Findings from East Carolina University Provides New Data about Managed Care (Payment Methods and Demographics Influence Patterns of Dental Service Utilization): Managed Care

2024 NOV 08 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Research findings on Managed Care are discussed in a new report. According to news reporting originating in Greenville, North Carolina, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “To describe the patterns of specific dental service utilization among the various sociodemographic groups in North Carolina served by the East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine (ECU SoDM). This was a descriptive study utilizing self-reported patients’ sociodemographic information, payment method history, and CDT codes of procedures performed.”

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from East Carolina University, “Deidentified clinical data recorded for 26 710 patients and 534 983 procedures from 2011 to 2020 were extracted from a centralized axiUm database. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics, version 25.0. Cross-tabulations between dental service utilizations, patients’ demographics, and payment method were performed using chi-square analysis. Nine dental clinic sites across the state of North Carolina. In total, 26 710 adults 23 years to older than 65 years were included in the sample for this study. In total, 534 983 procedure codes completed for the eligible patients were cross-tabulated with payment method. Payment method was significantly related to individual characteristics including location of service, age, race, ethnicity, and untreated decay (P <.001). Payment method is associated with the dental service type utilized by an individual (P <.001). Patients who received Medicaid benefits were more likely to receive restorative procedures, removable prosthetics, or oral surgery. Despite NC Medicaid covering preventive procedures, patients who received Medicaid benefits showed lower utilization of preventive procedures than expected. Privately insured or self-paying individuals demonstrated a greater variety of service option utilization, as well as more frequent usage of more specialized procedure options such as endodontics, periodontics, fixed prosthodontics, and implants. Payment method was found to be related to patients’ demographics and type of dental service utilized. Adults older than 65 years demonstrated a higher proportion of self-payment for dental care, indicating a lack of payment options for this population.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “In the interest of providing care for underserved populations in North Carolina, policy makers should consider expanding dental coverage for adults older than 65 years.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Payment Methods and Demographics Influence Patterns of Dental Service Utilization. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 2023;29(6):929-935. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice can be contacted at: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Two Commerce Sq, 2001 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA. (Lippincott Williams and Wilkins - www.lww.com; Journal of Public Health Management and Practice - http://journals.lww.com/jphmp/pages/default.aspx)

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Matthew Pendleton, East Carolina University, School of Dental Medicine, Greenville, NC, United States. Additional authors for this research include Mark E. Moss, Rob Tempel, Mahmoud Al-Dajani, Qiang Wu and Raul Garcia.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1097/phh.0000000000001774. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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