10/23/17

Blue Plus is asking our Care Coordination partners to help us ensure our members receive the preventive dental care they need. The attached file includes a list of MSC+ and MSHO members who have not yet received an annual dental visit in 2017, and who are due for their annual HRA/reassessment between now and the end of the year. The report indicates the Care Coordinator to whom the member is assigned and the date the member is due for their next HRA/reassessment.

We understand that, in some areas of the state, there are not enough dental providers to meet member need. Blue Plus is committed to working with Delta Dental and other partners to solve this issue. We welcome your feedback and suggestions.

If you have trouble finding a dentist who accepts MSHO or MSC+, contact Delta Dental’s Care Coordination Team at 1-866-303-8138 for assistance.Ask the dental care coordinator to locate a provider and schedule an appointment for the member. The dental care coordinator will do the work of finding a provider and will call the member back to set up the appointment, as well as transportation, if needed.

What is Blue Plus asking you to do?

  • Please talk with the member about the importance of an Annual Dental Visit during their next assessment.
  • Please help the member to schedule a dental appointment before the end of the year, or as soon as possible.
  • Please assist the member with arranging transportation to the appointment, if needed.
  • If the member resides in a Nursing Facility, please work with the staff to arrange an on-site visit, if needed.
  • Call Delta Dental’s Care Coordination Team at 1-866-303-8138 for assistance if you have trouble finding a dentist who accepts MSHO or MSC+.

Why are dental visits important for older adults?

The mouth is the gateway to the body. Even when an older adult does not have any of their original teeth, bacteria can build up in the mouth and affect other areas of health.

  • Oral health is an important part of staying healthy and managing chronic conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Research shows that treatment of periodontal disease helps people with diabetes control their glycemic levels.[i]
  • Good oral health can also lower the risk for acute conditions. For example, large amounts of oral bacteria increase the risk of aspiration pneumonia.[ii]
  • Regular dental visits can help detect oral disease, and other conditions such as oral cancer, early when it can be easier to treat. Older adults are at higher risk for oral cancer.
  • Many drugs, especially those for hypertension, depression, osteoporosis, and urinary incontinence, cause dry mouth. Dry mouth is the largest cause of poor oral health and increased risk for oral disease among older adults. A dentist can prescribe a fluoride supplement that will provide relief for the discomfort of dry mouth and lower the risk of oral disease.

There is no cost to MSC+ and SecureBlue (MSHO) members for these preventive dental benefits:

  • Dental exam (once per calendar year)
  • Fluoride varnish (once per calendar year)

Blue Plus covers additional dental benefits for SecureBlue (MSHO) members:

  • One additional preventive exam (per calendar year)
  • Perio-maintenance dental visits (max 2 per year)

Feedback to Blue Plus

If you have any questions, please email your Partner Relations consultant.

Please also email your Partner Relations consultant if you learn during your discussion with a member on the attached list that they have received an Annual Dental Visit in 2017. Please include the following information in your email:

  • The date the member received the Dental Visit, and
  • The name of the clinic or facility where the member received the Dental Visit.

If the Delta Dental Care Coordination Team does not locate an appointment for the member on your behalf, please let your Partner Relations consultant know. (Note that Delta Dental Customer Service cannot assist with scheduling an appointment. You must contact the Care Coordination Team at 1-866-303-8138 for this assistance).

Thank you in advance for all you do to help improve the health of our members!

Partner Relations

Blue Plus

Blue Cross® and Blue Shield® of Minnesota is a nonprofit independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association

[i]Taylor GW, Borgnakke W. Periodontal disease: Associations with diabetes, glycemic control and

complications. Oral Dis. 2008;14(3):191-203.

[ii]Sjögren P, Nilsson E, Forsell M, Johansson O, Hoogstraate J. A systematic review of the preventive

effect of oral hygiene on pneumonia and respiratory tract infection in elderly people in hospitals and

nursing homes: Effect estimates and methodological quality of randomized controlled trials. J Am

Geriatr Soc. 2008;56(11):2124-2130.