California Dental Association

I am a Practice Analyst with the Practice Support Center. Since I am going to be offering information related to Employment Practices, you might want to know my background.

Before coming to CDA 14 years ago, I worked as an RDA for 11 years.  When I came to CDA, I was in the Membership division working in Recruitment and Retention. After many years, I transferred to TDIC where I served as a Risk Management Analyst for 8 years. In that role, I talked to members daily about patient concerns as well as employment related issues.

In 2007, I transferred back to the CDA Membership Programs Department under the new area referred to as The Practice Support Center. This new member benefit will provide our members with information related to various areas of running a practice. I will focus on Employment Practices and some areas of Practice Management.

Personally: I have lived in Dixon for 20 years with my husband and 3 children. My oldest son is 19, our middle son is 17, and our daughter is 13. In our free time, we can be found in a gym, on a ball field, or near some water.

Email Robyn Thomason

I’ve been with CDA since 1995, after several years working for not-for-profit business associations and a local chamber of commerce. 

With previous employers I learned about small business issues and the laws that impact businesses, and how local government works. I brought that knowledge and experience to CDA where I’ve worked primarily on issues such as occupational and environmental safety and health, waste management, wastewater, licensure, and dental materials regulation. I’ve testified at federal, state, and local hearings on regulations affecting dentistry, and I’ve developed many of the regulatory compliance resources you find on the CDA Compass. 

My goal with this blog is to have a discussion on the practical aspects of regulatory compliance, and to provide a little insight on how and why certain laws exist. 

On the personal side, I’m a USC grad married to another USC grad, and together we are the proud parents of four active children. Family activities, picnics with friends, long walks, good movies and novels are my favorite ways to relax.

Email Teresa Pichay

Greg Alterton is a Policy Analyst with the Public Policy Division of CDA, specializing in third-party payer issues. He is also a Practice Analyst with CDA’s Practice Support Center, assisting members on issues pertaining to dental benefits.  

Greg has worked extensively in government relations, including as legislative analyst for Blue Shield of California, and as Policy Director for HealthNet. In addition, Greg is a presenter for CDA on dental benefit issues in workshops presented through local dental societies, and at “CDA Presents” continuing education conferences.

Email Greg Alterton

From time to time the CDA Practice Support Center will present guest bloggers who are either experts in one of the four primary areas or individuals whose personal experiences may be of interest to our readers.

These guest bloggers will oftentimes be your colleagues sharing their experiences and challenges as they seek to establish successful practices.

The opinions expressed by the guest bloggers are their own and do not represent the opinions or positions of the California Dental Association.