30% Increase in Medicaid Dental Reimbursement Rates |
|
As of July 1, dental reimbursement rates for Medicaid providers increased by 30%. This increase, the first one since 2005, will better financially support dental providers, and the safety net as a whole, serving patients in the Medicaid program.
With the addition of the comprehensive adult dental benefit last year, more Medicaid patients are looking to receive dental care. This rate increase will help encourage more dentists to become Medicaid providers, increasing availability and access to dental care for people across Virginia.
|
|
 |
Click to see the newly updated fee schedule for the Smiles for Children program. |
|
|
|
Celebrate the one-year anniversary of the adult dental benefit in Medicaid with this short video. |
|
|
|
2022 Profile of Virginia's Uninsured |
|
Many of us serve or work with Virginians without insurance. People who are uninsured usually have poorer health outcomes because they are less likely to have access to care and thus, have higher unmet health needs, like dental care. The Virginia Health Care Foundation and the Urban Institute created a profile using the latest demographic data to help us better understand this population in the commonwealth in the 2022 Profile of Virginia's Uninsured. A few key takeaways:
- 455,000 or 6.5% of Virginians ages 0-64 were uninsured in 2021, down from 11.3% in 2017 in large part due to Medicaid expansion in 2019 and the COVID public health emergency response. It's also less than the 2021 national average of 10.9%, which increased from 2017 (10.0%).
- 415,000 or 8.2% of adults age 19-64 were uninsured in 2021; down from 672,000 (13.6%) in 2017. Adults were four times more likely to be uninsured than children.
- 41,000 or 2.1% of children ages 0-18 in Virginia were uninsured in 2021, which is less than the national average of 6.1%.
- The uninsurance rate among white nonelderly Virginians was 4.4%; however, Black or African American and Hispanic Virginians had significantly higher uninsurance rates in 2021 (7.4% and 16.7%, respectively).
|
|
What the Fluoride? Catalyst CEO on VCHA Podcast! |
|
On the latest episode of the CommonHealth podcast hosted by the Virginia Community Healthcare Association, Catalyst CEO, Sarah Holland, talks about the state of water in Virginia.
Listen as she shares the benefits of fluoridated water, how Virginia has some of the safest water in the country, and ways to talk to patients about their drinking water on the CommonHealth podcast.
|
|
August 7-13 is National Health Center Week! |
|
We love celebrating Community Health Centers (CHCs) in Virginia because they are pillars of care, service, and support within their communities. National Health Center Week celebrates the role the CHCs providers, staff, and patients play in protecting and strengthening their communities. The Virginia Community Healthcare Association created a toolkit for event ideas that coordinate with each daily focus, advocacy, media relations tools, and more to help you celebrate along with CHCs across the country.
|
|
|
Sponsor the 2022 Catalyst Annual Summit
Have you heard that the 2022 Summit is on Friday, October 7, in Richmond? More information and registration will come later this summer. We're still looking for sponsors for the Summit! If you or your organization are interested in supporting this event, please reach out to Alle Witt.
|
|
|
|
Special Needs Dentistry Training: 9/9-9/10
The final free Special Needs Dentistry training of the year will be in Henrico on September 9-10. Dental professionals and students can learn the latest clinical information to deliver quality dental care to patients with special health care needs. They'll also learn disability etiquette, tips for making dental visits easier, and hygiene adaptations for patients with home care challenges.
|
|
|
|
In Case You Missed it: SDF Webinar Recordings |
|
Did you miss any webinars in the silver diamine fluoride (SDF) learning series? Don't worry – you can catch all the recorded webinars online HERE.
SDF is a safe, cost-effective, minimally invasive technology that treats and prevents cavities. SDF is used in the dental clinic or community settings. Learn more here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
