Recent Findings from University of Iowa Provides New Insights into Managed Care (Variation In Dentist Participation Between Dental Medicaid Managed Care Organizations): Managed Care

2024 AUG 23 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Data detailed on Managed Care have been presented. According to news reporting out of Iowa City, Iowa, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “Dentists’ Medicaid participation is a critical factor affecting dental care access for Medicaid beneficiaries. An important gap in existing literature is the variation in participation across Medicaid dental Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) in states with more than one.”

Financial support for this research came from National Institutes of Health (NIH) University of Iowa Institutional Training Grant.

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the University of Iowa, “This study examined the variation in participation overall and in predictors of dentist participation between two MCOs in Iowa’s Dental Medicaid program. Data were obtained from a survey of Iowa private practice dentists (n = 1256). Responding general dentists (n = 497) were included in the final analytic sample. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine demographic and practice characteristics associated with dentist participation (acceptance of new Medicaid patients) between MCOs and by age category. Among respondents, the proportions accepting new adults with Medicaid were 26% (MCO 1) and 7% (MCO 2); for children, they were 40% (MCO 1) and 11% (MCO 2). For adults, dentists who were too busy (MCO1) and solo practice dentists (MCO2) were positively significantly associated with the acceptance of new patients. For children, group and rural practice dentists, as well as dentists who worked <32 h/week were positively significantly associated with acceptance of new patients with MCO1. There was considerable variation in dentist-reported acceptance of new adult and child Medicaid patients, and in the factors affecting acceptance of new patients between MCOs in Iowa dental Medicaid.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Future studies of Medicaid participation should consider variations by MCO in states with more than one dental MCO so as not to miss important factors affecting Medicaid participation.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Variation In Dentist Participation Between Dental Medicaid Managed Care Organizations. Journal of Public Health Dentistry, 2024. Journal of Public Health Dentistry can be contacted at: Wiley, 111 River St, Hoboken 07030-5774, NJ, USA. (Wiley-Blackwell - http://www.wiley.com/; Journal of Public Health Dentistry - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1752-7325)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Pamela C. Nwachukwu, University of Iowa, College of Dentistry, N342 Dsb, 801 Newton Rd, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States. Additional authors for this research include Peter C. Damiano, Steven Levy, Shareef M. Dabdoub, Julie C. Reynolds, James C. Thomas, Dan Shane and Astha Singhal.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1111/jphd.12636. 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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