Looking back on
my first year as CEO of DentaQuest, I am in awe of the milestones we have
achieved as a nation to advance oral health care and humbled by the crucial
role DentaQuest has played in support of the national oral health movement.
With a particular focus on expanding access to dental services, goals were met,
systems were put in place and new objectives were established.
Oral Health Research Developments
The Early Childhood Caries (ECC)
Collaborative,
initially launched in 2008 by the DentaQuest Institute, made serious headway
this past year as the third phase came to completion.
Phase III
testing sites implemented disease management protocol for patients ages 6 to 60,
and worked to redesign their care delivery systems to ensure every child
receives a caries risk assessment.
To complement
this effort, care providers began collaborating with parents to prevent and
manage their child’s risk of developing caries. By reinforcing updated
treatment protocols and engaging parents to change behaviors, we can positively
impact a child’s risk of disease. And, to date, preliminary results have
indicated positive outcomes.
Another major
DentaQuest Institute development that I blogged about recently is the Medical Oral Expanded Care (MORE Care)
initiative.
This
pilot program equips doctors’ offices with the appropriate tools to provide
preventive oral health services in South Carolina, connecting medical and
dental practices to establish an integrated referral-based health system. The
success of this program lays the foundation for similar programs to adopt this
collaborative, holistic approach to a patient’s health.
New Oral Health Goals and Conversation
At the DentaQuest Foundation, the Oral Health
2020 initiative had another successful year. During its annual convening in the
fall, the Foundation unveiled new and updated Oral
Health 2020 goals,
refining an existing goal to raise the number of children who will reach age 5
without a cavity from 75 percent to 85 percent.
Additionally,
two new goals were added, aiming to integrate oral health into at least 50
percent of emerging person-centered care models, as well as improving the
public perception of the value of oral health to overall health. Transforming
the national conversation, the DentaQuest Foundation is constantly looking to
break barriers and insert oral health into the overall health and wellness
conversation.
Across the
country, the Foundation also launched its Grassroots Engagement Strategy, providing grants to support local,
community-based organizations. In Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan,
Pennsylvania and Virginia, the organizations are working to evaluate, integrate
and provide oral health care and knowledge to immensely diverse populations.
The national movement
begins at the community level, and we aim to support and enable organizations
that align with our mission to advance the oral health of all.
Increased Access to Health Care
In 2015, we
reached a major milestone when our vision program, eyeQuest, reached more than 1
million members. Currently in eight markets, eyeQuest offers a full line of
vision and eye care services.
On the dental
benefits side, we are proud to announce that we are currently serving 24
million members. As we continue to grow, we look forward to providing dental
and vision care to many more people seeking high-quality, effective health
solutions.
Last February
marked the one-year anniversary of DentaQuest managing the Tennessee child
dental Medicaid program, TennCare.
Helping approximately 750,000 children,
TennCare members benefit from lower costs, closer access to services and
education on the importance of routine dental care. With the end of our second
year quickly approaching, we are excited that we’ll soon be able to share new
information about improved outcomes in Tennessee.
Across our
organization, we have shared a common goal of creating partnerships to make a
lasting impact on peoples’ health. As evidenced by programs such as TennCare,
ECC and Oral Health 2020, establishing partnerships can lead to improved
outcomes for everyone.
National Advances in Health Care
On April 16,
2015, President Obama officially extended the Children’s Health Insurance
Program (CHIP) for two more years. The CHIP extension allocates approximately $20 billion
over 10 years to states that help insure children in need.
By the end of
2015, a total of 31 states expanded Medicaid under the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), providing affordable health insurance
coverage options to adults through Medicaid in addition to the Health Insurance
Exchanges.
In an effort
to improve the health system, states and the federal government came to the
table in 2015 to advance preventive oral health care. While it will take years
to realize all of the benefits of this collaboration, these are very important
steps on the path to improve oral heath in our nation.
One great
example is the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare
Services’ approval of Medi-Cal 2020
– the federal 1115 waiver that allocates funding for crucial health care
advancements in California. The Medi-Cal 2020 waiver includes a Dental
Transformation Initiative to bring much-needed improvements and changes to the
dental care system throughout the state.
What’s Next for 2016
Looking to the
year ahead, we must continue with this momentum. Despite the significant
progress made last year and the continued focus on the importance of oral
health, our work has only just started.
As an election year, 2016 will
certainly be an exciting one with many changes on the horizon. We must work
together to build on our successes, foster strong partnerships and grow this
oral health movement. Together we can transform the systems of care, finance,
policy and community to achieve optimal oral – and overall – health at the local, regional and national
levels.