As many of you will recall, Governor Scott Walker included funding for a dental pilot project to test the impact of enhanced reimbursement rates for pediatric services and adult emergencies in his 2015/2017 budget. This pilot project was the result of years of lobbying by Wisconsin Dental Association members and the hard work of our former Director of Government Services Mara Brooks.
While I have only been with the WDA since 2006, I recognize the issue of increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates has been a legislative priority for many, many years. I know that this body and our board of trustees have Medicaid reimbursement on its agenda every meeting. I had a member summarize things quite well when he compared it to the movie “Groundhog Day” where the same things keep happening and nothing changes even though the calendar continues to move.
Like many of you, I’ve met with legislators to explain how the current reimbursement rates do not even allow dentists to breakeven when treating Medicaid patients. Far too often our elected officials are quick to say that dentists will not take MA patients even if the rates are increased. All of us in this room know that is simply not true and that dentists are willing to provide care to those on MA if reimbursements at least cover overhead.
Things took a positive step in the right direction when we learned that the governor’s budget had been approved by the legislature and four counties had been selected to receive enhanced rates that essentially doubled the current levels which put them on par with the fee schedules of most private dental benefit companies. While WDA had no input on which counties were selected, we were grateful to Governor Walker. Dentists in Brown, Marathon, Polk and Racine counties are now eligible for the increased rates.
As soon as the budget was signed into law, WDA initiated a comprehensive communication plan to educate our members on the pilot. Articles appeared in the WDA Journal, the WDAJ-Now 2.0 app, on the blog, on the website and on social media. Last summer, WDA and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services collaborated on hosting in-person educational kick-off sessions in each of the four counties. All dentists were invited to attend and learn about the pilot. We also send personal letters to dental offices in the four counties encouraging them to participate in the pilot.
Recognizing that there is a great deal at stake with the pilot, our communications and government services staff is continually looking for ways to promote the pilot and encourage dentists to participate. One of the newest communication tools is the production of two short testimonial videos featuring dentists that have embraced the pilot and have increased the number of Medicaid patients seen in their practices. I would like to show the first of the videos. This one illustrates the positive things that the Brown County Oral Health Partnership has been able to do.
A second video showcasing private practices in Brown County is currently in production and will be released soon.
One of the questions we get from members is “how is the state going to evaluate the pilot and determine if it is successful?” From the beginning, WDA has been asking the Department of Health Services how they plan to gather, analyze and share data. After some early frustration with trying to get answers, a workgroup has been created to establish the criteria that will be used to evaluate the success of the pilot. WDA Director of Government Services Matt Rossetto is a member and will be actively engaged in the process.
Sometime before the end of the year, a survey will be sent to all dentists in the four counties to determine if they are seeing Medicaid patients, if so how many and if not, what are the barriers. Our goal is to learn more about the successes and challenges facing dentists enrolled in the Medicaid program and show the state the increasing reimbursement rates to a fair level will allow dentists to participate in the program. If successful, we will be able to present a compelling case to expand the number of counties in the next budget.
The state of Michigan employed a similar strategy when it lobbied for higher rates. They began with a small number of counties and added more with each budget. After nearly a decade, the entire state is now covered. Hopefully, we can do the same here in Wisconsin over the next several budgets.
Because so much is at stake, we really need dentists to step up and participate. If you practice in one of the four counties, please become a Medicaid provider. I want to applaud the creativity of our members in finding ways to treat more Medicaid patients. All of us at the WDA truly appreciate the cooperation.
We simply cannot afford to have the pilot fail. We are already hearing from some legislators and policy makers that the state is ready to take drastic action and explore bold options to provide care if the pilot does not entice enough dentists to see Medicaid patients. I am pretty sure we will not like what the state comes up. Please talk up the pilot and let’s work together to ensure it succeeds.
Thank you!
