IJERPH, Vol. 17, Pages 2154: Dental Practice Integration into Primary Care: A Microsimulation of Financial Implications for Practices

IJERPH, Vol. 17, Pages 2154: Dental Practice Integration into Primary Care: A Microsimulation of Financial Implications for Practices International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph17062154 Authors: Choi Simon Barrow Palmer Basu Phillips Given the widespread lack of access to dental care for many vulnerable Americans, there is a growing realization that integrating dental and primary care may provide comprehensive care. We sought to model the financial impact of integrating dental care provision into a primary care practice. A microsimulation model was used to estimate changes in net revenue per practice by simulating patient visits to a primary dental practice within primary care practices, utilizing national survey and un-identified claims data from a nationwide health insurance plan. The impact of potential changes in utilization rates and payer distributions and hiring additional staff was also evaluated. When dental care services were provided in the primary care setting, annual net revenue changes per practice were −$92,053 (95% CI: −93,054, −91,052) in the first year and $104,626 (95% CI: 103,315, 105,316) in subsequent years. Net revenue per annum after the first year of integration remained positive as long as the overall utilization rates decreased by less than 25%. In settings with a high proportion of publicly insured patients, the net revenue change decreased b...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research