Media

ADSO Summit 2025: Shaping the Future of Dental Support Organizations The ADSO Summit 2025 will take place from March 16-19, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada, uniting key leaders and professionals in the Dental Support Organization (DSO) industry. This annual event … Read More

Priority: Improve parameters of noncompetes such that they balance employed physicians’ ability to practice medicine and promote continuity of care, while respecting employer physicians’ ability to protect legitimate business interests. Background: Over the past few years, the Texas Medical Association … Read More

Priority: Advance coverage for under- and uninsured Texans, while helping physicians expand their ability to care for Medicaid patients with healthier payment rates. Background: Cynthia Peacock, MD, has experienced firsthand the short shrift of Medicaid payments and the implications of … Read More

A study conducted by researchers at Mass General Brigham uncovered that less than 10% of Medicare Advantage plans offered a dental benefit that met quality standards, according to a Dec. 26 news release. Here are five things to know about … Read More

AUSTIN, Texas — Governor Greg Abbott highlighted significant investments in rural Texas communities throughout 2024, focusing on healthcare, education, and financial assistance. The initiatives aim to ensure all Texans have access to essential programs and infrastructure. “Texas’ greatest natural resource … Read More

More than 500 Texas school districts are on the hook for $16 million in funds the federal government says was improperly billed through the Medicaid system. Many of them don’t have the money to pay it back. The School Health … Read More

In 2024, the dental industry faces significant challenges that extend beyond patient care. With an evolving landscape of regulations, technological advancements, and patient expectations, dentists are juggling multiple responsibilities. However, one pressing concern that has taken center stage this year … Read More

Dental spending in the U.S. grew by $4 billion, or 2.5%, between 2022 and 2023, according to the ADA Health Policy Institute’s analysis of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data released Dec. 18. National dental expenditures totaled $174 billion, … Read More

Buena Vista County Public Health Resource Specialist Tracy Gotto said many young people in his community face critical dental issues. “We know that it affects their ability to learn and eat,” Gotto said. “We know that it affects all kinds … Read More

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Texas Health and Human Services is asking hundreds of school districts to return the money they received through a state Medicaid reimbursement program over a decade ago after the federal government found it was billed incorrectly. The … Read More

There are currently 7,067 dental professional shortage areas in the U.S., according to new data from the Health Resources & Services Administration. The data, updated Dec. 16, also shows that the U.S. needs 10,153 practitioners in order to fill the … Read More

Commissioners in Leesburg, Fla., could vote to stop a previously approved $600,000 project to add fluoride to the city’s water supply, WFTV9 reported Dec. 15. Six notes: 1. National debate about water fluoridation reached new heights this year after the … Read More

In Texas, health advocates often find themselves playing defense to encourage leaders to preserve the state’s relatively frugal public service offerings while also pushing for more. That’s why a $300 million request to lawmakers next year from the state’s social … Read More

The ongoing shortage of dental hygienists and dental assistants throughout the industry workforce has been an ongoing issue in dentistry. The American Dental Hygienists Association recently released a position statement on the dental hygiene shortage and provided strategies that could … Read More

Health insurance is a crucial component of employee compensation, typically representing the largest benefit expense for companies outside of wages. As healthcare costs continue to rise in the United States, access to competitive health insurance is vital for employees, who … Read More

In a declaration of its priorities, the Health and Human Services Task Force of the American Legislative Exchange Council adopted the ADA-crafted Dental Access Model Act at its meeting in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 4. The model legislation will serve … Read More

The end of the Public Health Emergency in 2023 has led to a decrease in enrollment for dental benefits, according to the 2024 Dental Benefits Report from the National Association of Dental Plans. Five notes: 1. Dental benefits enrollment dropped … Read More

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) – Woodyard Periodontics and Select Study Club partnered together to provide 25 children at the Boys and Girls Club with new bikes, helmets, locks and hygiene kits. This event marks the first collaboration between Woodyard Periodontics and … Read More

The dental industry faces a unique situation that is rare in other industries and can be described as the “dual-payer problem.” On one end of the spectrum, dental practices face challenges in collecting full and timely payments, largely due to … Read More

The ongoing shortage of dental hygienists and dental assistants throughout the industry workforce has been an ongoing issue in dentistry. The American Dental Hygienists Association recently released a position statement on the dental hygiene shortage and provided strategies that could … Read More

BISMARCK, N.D. (KXNET) — The ND Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is looking for input on the latest draft of its 2025-2027 Medicaid Quality Strategy. According to HHS, the new three-year plan summarizes the work that will be … Read More

The ADA Health Policy Institute is slated to host a quarterly webinar series about the barriers and attitudes preventing adult Medicaid beneficiaries from accessing dental care and dentists from participating in Medicaid. The first webinar, Understanding the Gaps Between Adult … Read More

Reimbursement rates are the top reason behind dentists not treating more Medicaid patients, according to a report from the American Dental Association. The ADA polled nearly 1,000 dentists across eight states to gauge the importance of certain factors when it … Read More

An FAQ addressing Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act administrative simplification requirements is available from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ National Standards Group. Administrative simplification requirements govern how covered providers, health plans and clearinghouses must conduct electronic administrative … Read More

Changes could be coming for Medicaid in the next presidential administration. In his first term in office, President-elect Donald Trump’s administration backed block grant funding for the program, and supported states implementing work requirements for Medicaid benefits. On Nov. 19, … Read More

The OIG has worked on a variety of investigations involving dental providers. Many cases concerned illegal solicitation, recordkeeping, mishandling of anesthesia and sedation — which we previously covered — and quality of care concerns. This article breaks down two recent … Read More

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — After years of backlogs that have delayed hundreds of thousands of applications for healthcare and food assistance, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission is requesting urgent resources from the state to increase efficiency and avoid federal … Read More

Leaders from research, industry, academia and venture capital gathered for ADA Forsyth dentech 2024, where panels focused on driving innovation and promoting oral health globally. The oral health technology innovation conference, hosted by the ADA Forsyth Institute, took place Oct. … Read More

Patients have the right to access their health records under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act’s Privacy Rule, and covered health care providers could face fines if they fail to provide them with timely access. In October, the U.S. … Read More

Dallas-based Bravo Dental is leasing out space at JPS Health Network clinics to expand access to dental care, according to a Nov. 18 report by Fort Worth Star-Telegram. JPS anticipates that Bravo Dental will be able to provide care to … Read More

President-elect Donald Trump announced plans Tuesday to nominate Mehmet Oz, the celebrity doctor and onetime U.S. Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, to lead the agency that administers the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Trump, meanwhile, said he will nominate Wall Street banker … Read More

Agape Clinic, a nonprofit organization providing healthcare services to underserved communities, has opened a new dental center in Dallas. The location at 4104 Junius Street in Dallas officially opened on September 28 and has since grown exponentially, according to their … Read More

Researchers have uncovered higher rates of dental decay among children aged 2 to 5 years residing in Kentucky. In the 2023 Kentucky Early Learners’ Oral Health Surveillance Project survey, researchers at the University of Kentucky’s College of Dentistry analyzed the … Read More

Here are dental Medicaid updates to know across five states, as reported by Becker’s since Oct. 1: 1. Dental benefits provider DentaQuest received dental managed care contracts from the California Department of Health Care Services. 2. Texas Health and Human … Read More

There are 87.43 dental hygienists for every 100,000 residents in Connecticut, the best-ranked state for dental health. Oral health information site Dentaly ranked all 50 states and Washington, D.C., on dental health by using 12 different metrics in June. Data … Read More

U.S. hygienists are voicing their concerns on social media after the American Dental Association (ADA) passed resolutions allowing unlicensed practitioners to perform dental hygiene services. Recently, the ADA voted on and passed Resolutions 401, 413, and 514B, which would remove … Read More

For more than 50 million Americans, finding a dentist is a difficult – in some cases, impossible – proposition. Many rural communities don’t have a dentist. People of color and those with disabilities often lack access, and only about one-third … Read More

Lawmakers in the Texas House and Senate filed more than a thousand pieces of legislation Tuesday, offering an early look at the issues they hope to prioritize when they gavel in for the 89th legislative session in January. Tuesday marked the first … Read More

Protecting program integrity in Medicaid requires everyone’s assistance. Clients, providers, insurers and government agencies must all work together to protect the state’s health care resources. Currently, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) provide comprehensive medical coverage to more … Read More

More than one-third of dentists have dropped out of at least one insurance network so far this year, according to the American Dental Association. But what is causing dentists to take this route? A separate survey from the ADA showed … Read More