Project Purpose

This project supports enhanced clinic productivity and financial viability for ten community dental practices that treat underserved North Carolinians. Through practice management consulting, clinics will identify opportunities to increase revenue and access to care for the underserved.

Background

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) Foundation is committed to increasing access to dental care for underserved North Carolinians. Affordability and access are barriers to care for a large portion of our population. The uninsured often neglect preventive care and frequently put off emergency treatment. Slightly over 50 percent of all North Carolinians and only 32 percent of Medicaid enrolled children visited a dentist last year. Although many health departments, community health centers, rural health centers, free clinics and other providers are committed to providing care to the underserved, there is great variety in dental productivity rates and financial stability among these providers. In order to increase access to quality dental care for the underserved, the BCBSNC Foundation has made a grant to Safety Net Solutions to provide practice management consulting to selected safety-net clinics across the state.

Project Description

Consulting will focus on improving clinical productivity and financial viability with the intention of increasing access to care for underserved dental patients. The technical assistance model and clinic performance will be evaluated both quantitatively and qualitatively over the course of two years. The project runs from January 2010 through Fall 2012.

Project Sites - 2010 Cohort

Public Health Departments

• Clay County Health Department
• Haywood County Health Department
• Richmond County Health Department
• Surry County Health and Nutrition Center

Other Safety-Net Clinics

• CommWell Health
• Gaston Community Health Center
• Kinston Community Health Center
• Lincoln Community Health Center
• Rural Health Group
• UNC Hospital

Project Sites- 2009 Cohort

Public Health Departments

• Columbus County Health Department
• Dare County Department of Public Health 
• Durham County Health Department
• Guilford County Department of Public Health
• Wake County Human Services

Other Safety-Net Clinics

• Carolina Family Health Centers
• Greene County Health Care
• Mission Medical
• Toe River Dental
• Wake Health Services