UnitedHealthcare Dental Launches Teledentistry Option to Help Plan Participants Avoid Unnecessary ER Visits
June 24 2020 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
New offering is part of UnitedHealthcare
Dental’s comprehensive response to COVID-19, which also includes
financial support for customers and enhanced payments for network
providers
UnitedHealthcare Dental continues to evolve its products and
services to improve access to oral care, while lowering costs. The
latest offering includes teledentistry services designed to reduce
unnecessary emergency room (ER) visits and more efficiently get
patients to the most appropriate setting for in-person care.
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Telehealth resources are becoming
increasingly important in response to COVID-19, with teledentistry
playing a key role in helping people maintain proper oral health
and avoid potentially unnecessary visits to the emergency room.
(Graphic: Business Wire)
In addition, UnitedHealthcare Dental is providing important
financial support to employers and network dentists in response to
COVID-19.
Dental care ranks among the most frequently avoidable emergency
room visits,1 with teledentistry providing a resource that may help
plan participants make more informed decisions about where to go
for care. While many dental practices have re-opened for routine
care with appropriate precautions related to COVID-19, telehealth
resources – along with at-home hygiene habits such as brushing
twice a day and daily flossing – continue to take on added
importance in helping people maintain proper oral health and reduce
the risk of exposure associated with avoidable in-person
visits.
“These actions to improve the access and affordability of dental
care for our customers and plan participants are a continuation of
our enterprise’s comprehensive steps in response to COVID-19,
including financial relief for customers and support for network
providers,” said Colleen Van Ham, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Dental. “As
the COVID-19 situation continues, these solutions are designed to
expand coverage, support health care providers and bolster the
well-being of the people we serve.”
Details of this comprehensive approach include:
- Teledentistry capability for dental plan participants
that provides access to at-home telephone and video consultations
for advice and guidance to an appropriate setting for in-person
care, such as their own dentist, another local dentist with
availability or a primary care physician*. The resource is
available at no member cost sharing (i.e., waived deductible and
copay) or extra cost for people enrolled in UnitedHealthcare’s
fully insured employer-sponsored, Medicare Advantage and select
Medicaid dental plans**.Teledentistry is available to eligible plan
participants by calling the UnitedHealthcare customer service
number on the back of their member ID cards.
- Premium relief for employers with fully insured
UnitedHealthcare group dental benefits, giving customers a 50%
one-month premium reduction in July. This is part of the $1.5
billion of support to customers provided by UnitedHealth Group
(NYSE: UNH) in response to COVID-19 challenges***.
- Enhanced care provider payments totaling up to $10
million through the end of 2020 for many network dentists for
certain services related to routine exams, emergency services and
initial evaluations for children and adults****. Enhanced payments
range between $5 and $10 in addition to the dentist’s contracted
fee for applicable services. Network dentists may be eligible to
gain access to a portion of UnitedHealthcare Dental’s relief
package by enrolling at uhcdental.com.
UnitedHealthcare Dental serves more than 13 million people
enrolled in employer-sponsored, Medicare and Medicaid plans,
helping provide access to care via a network of nearly 120,000
dental professionals.
*Not all dental services are eligible for teledentistry.
**Waived member cost sharing for teledentistry for eligible plan
participants valid until Sept. 30, 2020; eligible teledentistry
services will not apply to the frequency or annual out-of-pocket
maximum under the terms of the benefit plan. Medicaid
state-specific rules and regulations may apply. For Medicaid state
specific details, please refer to your specific state
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan website.
***Premium relief may not be available in all states.
****Enhanced rates available until program funding is exhausted
and may not be available in all states or for all dental plans.
1 International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 2017,
https://academic.oup.com/intqhc/article/29/5/642/4085442
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier
lives and making the health system work better for everyone by
simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and
wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care
providers. In the United States, UnitedHealthcare offers the full
spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and
Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with
more than 1.3 million physicians and care professionals, and 6,500
hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. The company also
provides health benefits and delivers care to people through owned
and operated health care facilities in South America.
UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group
(NYSE: UNH), a diversified health care company. For more
information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @UHC
on Twitter.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200624005187/en/
Will Shanley UnitedHealthcare (714) 204-8005
will.shanley@uhc.com
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