The 2020 Michigan State Oral Health Plan
To our providers:
As the most important part of the team serving the Delta Dental Healthy Kids Dental (HKD) population, Delta Dental of Michigan invites you to become familiar with the goals, objectives and activities put forth in the 2020 Michigan State Oral Health Plan. The goals of the plan are to improve the oral health and therefore general well-being of the HKD population through:
- Enhanced professional integration between providers (including the medical profession).
- Increased knowledge and awareness of the importance of oral health to overall health.
- Increased access to oral health care among the underserved and/or hard to reach populations.
Despite improvements in the oral health of the general population, disparities persist among individuals with a lower socioeconomic status, among minority racial and ethnic groups, and within special populations whose oral health needs and access to care vary from that of the general population.
Delta Dental of Michigan is pursuing a comprehensive Population Health Management Program using the available social determinants of health to develop and implement a variety of interventions to facilitate the education, activation and empowerment of HKD program enrollees, providers and other mission-aligned stakeholders. Our intent is to identify barriers to care and appropriate outreach activities in order to promote the proper use of available dental benefits with an emphasis on early intervention and prevention. Following the generally accepted standards of dental practice and the guidelines set forth in the 2020 Michigan State Oral Health Plan, Delta Dental develops a yearly Oral Health Promotion and Education Outreach plan designed to aid you in the case management and provision of quality dental services to the HKD population.
We invite you to become more familiar with the 2020 Michigan State Oral Health Plan here and look forward to your comments and suggestions.
Thank you for your commitment to the health of our communities and state.
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Access standards reminder for HKD providers
Our Delta Dental Healthy Kids Dental (HKD) participating providers play an important role in addressing children’s oral health gaps. As part of this role, and as required by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Delta Dental HKD dentists must see Delta Dental HKD members within specified timeframes based on treatment urgency.
Benchmarks can be found in your contract, or those for general practitioners and pediatric dentists are listed below.
- Urgent care—see within 48 hours
- Routine services—schedule within 21 business days
- Preventive services—schedule within six weeks
- Initial appointment—must schedule within eight weeks
If a participating office does not meet the required access standards as declared in the Addendum to the Delta Dental Premier® Agreement for HKD providers, your Delta Dental professional relations field representative will reach out to you to discuss.
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New DOT is up and running
Have you taken advantage of the new and improved Dental Office Toolkit® (DOT)?
The online portal is now easier to navigate and includes new features such as setting your home office, toggling between different offices and members, searching comprehensive family claims history and managing user roles and permissions.
Learn more about the all-new DOT, how to set up an account and much more.
Take advantage of college tuition benefit
College tuition can be costly, but Delta Dental PPO™ participating providers and their staff can help ease the burden and put more colleges within reach for their loved ones.
Through a partnership between Delta Dental of Michigan and SAGE Scholars Tuition Rewards®, eligible dentists and their staff can earn Tuition Rewards points that can be applied toward college tuition for children, stepchildren, grandchildren, nieces or nephews, or godchildren.
Eligible dentists and staff earn Tuition Rewards points that represent a guaranteed minimum discount equivalent to $1, with a maximum discount of up to one year’s tuition spread equally over four years of undergraduate, full-time education at one of SAGE’s participating colleges.
- Delta Dental PPO participating dentists earn 5,000 points per year, per contracted dentist.
- Staff at participating Delta Dental PPO offices earn 3,000 points per year, per staff member.
Points are not awarded retroactively; you start earning points when you complete your enrollment. Colleges reserve the right to include Tuition Rewards as part of other institutional awards.
This opportunity costs you nothing! Learn more, register and review applicable restrictions at www.deltadentalmi.com/tuitionrewards. With questions, email tuitionrewards@deltadentalmi.com or call 888-240-1414.
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Recredentialing reminder
Every three years, Delta Dental is required to recredential network dentists as part of your Delta Dental participating provider agreement. We have recently moved to an electronic enrollment and credentialing tool called AppCentral, which allows you to complete required documentation, receive real-time application status updates and view archived submissions throughout the application process. You will receive an email from evalAppentral@CACTUSSoftware.com when it is time for you to recredential.
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What are the benefits to using AppCentral?
- Recredentialing applications will be sent with your existing provider information
- Ability to easily upload required documentation with your application
- Automatic electronic notifications when you are due for recredentialing
- Options to set reminders and request email alerts regarding application status
How do I complete my recredentialing?
Visit the Delta Dental website here to view instructional videos and the link to the AppCentral portal.
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The EPA amalgam separator rule and how best to comply
The EPA Dental Effluent Guidelines, commonly referred to as the amalgam rule, was put into effect on July 14, 2017, with a compliance deadline of July 14, 2020.
According to the EPA, dental amalgam contains mercury in a highly concentrated form that is easy to collect and recycle. Mercury is a persistent, bio-accumulative pollutant with well-documented neurotoxic effects on humans. The EPA states that dental offices are one of the main sources of mercury discharges to publicly owned treatment works (POTW), approximately 5.1 tons.
The rule aims to ensure that all dentists who either place or remove amalgam properly collect and recycle the waste generated from those activities. General dentists and endodontists need to comply with this regulation. The specialties that are exempted from the rule include oral pathology, oral and maxillofacial radiology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics, periodontics, and prosthodontics.
The EPA is requiring a one-time compliance report to be filled out by October 12, 2020. If inspected, the dental office, clinic, hospital, etc. must show a copy of the annual compliance certificate provided by the vendor.
Delta Dental offers amalgam separators through DRNA
Delta Dental participating providers are eligible to receive a free amalgam separator ($850 value)1 when signing a three- or five-year service agreement with DRNA. The service agreement locks in the annual recycling fee of $500/year for an office with one to eight chairs, or $750/year for an office with nine to 16 chairs.2 Each year, DRNA ships out a new unit, recycles the old one and provides the office with documentation; all of this is included in the annual fee. DRNA guarantees that its unit will not fill up sooner than a year.
If Delta Dental providers already have an amalgam separator installed, and it is the Solmetex Hg5,3 DRNA sells a generic version of the cartridges for that unit at a 42 percent4 discount.
1 Retail price of the units has, from time to time, been less because of promotions.
2 Receive a free unit when you sign a 3- or 5-year recycling agreement at $500/year for the BU10-5 (1-8 chairs) and $750/year for the BU10-30 (9-16 chairs).
3 Solmetex® and Hg5® are registered trademarks of Solmetex, Inc. DRNA is not affiliated with or sponsored or endorsed by Solmetex, Inc.
4 42 percent of price comparison based on price listed for the Solmetex Hg5 amalgam recycling cartridges in the online Benco Dental catalog, February 2019.
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Online continuing education courses—have you registered?
Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana is pleased to offer new online continuing education (CE) courses. Each CE program contains course content, assessment and a certificate of completion. Delta Dental is an accredited State of Michigan and ADA CERP CE provider.
How do I access these courses?
Visit http://dewlead.dewpoint.com/Bridge and register with your office’s valid National Provider Identification (NPI). After you register and your NPI is confirmed, you will be sent an email to set your password for your free learning courses.
I registered, but never received the login information.
Thank you for your registration! Please contact DewLEAD@dewpoint.com for support.
How do I learn more?
Please let us help. Contact DewLEAD@dewpoint.com for support.
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Maternal and infant oral health program grows
A $630,000 grant from the Delta Dental Foundation (DDF) will help the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) School of Dentistry expand its Michigan Initiative for Maternal and Infant Oral Health (MIMIOH) project into more federally qualified health centers (FQHC) across the state. The project was piloted in seven sites last year through a grant from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
MIMIOH integrates dental services into a primary care setting for at-risk pregnant women to improve oral health outcomes for both mother and baby by embedding a PA 161 dental hygienist within OB/GYN clinics. The hygienists provide preventive dental care, oral health instruction and referrals to dentists for long-term care. Results from the pilot project were promising. Funding by the DDF will allow UDM to expand the project into four new sites and to continue the evaluation of the pilot sites.
“This program fills a major need, allowing expectant mothers to receive dental care during one of the most critical life stages,” said DDF Executive Director Holli Seabury.
“Proper oral hygiene is important during pregnancy because hormonal changes can increase the risk of developing gum disease which, in turn, can affect the health of the developing baby. By promoting prenatal oral health education and dental appointments, we can help pregnant women avoid an adverse birth outcome and help them to have a healthy, full-term baby.”
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Foundation funds new mobile coach
Honor Community Health in Oakland County, Michigan, has officially launched its new Healthy Smiles Mobile Unit, thanks to a $500,000 grant from the Delta Dental Foundation.
The new mobile dental coach serves various populations throughout the county, including those living with homelessness, individuals with mental illness, school districts and other community organizations.
"The Delta Dental Foundation is committed to promoting healthy, smart, vibrant communities across the state of Michigan, and we are proud to expand our mobile dental clinics in Oakland County," said Holli Seabury, executive director of the foundation.
"These services will help the people who need it most, right where they are, and promote healthy dental habits."
One of the crucial population segments that mobile dental units are able to reach are those who are not able to visit the dentist but need dental care.
This mobile unit contains three dental chairs and has already seen more than 800 patients this year. Those who visit the clinic are able to receive oral cancer screenings, routine dental screenings, sealants, fluoride treatments and X-rays in a comfortable and modern environment.
"A lot of the people we see don’t have means of transportation or they are not in the right place to get out and go to an actual dental office," said Kerry Nader, mobile coach driver and coordinator.
Honor Community Health and the Delta Dental Foundation initiated this project in 2016 after recognizing the high need for expansion of dental services in the Oakland County community.
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