- Telehealth Study Recruiting Veterans Now
- USDA Delivers Immediate Relief to Farmers, Ranchers and Rural Communities Impacted by Recent Disasters
- Submit Nominations for Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) Committees
- Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation of the Medicare Program (Executive Order 14192) - Request for Information
- Dr. Mehmet Oz Shares Vision for CMS
- CMS Refocuses on its Core Mission and Preserving the State-Federal Medicaid Partnership
- Social Factors Help Explain Worse Cardiovascular Health among Adults in Rural Vs. Urban Communities
- Reducing Barriers to Participation in Population-Based Total Cost of Care (PB-TCOC) Models and Supporting Primary and Specialty Care Transformation: Request for Input
- Secretary Kennedy Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address National Opioid Crisis
- Secretary Kennedy Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address National Opioid Crisis
- 2025 Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Proposed Rule
- Rural America Faces Growing Shortage of Eye Surgeons
- NRHA Continues Partnership to Advance Rural Oral Health
- Comments Requested on Mobile Crisis Team Services: An Implementation Toolkit Draft
- Q&A: What Are the Challenges and Opportunities of Small-Town Philanthropy?
Community Health Choices in PA
Community Health Choices (CHC) is now active across the entire state of Pennsylvania effective January 1, 2020. CHC is Pennsylvania’s mandatory managed care program for individuals 21 years or older and have both Medicare and Medicaid or receive long-term services and supports through Medicaid. One of CHC’s goals is to improve coordination between Medicare and Medicaid so participants experience better services and outcomes. Billing will not change for Medicare services, but it may change how service providers bill Medicaid and Medicare for coinsurance and deductibles. Click here for more information.
Submit Comments on Proposed Fee Regulations
The State Board of Dentistry is seeking input on proposed fee regulations. The regulation proposes four changes detailed in the below document. The Board will review comments received at the May 15, 2020 meeting. Please submit all comments to RA-STRegulatoryCounsel@pa.gov and reference 16A04634 (Fees). Submit comments by February 20, 2020.
Click here to view the proposed free regulations.
Click here to submit comments.
Dental Sealants and Community Health Webinar
The American Dental Association (ADA) is offering “Seal the Deal: Dental Sealants and Community Health,” a free webinar on February 6 at 3 p.m. ET. Three dental providers will share their expertise on dental sealants.
Finding a Dental Provider Survey
As the state oral health coalition, the Pennsylvania Coalition for Oral Health is gathering information on how Pennsylvanians find and get to the dental office. Please take the survey and share the links with your networks. The survey takes less than five minutes to complete and is anonymous. The deadline is February 12, 2020.
Click here to take the survey in English.
Click here to take the survey in Spanish.
Exploring Alternative Payment Models for Oral Health Care
Can alternative payment methods (APM) transform dentistry? Under our current system, the United States pays the most for health care and achieves the lowest performance among comparable countries. The DentaQuest Partnership for Oral Health Advancement analyzes how this applies to dentistry – and how APMs can make a difference. As more states use their purchasing power to encourage better access, quality and accountability in oral health care for children in Medicaid, growth of APMs will continue in dentistry. Learn how the approach works, as the costs were lower than traditional fee for service models, while utilization was higher in the APM plans. Read the article here.
Confronting the Nation’s Oral Health Crisis
With 61 percent of U.S. adults rating oral health as “fair” or “poor” and 51 percent listing it as their top health concern, there’s no question that our national oral health care system is failing the majority of Americans. Read Confronting the Nation’s Oral Health Crisis.
Medicaid Adult Dental Benefits Increase Access and Reduce Out-of-Pocket Expenditures
Part 2 of a research report from the DentaQuest Partnership for Oral Health Advancement demonstrates how Medicaid, with its limited dental coverage, significantly improved adults’ access and utilization of dental services, compared to those who lack medical coverage. Read the report.
New Oral Health During Pregnancy Resource from OHRC
The Oral Health Resource Center (OHRC) recently released “Promoting Oral Health During Pregnancy: Update on Activities.” This is the seventh in a series of updates to highlight national, state, and local activities focusing on oral health care for pregnant women. The update includes briefs, guides, handouts, reports, toolkits, and trainings for health professionals and consumers.
New Resource Focuses on Children’s Dental Health
Tiny Smiles, an American Dental Association “Give Kids A Smile Program”, is offering free resources along with Scholastic ahead of Children’s Dental Health Month. There are resources for educators, dental professionals, and medical professionals. Resources include kids’ activities and family topics for use in classrooms and office waiting rooms. All materials are available in English and Spanish and aim to promote the importance of oral health for young children.
75th Anniversary of Community Water Fluoridation
January 25, 2020 is the 75th anniversary of community water fluoridation, a practice that helps significantly improve oral health. Join Pennsylvania Coalition for Oral Health and other organizations in celebrating this important public health achievement by spreading the word on Facebook and Twitter. The American Fluoridation Society created free graphics to use to promote the anniversary on social media. There will be a “Twitter Storm” on Friday, January 24 from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. to celebrate the anniversary. During this time, fill Twitter with community water fluoridation anniversary posts. Be sure to use #fluoride4health75 in all posts!