Denti-Cal not delivering for kids; Levin on production; potential DSO regulatory issues

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

A new state audit has found that more than half of the 5.1 million children enrolled in Denti-Cal, California's Medicaid dental program, did not receive dental care last year and that Delta Dental, California's largest dental insurer, will have been paid as much as $8.6 billion since 2004 to administer the program. Read Features Editor Donna Domino's report here.

Since the dental economy became more challenging, most dentists have been looking for ways to increase production. There's one approach that can yield excellent results. Measure and begin tracking production per patient, then implement strategies to raise that number, according to Dr. Roger P. Levin.

In this Second Opinion, a partner and two associates from healthcare law firm McGuireWoods detail the potential regulatory issues in dental transactions, focusing on dental service organizations (DSOs). In the first of a two-part series, they stress that due diligence is needed to determine if all federal and state laws have been followed. Part 2 is next Monday and will cover additional regulatory hot spots.

In case you missed it late on Friday, Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Inspector General Doug Wilson has resigned after the Texas state auditor said it was launching an investigation into no-bid contracts brokered by Wilson.

With winter officially starting this weekend, DrBicuspid.com takes a look back at the most-read stories from the fall. Our top stories for the past quarter include a new Environmental Protection Agency proposal on amalgam separators, the historic agreement between Boston University and Sirona that was announced at ADA 2014, and the contentious North Carolina teeth-whitening case.

As we approach the holidays, our next Letter from the Editor will be on Monday, December 29. We'll have new content for you every day but Thursday this week, so please continue to check in with us. Have a safe and happy holiday.