Idaho may cut 150 dentists from Medicaid; Merck gets a break in Fosamax trial

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

While many states across the U.S. are cutting Medicaid dental benefits as one way to battle their budget crises, Idaho is taking a different tack: DentaQuest, the contractor that administers the Idaho Smiles network, is reducing the number of dentists who provide services to Medicaid recipients.

DentaQuest reportedly is opting not to renew the contracts of some 150 dentists who currently provide Medicaid services, and the state dental association says this could have devastating effects on one of the most vulnerable patient populations: low-income kids. Read more in our latest Practice Management Community feature.

Meanwhile, in Cosmetics Community news, a federal judge has ruled that Merck must now pay $1.5 million rather than $8 million in compensatory damages to a 72-year-old woman who claimed the company's bisphosphonate drug Fosamax caused her to develop osteonecrosis of the jaw and related dental problems. Surprisingly, Merck is not all that pleased with the new ruling; click here to read why.