Sustainable Practices in Dental Public Health

Transcription

1 Sustainable Practices in Dental Public Health August 13, 2012

2 Obstacle for Access to Dental Care 2 Number one complaint received from dental offices regarding Medicaid population is excessive broken appointments with no notice Dental offices begin to decrease acceptance of number of Medicaid patients, accept only existing patients or terminate participation Dental care not priority for members Initiatives to decrease number of missed appointments

3 Common Reasons for Broken Appointment 3 No Show with no explanation provided Illness No transportation Forgot appointment was scheduled Unsure of eligibility

4 Best Practices for Reducing Broken Appointments 4 Develop and implement broken appointment policy for ALL patients. Have them sign an agreement Maintain a list of patients that can come in on short notice to help fill broken appointments Provide extended hours or weekend hours to assist working parents to keep their dental appointments At every appointment, confirm patients contact information including cell phone number and address Call emergency patients at a later date to make a follow-up appointment. Many emergency patients will not keep future appointments if scheduled on the same day of the emergency treatment Confirm all appointments after hours when patients are likely to be home to answer the call. Use phone, text or e- mail at least one day before the appointment as reminders Explain the consequences to the patients oral health if they break or miss appointments or dont follow treatment recommendations Send a reminder postcard for patients to schedule continuing care appointments Speak directly to patients with a broken appointment history when confirming appointments Keep appointment wait times to a minimum. A shorter time between when the patient schedules an appointment and the actual appointment date decreases the rate of broken appointments

5 5 Tips to Assist Members in Remembering and Keeping Dental Appointments If your dentist sent you a postcard, write the date and time on calendar right away Put the card where you see it often Use only 1 calendar to keep track of all appointments Find a babysitter or a ride to the dentist ahead of time. Do not wait until the last minute Call dentist at least 24 hours in advance of need to reschedule Find a dentist that you like and trust If the noises scare you, take music along Relax. Breathe slowly in and out. Think of something you really like Are you worried about pain? Dentists have a lot of new ways to make dental visits pain-free Tell the dentist if you are afraid. The dentist will help calm you

6 6 Initiatives to Reduce Broken Appointments Member and Dental Provider Outreach Provider education via newsletters and face to face trainings Best practices for reducing broken appointments Promote importance of oral health Client centered care, sensitive to cultural differences Member education via newsletters and community based events Tips to remember dental appointments Reduce fears of visiting the dentist Give children a healthy start in life Member postcard mailings Dental office inform DentaQuest of missed appointments Tips from the dentist Your dentist told us you missed your appointment Member outbound calls

7 7 Outcomes, Metrics and Next Steps Quarterly and annual review of results Track provider notification of missed appointments Contact members via phone and log reasons for broken appointments Compare age groups, types of services scheduled, and existing patients vs. new patients Ages 19 to 20 highest percentage of broken appointments No consistency related to type of care scheduled, but oral surgery slightly higher Existing patients missed more appointments compared to new patients

8 Questions: Michele Blackwell Director of Client Services THANK YOU

9 Obstacle for Access to Dental Care 2 Number one complaint received from dental offices regarding Medicaid population is excessive broken appointments with no notice Dental offices begin to decrease acceptance of number of Medicaid patients, accept only existing patients or terminate participation Dental care not priority for members Initiatives to decrease number of missed appointments

10 Common Reasons for Broken Appointment 3 No Show with no explanation provided Illness No transportation Forgot appointment was scheduled Unsure of eligibility

11 Best Practices for Reducing Broken Appointments 4 Develop and implement broken appointment policy for ALL patients. Have them sign an agreement Maintain a list of patients that can come in on short notice to help fill broken appointments Provide extended hours or weekend hours to assist working parents to keep their dental appointments At every appointment, confirm patients contact information including cell phone number and address Call emergency patients at a later date to make a follow-up appointment. Many emergency patients will not keep future appointments if scheduled on the same day of the emergency treatment Confirm all appointments after hours when patients are likely to be home to answer the call. Use phone, text or e- mail at least one day before the appointment as reminders Explain the consequences to the patients oral health if they break or miss appointments or dont follow treatment recommendations Send a reminder postcard for patients to schedule continuing care appointments Speak directly to patients with a broken appointment history when confirming appointments Keep appointment wait times to a minimum. A shorter time between when the patient schedules an appointment and the actual appointment date decreases the rate of broken appointments

12 5 Tips to Assist Members in Remembering and Keeping Dental Appointments If your dentist sent you a postcard, write the date and time on calendar right away Put the card where you see it often Use only 1 calendar to keep track of all appointments Find a babysitter or a ride to the dentist ahead of time. Do not wait until the last minute Call dentist at least 24 hours in advance of need to reschedule Find a dentist that you like and trust If the noises scare you, take music along Relax. Breathe slowly in and out. Think of something you really like Are you worried about pain? Dentists have a lot of new ways to make dental visits pain-free Tell the dentist if you are afraid. The dentist will help calm you

13 6 Initiatives to Reduce Broken Appointments Member and Dental Provider Outreach Provider education via newsletters and face to face trainings Best practices for reducing broken appointments Promote importance of oral health Client centered care, sensitive to cultural differences Member education via newsletters and community based events Tips to remember dental appointments Reduce fears of visiting the dentist Give children a healthy start in life Member postcard mailings Dental office inform DentaQuest of missed appointments Tips from the dentist Your dentist told us you missed your appointment Member outbound calls

14 7 Outcomes, Metrics and Next Steps Quarterly and annual review of results Track provider notification of missed appointments Contact members via phone and log reasons for broken appointments Compare age groups, types of services scheduled, and existing patients vs. new patients Ages 19 to 20 highest percentage of broken appointments No consistency related to type of care scheduled, but oral surgery slightly higher Existing patients missed more appointments compared to new patients

15 Questions: Michele Blackwell Director of Client Services THANK YOU