Credentialing: Where is it headed?

Mike Cole

Mike’s collaborative demeanor has encouraged a spirit of partnership between plans and DSOs when dealing with mutual challenges. As vice chair of the NADP Operations WorkGroup, he serves as an important communications link between the WorkGroup and the DSO Advisory Council on multiple projects including provider directory validation and credentialing.  

A leader by example, Mike actively participated in the development of the Provider Directory Validation process and his company Dental Care Alliance, was one of the first DSOs to participate in program. In 2014, Mike came prepared to a face-to-face meeting of the Operations WorkGroup focused on streamlining credentialing. His notes filled with credentialing requirements from multiple plans help to facilitate discussion. As a result, the Operations WorkGroup developed a one-page credentialing form for member use, that is available today on the NADP website.

In his eight-years as an NADP member, Mike has also developed numerous CONVERGE sessions offering both plan and DSO perspectives. In April 1999, Mike Cole joined Dental Care Alliance (DCA), an Associate Member of the NADP and one of the largest dental service organizations in the country. As Vice President of Insurance Plan Management, Mike oversees the teams responsible for insurance relations, revenue cycling and the credentialing departments.  Prior to joining DCA, Mike was a Network Manager for both Prudential Healthcare and United Concordia.  Mike has been active in the NADP for the last eight years; and, has served on the Operations Workgroup of which he is currently the Vice Chair.  Mike is a graduate of the University of Missouri – Columbia and is also a Certified Employee Assistance Professional (CEAP). Mike was awarded the National Association of Dental Plans Don Mayes Leadership Award in 2019. The Don Mayes Award honors volunteer service in leadership roles for a minimum of 3 years. 

Bret Guenther, CEBS 

Le Ann Morris is the vice president of Business Relations for DentalXChange and has been with the company for over 10 years with an additional 20 years of experience working as the western regional sales director for a medical clearinghouse. In her time at DentalXChange, Mrs. Morris has headed the team to launch Humana’s and United HealthCare’s all payer portals, as well as the national launch of Delta Dental Plan Association’s ERA solution. She has also led the team to expand DentalXChange’s web based, credentialing platform, DDS Enroll and recently completed multiple implementations with Delta Dental payer networks, expanding DDS Enroll to seven states; with 4 more plans scheduled for implementation by early 2021. She has been supporting the DSO market for over a decade and sees credentialing as a major need. Mrs. Morris has been extremely active in the dental community, including being the NDEDIC Committee Chair in 2010 and a pivotal leader in Uniting the Industry, where providers and payers joined together to improve electronic delivery of eligibility and to reduce costs to all parties. Organizations are looking for innovative, dental driven tools and for over 30 years, Mrs. Morris has been leading the development and launch of these products.

 
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