Altarum Institute's reducing childhood dental disease program

Program Location: 
Ann Arbor, MI
Payer Type: 
Grant
Partner Organizations: 
University of Michigan School of Dentistry
Delta Dental of Michigan
Michigan Department of Community Health
Payers: 
CHIP
Medicaid
Description: 

Altarum Institute received an award of $9.4 million from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to reduce the burden of childhood dental disease in Michigan. The award is focused on children aged 0–17 enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Combined, these two insurance programs cover nearly half of Michigan’s children.

Altarum, in collaboration with the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Delta Dental of Michigan, and the Michigan Department of Community Health will work together to improve the oral health of more than 1 million children across the state.

Building on a growing portfolio of efforts to improve care appropriateness, this 3-year project will better target preventive services to high-risk children, improve the referral pathways between primary care and dentistry, and put in place a statewide dental quality monitoring program using recently validated American Dental Association measures.

Increased Preventive Services: 

Oral health screening increased:

  • 9-month visit: 6% at baseline to 76% at 3-months to 89% at 5-months compared to 75% goal
  • 12-month visit: 7% at baseline to 78% at 3-months to 93% at 5-months compared to 75% goal

Fluoride varnish increased: 

  • 9-month visit: 0% at baseline to 59% at 3-months to 60% at 5-months compared to 50% goal
  • 12-month visit: 0% at baseline to 66% at 3-months to 70% at 5-months compared to 50% goal

Recommend/refer to dental home increased:

  • 9-month visit: 1% at baseline to 63% at 3-months to 61% at 5-months compared to 50% goal
  • 12-month visit: 1% at baseline to 66% at 3-months to  69% at 5-months compard to 50% goal
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