- Bolstering Care for Veterans Aim of Bipartisan Tester Bill
- First Responders Are Being Trained on OBGYN Emergencies to Help Fill Gaps in Rural America
- A Year to Prepare – Organizers Work to Ensure 988 Helps Rural Residents Too
- Report: 113K U.S. Indigenous Individuals Live in Mental Health Care Deserts
- Small-Town Nursing Homes Closing Amid Staffing Crunch
- Luring Out-of-State Professionals Is Just the First Step in Solving Montana's Health Worker Shortage
- Transgender People in Rural America Struggle to Find Doctors Willing or Able to Provide Care
- Is Rural America Growing Again? Recent Data Suggests Yes
- After a Brief Pandemic Reprieve, Rural Workers Return to Life Without Paid Leave
- CMS Announces Increase in 2023 in Organizations and Beneficiaries Benefiting from Coordinated Care in Accountable Care Relationship
- Starting Tuesday, All U.S. Military Veterans in Suicidal Crisis Will Be Eligible for Free Care at Any VA or Private Facility
- Q&A: Free Flights for Rural People Seeking Healthcare
- 2020 Census Changes Leave Rural Health Clinics in Legal Grey Area
- Rural Seniors Benefit From Pandemic-Driven Remote Fitness Boom
- Mpox Education Program Targets LGBTQ Residents in Rural Appalachia
Report Finds Potential Medicare Dental Benefit Savings
The CareQuest Institute released a new report analyzing Medicare beneficiary data. Medicare does not include dental benefits, and dental coverage varies within Medicare Advantage plans. The report analysis concludes, adding dental coverage to Medicare has the potential to save the health care system billions of dollars per year in care for patients with diabetes and/or heart disease alone.
Brief Explores Barriers to Oral Health Equity
The Center for Health Care Strategies, with support from the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, published a brief, “Advancing Oral Health Equity for Medicaid Populations.” The brief describes common barriers for addressing oral health equity for Medicaid populations and outlines recommendations to improve oral health access and quality within four key areas: coverage and access, workforce capacity building, partnerships, and payment.
FDA Launches Vaping Prevention & Education Resource Center
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products announced the launch of their new Vaping Prevention and Education Resource Center. The online resource center provides science-based, standards-mapped materials that can be used to help middle and high school students understand the dangers associated with vaping and nicotine addiction.
National Dental Group Works to Improve Access for Patients with Disabilities
The American Dental Association (ADA) shared several ideas about how Congress can ensure greater health outcomes for people with disabilities by providing accommodations in health care settings and further developing a health care workforce that understands the needs of people with disabilities. The ADA also urged Congress to provide grants for the training and continuing education of dentists on treating patients with disabilities to dental schools, dental residency and fellowship programs, and dental associations.
Pennsylvania Publishes Updates to the Dental Fee Schedule
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Office of Medical Assistance Programs, has published an updated dental fee schedule effective August 29, 2022. Please review carefully as there are new codes that have been added to the schedule. Each provider should work with their managed care contracts
to ensure proper payment.
Mental Health in Dental Professionals: The Pandemic & Beyond
The American Dental Association (ADA) and the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) have been conducting ongoing research to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dentists and dental hygienists. Join the presenters on September 29th at 7 pm ET to discuss the findings of their study and the mental health challenges facing the oral health professional community.
Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Foundation Offers Access to Care Grants
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) Foundation is awarding Access to Care Grants of up to $20,000 to support community-based initiatives that provide dental care and ultimately serve as a dental home to underserved and limited access children up to age 18. Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to, nonprofit organizations, local health jurisdictions, county health departments, hospitals and clinics, state government agencies, colleges and schools of dentistry or medicine, and national, state, and local dental societies. The application deadline is October 3rd.
Community Water Fluoridation: First Ever Randomized Controlled Trial
The first ever randomized controlled trial (RCT) on suboptimal and optimally fluoridated water is underway. Dr. Gary Slade from the University of North Carolina is conducting the trial based on two North Carolina communities.
New Report: Higher Oral Cancer Prevalence Among Medicaid Enrollees
A new journal article, co-authored by the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, concludes that Medicaid enrollees experience higher oral cancer and throat cancer incidence, prevalence, and mortality compared with commercially insured adults. The article is based on a study that compared all cases and new cases of oral and throat cancers among approximately 38,000 Medicaid enrollees and approximately 27,000 individuals with commercial medical insurance. Researchers found that total cancer treatment costs were higher for those with commercial insurance and that cases of oral and throat cancers were lower among adults who had seen a dentist within the prior year.
Promoting Dental Infection Control Awareness Month
September is Dental Infection Control Awareness Month and the theme for 2022 is “Staying in the Know Together.” This annual observance is celebrated by the Organization for Safety, Asepsis, and Prevention (OSAP) to help clinicians and infection control coordinators promote a safe, professional environment and encourage patient dialogue. Providers have the opportunity to demonstrate commitment to infection prevention and patient safety. A social media toolkit is available on the OSAP website.
Click here to learn more.
Click here to download the toolkit.