rather than the dentist’s full fee could also artificially skew the costs posted on websites like FAIR Health, causing consumers to question their dentist’s fees, in light of what other dentists may be charging in the area.

Currently, FAIR Health only provides data for dental services but its website says medical cost information will be arriving in August.

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Kelly Soderlund, ADA News staff

USDA updates dietary guidelines

Washington—Consumers should forgo sugary drinks and make water their beverage of choice, according to the new dietary guidelines released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The guidelines and a new icon for healthy eating—a colorful plate that gives consumers an easy visual example of how to dish up proper portions for breakfast, lunch and dinner—were unveiled June 2 by First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

Consumers and health care professionals can visit www.ChooseMyPlate.gov to view the MyPlate icon and dietary guidelines. There are also links to tools such as getting a personalized eating plan, healthy eating tips, weight loss information, menu planning, diet analysis and more. MyPlate print materials, including a consumer brochure, sample menus, recipes, a “getting started” guide and many more resources are also available.

The new MyPlate icon emphasizes ideal portions sizes for fruit, vegetable, grains, protein and dairy food groups. Nutrition, health and consumer advocates are applauding the MyPlate icon as a tool to help improve the health and well-being of Americans nationwide.

“MyPlate is a visual model that communicates to consumers the proportions of foods that, if consumed, provide adequate nutrient intakes for ideal growth and health,” said Teresa Marshall, Ph.D., R.D., L.D, a consultant to the ADA Council on Access Prevention and Interprofessional Relations.

“Obviously, attention to selection of foods within groups is necessary to achieve individualized energy and fat intakes for prevention of obesity and systemic disease,” Dr. Marshall said. “For example, one of the messages accompanying MyPlate recommends drinking water instead of sugary drinks. The MyPlate visual emphasizes the importance of fruits and vegetables in our diets—a message we need to hear!”

The new website and consumer brochure encourage consumers to:

·                       build a healthy plate—fill half the plate with fruits and vegetables, switch to skim or 1 percent milk, make at least half of grains eaten whole grain choices and vary protein choices like seafood or beans.

·                       cut back on foods high in solid fats, added sugars and salts—choose water instead of sugary drinks, eat fruit for dessert or choose 100 percent fruit juice over fruit-flavored drinks; steer away from added sodium in foods and add spices or herbs to season food; eat fewer foods like cakes, cookies, ice cream, pizza, cheese, sausage and hot dogs; choose lean meats and poultry and fat-free or low-fat dairy products; and prepare foods in oils instead of solid fats.

·                       eat the right amount of calories—consumers can get their personal daily calorie limit at www.ChooseMyPlate.gov and should avoid oversized portions or eating when already full; cook at home more often to take control of what they are eating; choose lower calorie menu options when eating out; track what they eat; and drink alcoholic beverages in moderation (one drink a day for women or two drinks a day for men).

·                       be physically active—everyone should add physical activities they enjoy at least 10 minutes at a time whenever possible for health benefits.

For more information on diet and oral health, visit ADA.org and go to public resources/oral health topics.

Source:  Amerian Dental Association