Rural Health Information Hub Latest News

Hidden Pain: America’s Oral Health Crisis

The production Hidden Pain: America’s Oral Health Crisis, is a short film by The Jon C Burr Foundation that addresses the pain, suffering and enormous cost to the American people of not providing access to Oral Healthcare. Dr. Mike Monopoli, Executive Director of Grant Strategy for the DentaQuest Partnership offered his subject matter expertise, and several Partnership grantees are featured sharing their perspectives about how to change the system and improve health outcomes. Watch this important documentary here.

Hospital Utilization for Non-Traumatic Dental Conditions in Oregon from 2013 to 2015

Access to oral health benefits is a state by state issue – either the coverage is uneven or totally lacking – and can result in costly trips to the hospital for non-traumatic dental conditions. The DentaQuest Partnership took an in-depth look into Emergency Department (ED) visits specifically in Oregon for non-traumatic dental conditions, and found a need for multi-level solutions, such as teledentistry, to decrease ED utilization across the state. Read the study here.

Report Explores Teledentistry in Rural Areas

A new report published in the National Conference of State Legislatures found that rural Americans are more likely to experience tooth decay than their urban counterparts. The report explores teledentistry as a solution to addressing the disparity and discusses states that have already introduced legislation to establish teledentistry and expand access to oral health services.

Click here to download the report.

Exploring Alternative Payment Models for Oral Health Care

In January 2020, the DentaQuest Partnership published an article in Decisions in Dentistry that evaluated Medicaid claims of alternative payment models (APMs) and fee for service (FFS).  Key takeaways from the their study demonstrated that:

  • In 2016, the Center for Health Care Strategies noted “states may be able to use their purchasing power to encourage better access, quality and accountability in oral health care for children in Medicaid — particularly through contracting with dental plans.”
  • This analysis of a national sample of Medicaid dental claims found an approximate 6% increase (from 27% to 33%) in dental claims associated with APMs from 2013 to 2017.
  • The costs over the lifespan for APMs were lower than traditional FFS models, while utilization was better in the APM plans.
  • Dental utilization in this sampling was highest during pediatric care and sharply declines within the 20s, before remaining low for the rest of the lifespan.

Exploring Alternative Payment Models for Oral Health Care