News and Views

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Reviewing quality care in dentistry and two new HEDIS measures

Monday, January 30, 2023 | Posted in GEHA Connection Dental Network News

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Reviewing quality care in dentistry and two new HEDIS measures

Periodically revisiting quality measures in health care and dentistry is a helpful way to see if your practice is on track or needs some adjustments. At the patient level, understanding the patient journey and engaging patients with positive dental treatment encounters is a goal of quality care. This includes treatment outcomes and patient-reported outcomes, such as quality of life, patient experience and satisfaction. Quality care delivery involves continuous quality improvement and understanding how patient experiences effect dental care delivery. The American Dental Association’s Dental Quality Alliance continues to grow metrics to define quality in dentistry. Learn more about DQA.

Another governing resource is National Committee for Quality Assurance’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set, or HEDIS. This has been updated for 2023 with two new quality measures for dentistry:

1. Oral Evaluation, Dental Services (OED) – Medicaid members under 21 years of age who receive a comprehensive or periodic oral evaluation with a dental provider
2. Topical Fluoride for Children (TFC) – Medicaid members between 1 and 4 years of age who receive at least two fluoride vanish applications

Learn more about HEDIS quality measures.