Dental Care for Nursing Facility Residents in Pennsylvania has Dramatically Improved Since Original 2006 White Paper Study by The TRECS Institute
The TRECS Institute, a nonprofit healthcare research organization in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, has updated the groundbreaking study titled “Improving Dental and Oral Care Services for Nursing Facility Residents,” originally completed in 2006. The goal of the original study was to evaluate the availability of dental care services for nursing facility residents across America. At that time, dental care was, with few exceptions, all but non-existent in our nation’s 15,000 skilled nursing facilities.
The TRECS Institute recently completed an update of that research by focusing the geographical scope of the study on Pennsylvania’s 680 skilled nursing facilities. The updated study was also expanded to include accessibility of vision and audiology services for approximately 80,000 seniors residing in Pennsylvania’s skilled nursing facilities. The study includes a detailed academic/literature search, a questionnaire distributed to both not-for-profit and for-profit nursing facilities, and personal interviews with Nursing Home Administrators and Directors of Nursing across the state. The President of the Pennsylvania Dental Association was also interviewed during the process.
Based on the findings of this study, TRECS is pleased to report that the accessibility of dental care services for Pennsylvania’s skilled care residents has dramatically improved since the original study was conducted 18 years ago. In addition, vision and audiology services are also now available to this vulnerable population. Three specific care models were identified in this study. The most effective model, with the greatest potential to save money for the skilled nursing facility operator or owner, was identified as those companies that provide all three levels of care (dental, vision, and audiology) and offer private insurance to Medicaid residents (the “Insurance Model”). The skilled nursing facilities in the study that utilized the Insurance Model identified savings of over $20,000 per year. These savings were generated primarily because the insurers paid for lost or broken dentures, glasses, and hearing aids, relieving the nursing facilities from that financial responsibility. In addition, under the Insurance Model, if a resident required urgent or emergency services, insurers reimbursed the facility a significant portion of that cost.
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