January 2008 Newsletter
What´s New at Savon
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In every newsletter you will find a secret word or phrase. When you locate the word or phrase, copy the entire paragraph and paste it into an email along with your Savon membership ID number and your name.
Send the email to customerservice@savondentalplan.com. The emails will be printed and the winning entry will be drawn on the 15th of the following month. All entries must be received by the 10th of the month (July 10th for Junes newsletter, etc.). The winning entry will receive a check from Savon for $25.00. Only one entry per family is allowed and you may only win once per 12 months. The secret phrase for January is "become a contributor"
Quote of the Month: I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody - Bill Cosby (1937 - )
Cohen’s Corner – Straight talk from the Doctor:
No Teeth….No Dentist….No Good! Oral Cancer, The Forgotten Killer!
Throughout my years of practice one question that would come up again and again was ‘Why go to the dentist if I don’t have any teeth?’ The answer is simple if you are a health care provider: Oral Cancer!
There will be approximately 30,000 new cases of oral and pharyngeal cancer diagnosed in the United States this year. Out of these cases as many as 8,000 people will die from the disease.
This works out to be about 22 deaths a day, each and every day, from oral cancer in the United States. On top of this staggering statistic, the 5 year survival rate is only 50%. Although most cancerous survival rates are increasing in the United States, the rate of survival from oral cancer has not improved in decades. In fact the death rate from oral cancer is higher than cervical cancer, Hodgkin’s disease, cancer of the brain, liver, testes, kidney, or skin cancer (malignant melanoma). If one adds the upper part of the throat to the mix, there will be upwards of 41,000 new cases of oral cancer in the United States this year. With this addition, approximately 12,500 people in the United States will die of oral cancer this year. This works out to be about 34 deaths each and every day of the year.
What can be done to improve the survival rate of oral cancer and more importantly, how can I better protect myself and my loved ones from this killer? The answer to this question could be as simple as a five to ten minute oral cancer exam from your family dentist. Yes, your family dentist is trained to do an oral cancer exam and should be doing one on a yearly basis and more frequently if indicated by past cancer detection or other health reasons. We all need to work harder in bringing down the death rate that oral cancer, the forgotten killer, has brought upon us. That is why: No Teeth…… No Dentist…… No Good is not the answer. Oral cancer doesn't come announced, but with proper health care and early detection your chances of survival will be much improved.
Please see your dentist at least once a year for an oral cancer exam, the life you save may be your own!!
Until next month, Dr. Bruce Cohen.
Congratulations to A. Jackson of Hemet, CA Winner of our December 2007 T. V. Drawing
Mr. Jackson was the winner of December's T. V. drawing. A new 20" television was delivered to him just in time for Christmas.
Again, thank you to everyone that entered the drawing.
Congratulations to B. Cole of Mesa, AZ Winner of our December 2007 Secret Word Contest
Ms. Cole's correct answer was drawn and a check for $25.00 was sent to her.
Make sure that you look for the secret word this month, it could be worth $25.00 to you!!
To your health:
Your printer may be hazardous to your health
This article was written by Christopher Null "The Working Guy" at Yahoo! Tech
I've long heard rumors that the fine particulate dust used in laser printer toner cartridges may be a health risk. It certainly makes sense: Not all of that stuff can stick to the paper, and if you've ever spilled toner you know there's no way it can be good for your lungs. Now a controlled study is confirming the information, saying that 30 percent of all laser printers tested emit dangerous particles described as "causing lasting damage on the scale of inhaled cigarette smoke." These tiny particles lodge deep in the lungs and can lead to anything from lung irritation to full-on cancer.
The tests come from an Australian technology university and were conducted in a "large open-plan space," and found that printers could increase particulate matter in the air by up to 400 percent.
While I'm still trying to obtain the list of high vs. low particle emitters from the university, there appears to be a lot of variability among machines and even among different toner cartridges. New cartridges, for example, produce more particle matter than old ones. Printing graphics pages also produces more particle matter than text, since more toner is used, and obviously, air quality gets worse the more pages you spit out. I'll post the full list of printers tested here (or a link to it) as soon as I can obtain one.
The upshot is that printer emissions should potentially be regulated much the way that auto emissions are, but even in the absence of government intervention, use common sense around your printer: Limit use when possible (tell the guy that prints out every single email to cut it out), sequester printers in their own rooms and away from workers, ventilate offices appropriately, and have your own air and printer tested before it becomes a serious health problem.
Blog this article!
A question from a member:
Question: I am a member and a friend I referred joined the plan. Do I get a kickback for that?
Savon's Answer:
Referrals are the best form of advertisement and the biggest compliment we can get from a member. Yes, there is a reward for your referrals.
However there is a certain protocol to follow in order to get credit:
- You MUST be a member in good standing (not past due or canceled).
- The person you referred MUST JOIN the plan.
- If the person joins by telephone, they MUST make reference to you (full name or ID number) in order for you to get credit for that referral.
- If the person joins via the internet, they MUST make reference to you (full name or ID number) in the "promo code" box on the application in order for you to get credit for that referral.
- If the person joins using a paper application (mailed out to you upon renewal), it should already have your ID number in the lower right hand corner and you will get credit for that referral.
Although we do everything in our power to identify the source of every lead, if we are not aware that you referred the member and the the application has already been processed and in the system, we ARE NOT able to go back and issue a referral check
Referral payments are determined based on how the person you referred joined and how much they paid.
- If they join on a physical application (we mail out 2 with your renewal, but you can get more upon request), you will be paid 25% of the amount collected minus the processing fee.
- If they join on the internet and identified you (by full name or ID number) you will be paid 25% of the amount collected minus the processing fee.
- If they join over the phone with a Savon Representative, you will be paid 10% of the amount collected minus the processing fee.
Referral checks are mailed on the 25th of the month for all applications received by the close of business on the last Friday of the previous month.
Important changes coming in 2008:
As we start off the New Year, we would like to thank our members, our providers, staff, agents, and everyone else who has contributed to our success! 2007 was a very productive year for Savon and we anticipate 2008 being even better!
Along with the New Year comes some important changes you need to be aware of:
- Between now and mid-February, we will be updating our fee schedule. It is long overdue but necessary in order to maintain the balance of satisfaction between our patients and our doctors. Although we are only in the beginning stages of this process, the update will be taking effect in the very near future. Please check in with us frequently (either online or by phone) to make sure you get the most current copy.
- We are continuing our nation wide endeavor to recruit new providers and we are having great success! In the next few months we will also be expanding our services to include the Puerto Rico market! Keep an eye out for new providers in your area and remember that suggestions are always welcome! If you don‘t see your provider on the list, let us know and we‘ll invite them to join!
Do you like to blog?
On January 8th, we kicked off our new program Dental Talk with Savon Dental Plan. This is an interactive website that allows you to comment on different subjects. New subjects are being posted by our team members on a daily basis. We want this to be a fun and interestingsite covering a wide variety of topics.
Some of the subjects posted in the past week are:
- 1/9/08 - Laser Printers a Health Hazard?
- 1/10/08 - Union workers and retirees losing dental benefits??!!!
- 1/11/08 - Toothache in the middle of the night??
- 1/12/08 - Choosing the right mouth wash?
We cordially invite you to comment on any or all of these topics. If you would like to become a contributor to the blogs please contact () and he will email you an invitation.
For those of you that do not like to follow links, simply type "dentaltalk.savondentalplan.com" into the address bar on your browser.
Have you explored our website lately?
A lot of members think that our website is just for paying their membership dues or for referring new members. In reality, it is a very comprehensive and useful tool. Yes, you can pay your dues or get a friend to sign up but it offers a lot more:
We have and are continuing to put a lot of work into the website, PLEASE feel free to use it.
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