Delta Dental Medicaid and Medicare Advantage providers vaccination update
In September, the Biden-Harris Administration signed an executive order to implement COVID-19 safety protocols for federal service contractors and subcontractors, including but not limited to mandating vaccinations.
What does this mean for Delta Dental Medicaid and/or Medicare Advantage providers?
At this time, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has not indicated an intention to require Medicare Advantage organizations (MAOs) or their subcontractors to be fully vaccinated. Until we receive guidance indicating that MAOs constitute as “federal contractors” under the order, Delta Dental will not amend any provider contracts to require our Medicaid (Healthy Kids Dental/Healthy Michigan Plan) and/or Medicare Advantage participating providers and/or their staff to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
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Helping patients navigate Medicare Advantage
As your patients look to retire, they may consider purchasing a Medicare Advantage plan that offers supplemental dental benefits. These plans can help your patients continue their Delta Dental coverage with a dental provider they trust.
Delta Dental of Michigan partners with a number of Medicare Advantage organizations to provide continued benefits to your patients. Partnering plans include:
- HAP
- Priority Health
- Upper Peninsula Health Plan
- Reliance
- PHP
- McLaren
If you have patients interested in learning more about Medicare Advantage and available dental benefit options, they should:
- Call the plan they want to join, or visit the plan’s website.
- Contact their local insurance agent to assist in understanding options.
- Use Medicare’s plan finder at www.medicare.gov/plan-compare.
- Call 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227).
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Training opportunity
With support from the Delta Dental Foundation, Penn Dental Medicine has established a free continuing education series aimed at building awareness of the barriers to equitable oral health care for individuals with disabilities, and developing competency to provide oral health care to this vulnerable population.
The series includes live webinars and on-demand courses, and is open to any U.S. licensed dentist and their support personnel at no charge.
Learn more about the Center for Persons with Disabilities Presentation Series.
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Dental and Medicare opt-out options
Starting January 1, 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare opt-out status will no longer apply to supplemental dental services covered by Delta Dental through Medicare Advantage plans.
Accordingly, Medicare Advantage members will be able to receive services even if a provider has opted out of Medicare, and those providers will be included in the Delta Dental directory of participating dentists. Furthermore, the opt-out provision in your provider agreement is hereby removed.
Note—Opt-out is still in effect for services covered under original Medicare.
If you have any questions, please contact your Delta Dental professional services representative.
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Online continuing education courses
Delta Dental has new continuing education (CE) courses available to you!
These courses are provided online at no cost to our participating providers and their hygienists, assistants and office staff.
Visit https://www.deltadentalmi.com/onlineeducation.
New courses for 2021:
- Opioids, The Opioid Epidemic, and Opioid Use Disorder
- Nutrition for Health and Disease Prevention
- Nutrition for Oral and Overall Health
Courses available now
- Dental Care for Children with Special Health Care Needs
- Fluorides
- How to Complete an Age 1 Dental Visit
- HPV and Head and Neck Cancer
- Human Trafficking—Modern Day Slavery
- Infant and Toddler Oral Health Care
- Periodontal and Peri-Implant Diseases and Conditions
- Safe Opioid Prescribing Practices, New Laws and Regulations
- The Proper Handling of Amalgam and Its Wastes—Complying With the New EPA Rules
- The Seal Is the Deal
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Victors for Veteran funding
This fall, the Delta Dental Foundation (DDF) provided $270,000 to the University of Michigan for their Victors for Veterans program. Victors for Veterans offers dental care, including crowns, partial and complete dentures to low-income veterans at clinics in Traverse City and Brighton. The program is also part of an “Immersion Pathway” at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, where students direct their own learning through an immersive capstone project that begins in year one and culminates in year four. Students who opt in to this pathway have full ownership of the program: They write the grants, conduct associated research, report out on results and provide dental care supervised by volunteer preceptors. The DDF has helped fund this program since 2017.
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