All State Unit Reports

AR
Arkansas is still doing very well with the managed care systems. Utilization rate by the recipients is relatively high. Provider participation rate and reimbursement rates are still very competitive when compared regionally. When Arkansas switched to managed care, the providers lost a compensation package that was instituted to encourage participation. The most significant situation is the lack of availability to general anesthesia services for many areas of our state. Some areas have adequate resources, while others are woefully deficient. Lastly, discussions are being held about revisions to our sedation guidelines. These discussions are in the preliminary stages and the policymakers are in the information-gathering phase. Pediatric dentists are being involved in the conversations.

Submitted by David Ciesla.

CO
The Colorado Academy of Pediatric Dentistry will be hosting our Fall meeting at Children’s Hospital Colorado on October 3rd. Our speaker will be Andy White, who is a specialist in Pediatric Neurology at Children’s Hospital of Colorado and at Denver Health. His presentation will include treatment modalities of children who have seizures, including Charlotte’s Web CBD oil.

Regarding public policy, CAPD is working closely with the Colorado Dental Association to expand school dental screenings in an effort to improve dental and overall health, school attendance and school performance. Initial meetings are underway this Fall to discuss individual designs, best practices, lessons learned, and a step-by-step implementation plan.

Submitted by Bianca Hoffman

KS
The legislative landscape has become rather flat in Kansas with no major activities affecting dentistry in general and pediatric dentistry specifically at this moment. We are however waiting to see what if any new efforts are made regarding dental therapist legislation.

Planning for the next Kansas Mission of Mercy is beginning and it will be held in January, 2020 in Dodge City, Kansas. The Southwest corner of the state has no pediatric dentists practicing there and the Mission of Mercy will certainly fill a need as it did about 8 years ago when last held in Dodge City. As always, there will be a large contingent of pediatric dentists and team members providing care to children.

Submitted by John Fales

MO
There is talk of healthcare reform in MO and I will be working with our Missouri Coalition of Oral Health to put forward a strong push for continued coverage for at risk children. I will be testifying at a house committee hearing to that effect in October and multiple of our members are also involved with the Missouri Dental Association and their efforts to do the same. We continue to also pursue decreased regulatory burden in order to promote provider participation in Medicaid.

Submitted by Aaron Bumann

OK
We are pleased to announce that there is a new Oklahoma Academy of Pediatric Dentistry! With the help of the AAPD Office, a constitution and bylaws were created. As the OAPD grows, we anticipate changes and additions to the governing documents, but this is a huge step to help organized pediatric dentistry in the state of Oklahoma!

Submitted by Ashley Orynich