When states began shutting down in March due to concerns over COVID-19, it seemed likely that dental societies’ lobbying agendas would also shut down. Credentialing hurdles. Virtual credit card headaches. Anti-patient waiting periods. Dr. Gehani In a normal year, these are some of the key legislative issues the state societies might be advocating to change.
Dentists report that Medicaid is a complicated and frustrating system; therefore, only a small percentage of dentists are enrolled providers.1 Very few dentists treat more than a small handful of patients with Medicaid per year. For Medicaid patients, a significant gap exists between their dental care needs and availability of care, but through persistent advocacy,
UnitedHealth Group reported $6.6 billion in profit for the second quarter, beating Wall Street projections. That's also a significant increase in profit compared to the second quarter of 2019, where the healthcare giant brought in $3.3 billion, according to its earnings report (PDF) issued Wednesday. UnitedHealth's mid-year profits sit at $10 billion, compared to $6.8 billion in the first half
Of the 87% of executives who see convergence already happening, 89% say it is accelerating—up from 21% who said the same in 2018. While dental payers feel less threatened by health plans, health insurers are much more interested in offering dental benefits now than they were two years ago, according to the report, “Convergence of
If your local dentist's office is busy post-lockdown, we've all got reason to smile! The New York Times recently reported that dental offices serve as a bellwether for our economy: when business is booming, it's typically a sign of economic stability. This would be very welcome news post-lockdown, given that so many Americans have lost
Daniel Roberts kept the broken tooth — or what was left of it. He can joke about the souvenir a month later, but initially found nothing funny about needing a dental procedure in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. “Basically, it was just rotten, and a good chunk of it was cracked,” Roberts says. He
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot of things about our daily lives. Your regular visits to the dentist have changed, too. In March, the ADA recommended that dentists postpone all but emergency procedures until April 30 at the earliest to help reduce the spread of the virus; save masks gloves and other personal protective equipment
Telemedicine is the use of information-based technologies and communications systems to deliver health care across geographic distances.1 The use of this concept is widespread in the medical community, and its application in the field of dentistry has grown exponentially in recent years.2 The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic spurred dentists and medical professionals alike to
Some surgical centers and physician and dental offices across New Jersey that closed during the coronavirus outbreak or dramatically cut back their patient visits may have to shutter permanently, New Jersey’s health care leaders told state lawmakers Monday. Despite Gov. Phil Murphy’s announcement that elective and invasive medical and dental procedures can resume next week,
