Will the Pandemic Change Oral Health Forever?

Posted on by lad3

The numbers are staggering.  The — State of Oral Health Equity in America 2021 — revealed that 6 million adults had lost their dental insurance because of the pandemic, and more than 1 in 10 had delayed getting care because of cost, lack of insurance, fear of exposure to the virus, or a combination of those factors.

An article highlighting that research and discussing whether the pandemic will change oral health forever appeared in The New York Times Magazine on Wednesday. Can the rise of teledentistry and other innovations help fix some of the disparities in care?

Click here to access the article.

COVID-19 Vaccination Rates in Rural Areas

Posted on by lad3

The CDC published a study of the comparative COVID-19 vaccination rates in rural and urban areas in the latest edition of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).  The full report can be accessed  https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7020e3.htm#contribAff

What is already known about this topic?

Residents of rural communities are at increased risk for severe COVID-19–associated morbidity and mortality. In September 2020, COVID-19 incidence (cases per 100,000 population) in rural counties surpassed that in urban counties.

What is added by this report?

COVID-19 vaccination coverage was lower in rural counties (38.9%) than in urban counties (45.7%); disparities persisted among age groups and by sex.

What are the implications for public health practice?

Disparities in COVID-19 vaccination access and coverage between urban and rural communities can hinder progress toward ending the pandemic. Public health practitioners should collaborate with health care providers, pharmacies, employers, faith leaders, and other community partners to identify and address barriers to COVID-19 vaccination in rural areas.

GAO Report: Medicare and Medicaid COVID-19 Program Flexibilities and Considerations for Their Continuation

Posted on by lad3

Medicare and Medicaid—two federally financed health insurance programs—spent over $1.5 trillion on health care services provided to about 140 million beneficiaries in 2020. Recognizing the critical role of these programs in providing health care services to millions of Americans, the federal government has provided for increased funding and program flexibilities, including waivers of certain federal requirements, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CARES Act includes a provision for GAO to conduct monitoring and oversight of the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, GAO has issued a series of government-wide reports from June 2020 through March 2021. GAO is continuing to monitor and report on these services.

This testimony summarizes GAO’s findings from these reports related to Medicare and Medicaid flexibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as preliminary observations from ongoing work related to telehealth waivers in both programs. Specifically, the statement focuses on what is known about the effects of these waivers and flexibilities on Medicare and Medicaid, and considerations regarding their ongoing use.

To conduct this work, GAO reviewed federal laws, CMS documents and guidance, and interviewed federal and state officials. GAO also interviewed six provider and beneficiary groups, selected based on their experience with telehealth services. GAO obtained technical comments from CMS and incorporated them as appropriate.

The report can be accessed here.

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Telehealth Report

Posted on by hjr5089

The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) has released the 2020 Behavioral Health Telehealth Report, which was developed in collaboration with the OMHSAS Telehealth Steering Committee and Mercer Government Services Consulting. The report provides recommendations for Pennsylvania’s future of telehealth services after the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. To view the telehealth report, click here.

State of Oral Health Equity in America 2021 – Report #2 

Posted on by hjr5089

CareQuest Institute for Oral Health has released their second report that found over half of respondents (57%) in a recent oral health equity survey are willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and 60 percent of those individuals are willing to get the vaccine from a dentist. There has been a lot of discussion on dentists delivering COVID-19 vaccine, so therefore it matters – dentists are uniquely qualified healthcare providers who are extensively trained to perform complex injections. Some other interesting points:

  • Respondents reported they did not have a physical examination in the past two years, but 12% had seen the dentist.
  • Vulnerable and underserved populations, such as those with lower income (less than $30,000 [47%]) and education (less than high school [43%]), Hispanics [50%] and Blacks [42%], and those living in rural areas [49%] report lower rates of vaccine willingness.
  • Dentists can reach patients who are not otherwise receiving the vaccine from a regular medical care provider.

If you would like to read more on dentist’s participation in America’s mass COVID-19 vaccination efforts, click here.

Treating Dental Pain with Opioids Triples Patient Overdose Risk

Posted on by hjr5089

A recent research study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that overdose risk is nearly three times higher for patients who fill opioid prescriptions after undergoing dental procedures. Also, the risk of overdosing may double for family members of those dental patients. According to the researchers, these findings strengthen the case that opioids should not be prescribed for most dental pain.

New Report: Community Health Centers’ COVID-19 Accomplishments and Challenges Over One Year

Posted on by hjr5089

A new analysis reports on the experience of the nation’s community health centers over the past year, and highlights health centers’ accomplishments in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the challenges that they face as the pandemic continues and the nation seeks to recover. Utilizing data from the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) weekly Health Center COVID-19 Survey, the authors document how health centers rose to meet the challenges of the public health emergency, adding diagnostic testing and vaccine capacity and rapidly adapting to telehealth to maintain services and address patient needs. The report also acknowledges the challenges despite health centers’ overall resiliency and success of operating at reduced capacity since the pandemic began. The year-long loss in patient visits has translated into ongoing and substantial patient revenue losses estimated at $5.163 billion nationwide over 12 months, an amount that represents 16.4 percent of total health center revenue reported nationally in 2019. Access the full report—Community Health Centers’ COVID-19 Accomplishments and Challenges Over One Year.

Federal Medicaid Outlays During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Posted on by hjr5089

The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) released a data note analyzing federal Medicaid outlays before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the data note analyzes the Treasury data on outlays of the federal government classified as “grants to states for Medicaid.” The analysis examines quarterly and yearly outlays to understand the implications of the pandemic and the enhanced federal matching funds. The full data note is available here.