Improving Access Discussion
Oral disease remains one of the major chronic diseases affecting many children in the United States (Borchgrevink, Snyder, & Gehshan, 2008). This condition also affects many people in every low-income society. Several strategies should therefore be identified and implemented in order to improve access to dental care. According to the California Healthcare Foundation (CHF), the decision to increase reimbursement rate has been necessary towards improving dental care. However, the strategy has failed to support the dental health needs of more people. This essay describes the merits and challenges of various strategies that can be used to improve access to dental care for Medicaid recipients.
Increasing Reimbursement for Care
Reimbursement for dental procedures can ensure every practitioner supports the needs of every Medicaid patient. This approach ensures that more dentists are empowered to provide the best care. This strategy will also encourage dentists to participate in Medicaid. However, such reimbursement rates have been ineffective thus affecting access to various dental services (Borchgrevink et al., 2008). Proponents of this strategy have also failed to appreciate the importance of effective program administration. Budgetary increments might not deliver positive results without embracing the roles played by other participants.
Program Administration
Healthcare experts believe that effective program administration can produce positive results. This kind of administration will ensure every health challenge is identified and addressed. The right players will be encouraged to support the changing dental needs of more citizens. Medicaid agencies should be aware of the major challenges affecting different communities and populations. This approach will ensure there is even distribution of resources thus supporting the country’s citizens. However, this strategy can be challenging because of the bureaucracies associated with Medicaid programs. The government will also have to incur numerous expenses thus compromising the quality of care and resources availed to the targeted patients.
Partnering with Dental Societies
This strategy has worked effectively in different states across the country. Building strong relationships with various dental societies presents a wide range of opportunities. For example, the strategy ensures that different practitioners are aware of the major dental problems affecting different people. Different dentists will be able to acquire relevant data and information from such societies. A new wave of collaboration will improve the dental health outcomes of many patients. Oral health coalitions will ensure new medical practices are identified thus supporting every citizen (Borchgrevink et al., 2008). However, some societies have strict rules that discourage them from interacting with other organizations. New legal frameworks and policies will also be required in order to support such partnerships.
Improving the Usability of Gathered Data
A powerful toolkit can be used to gather quality oral health statistics. A Quality Improvement (QI) tool will identify the strengths and gaps affecting the delivery of quality dental health services (Medicaid/CHIP Health Care Quality Measures Technical Assistance and Analytic Support Program, 2014). New approaches will then be outlined to improve the quality of care. Relevant leaders will be able to implement the best interventions using the gathered data. This method presents several merits. For instance, more people will be able to receive the best dental care. Every affected population will be given priority. The approach will reduce costs and ensure more people receive quality dental care (Borchgrevink et al., 2008). However, this strategy can be expensive to implement. As well, it can be impossible to gather accurate data. This is the case because many practitioners and institutions might not give accurate information.
Reference List
Borchgrevink, A., Snyder, A., & Gehshan, S. (2008). Increasing access to dental care in Medicaid: Does raising provider rates work. Web.
Medicaid/CHIP Health Care Quality Measures Technical Assistance and Analytic Support Program. (2014). Improving oral health care delivery in Medicaid and CHIP: A toolkit for states. Web.