Latest TDMR Stories
Foreign-Owned DentaQuest Limits Access to Dental Care for 79% of Medicaid Children in Texas
In a stunning move last week, DMO DentaQuest sent out a letter (copy below) to its Medicaid provider network that as of October 15, it would “be limiting the number of additional” general and pediatric dentists into its network in … Read More
Florida Boosts Medicaid Dental Rates as of October 1
The Sunshine State now joins the growing list of states that have recently increased dental Medicaid rates. Florida’s commitment to “live healthy” for its citizens On October 1, several health care bills came into effect in Flordia called the ‘Live … Read More
Despite warnings, Texas rushed to remove millions from Medicaid. Eligible residents lost care.
REPUBLISHED FROM THE TEXAS TRIBUNE Texas officials acknowledged some errors after they stripped Medicaid coverage from more than 2 million people, most of them children. A ProPublica and Texas Tribune review of records shows that these mistakes and others were … Read More
GOOD NEWS! Texas HHS Acts on Complaints & Pressures DentaQuest to Relent on Two Surface Filling Payments
TDMR is pleased to announce that we received confirmation today from Texas Health and Human Services that, as of yesterday, DentaQuest is no longer paying a one-surface fee for non-interproximal two-surface fillings and will be reprocessing previously denied claims. Win … Read More
Louisiana Legislators Go After DentaQuest and Defer Contract Extension
It’s a bad week for DentaQuest. Yesterday, according to an article in the online publication The Center Square, Louisiana legislators ripped into DentaQuest at a hearing of the House Joint Budget Committee as the Louisiana Department of Health had recommended … Read More
DentaQuest Stops Paying for Some Two Surface Fillings in Texas
Remember we wrote that Texas should beware of DentaQuest and its corporate behavior, which cost the company $11 million in fines in Louisiana for Medicaid contract violations, which was recently cited in a report by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s office. … Read More
Texas Struggles with the Lowest Per Capita Number of Dental Hygienists in the Nation
A recent article published by Becker’s Dental Review using Department of Labor statistics revealed that Texas ranks at the bottom when it comes to the number of dental hygienists per capita in the country. New Hampshire ranks number one with … Read More
Texas Beware: Louisiana Punishes DentaQuest $11 Million for Medicaid Contract Violations
In July, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s office published a scathing audit review of DentaQuest’s performance as one of the two dental maintenance organizations with Louisiana Medicaid. It fined the company for its poor performance. FYI, Louisiana calls them dental benefit … Read More
Judge Rules Thousands Illegally Booted off Tennessee Medicaid by Deloitte System Similar to Texas
This week, a federal judge in Tennessee found that an algorithmic system similar to the one in Texas and designed by the same company illegally denied Medicaid benefits to thousands of Medicaid-eligible individuals. The TennCare Connect system, developed by Deloitte, … Read More
ACS/Xerox/Conduent Can’t Escape Damages Lawsuit Brought by Texas Dentists Over Improper Ortho Prior Authorizations
Justice for Medicaid dentists and orthodontists, whose lives, reputations, and practices were ruined in the great Texas Ortho Debacle, appears to be coming—slowly, but surely. Legal losses continue to mount for Conduent State Healthcare LLC, spun off from Xerox in … Read More
“Something Needs to Change! This is Unacceptable!! Especially for Such a “Great” State like Texas!”
More comments have poured in as a result of our last article containing remarks from dentists about the state of their Medicaid practices. Medicaid dentists are having difficulty grappling with the crushing weight of rising costs and woefully inadequate Medicaid … Read More
“Sometimes I Contemplate Closing and Hanging up My Hat”
TDMR’s recent article on the financial challenges facing Medicaid dental practices in Texas has struck a chord with a number of providers who left comments. We don’t often receive a spate of comments after an article, but this one certainly … Read More
With Costs Up by as Much as 98% Since 2010, Can Medicaid Dental Practices in Texas Survive?
The Texas Medicaid dental landscape faces a dire financial paradox. While costs for essential supplies, staffing, and real estate have surged dramatically, Medicaid reimbursement rates have stagnated below 2007 levels. Dental supply costs have increased by up to 98%, staffing … Read More
ADA Survey Highlights Challenges in Dental Staff Recruitment
The American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute (ADA HPI) recently published its “Economic Outlook and Emerging Issues in Dentistry” report for the second quarter of 2024. This comprehensive survey offers valuable insights into the current economic conditions, staffing challenges, and … Read More
Texas Medicaid Eligibility System Prone to Errors?
The Texas Tribune published a major story yesterday about the problems Texas and other states are having with Medicaid eligibility systems developed by global consulting firm Deloitte. The Kaiser Family Foundation researched and wrote the story. A few sentences summarize … Read More
Texas Supreme Court Concludes No Evidence of Fraud and Reverses Summary Judgment Against Dr. Richard Malouf
In what can only be described as a bombshell decision, the Texas Supreme Court has sided with Dr. Richard Malouf and his legal team. The Court not only reversed the $16 million summary judgment against Dr. Malouf but granted his … Read More