A report from CareQuest Institute for Oral Health — based on findings from a survey of 2,757 dental providers in more than 20 states — reveals that there is a need for provider awareness and education about alternative payment models and that COVID-19 has created opportunities to advance alternative payment models within the oral health care system.
Some key findings from the report:
- Half of (51%) of responding providers have never heard of APMs in dentistry, while 35% had only heard of APMs or knew a little about them.
- APMs are increasingly being used both in Medicaid and Medicare and are even entering private insurance. Nearly 70% of Medicaid beneficiaries are enrolled in managed care plans today.
- Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) have a model of care and organizational infrastructure that may allow for an advantage for engaging in APMs and value-based care delivery systems.
Along with education and awareness, there is evidence that value-based care models in dentistry need to be piloted and tested. A value-based care payment approach in dentistry will involve incremental approaches since public financing plays a smaller role in dentistry than in medicine.
You may also be interested in:
- Oral Health Value-Based Care: The Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Story, a white paper that explores how and why community health centers are often well-positioned to adopt value-based care.
- A Difficult Path to COVID-19 Recovery, a report that explores the ways COVID-19 has changed how dentists will practice going forward.
- A Three Domain Framework to Innovating Oral Health Care, a white paper that outlines a new model in dentistry that will be more cost-effective, efficient and equitable.
