Presentations

Status and Prospects for Medicaid Beneficiaries' Access to Dental Services in Kansas. Report developed by The Health Services Research Group, University of Kansas. Report released June 30, 1999.

Project Summary
The Fund provided support to the Health Services Research Group, University of Kansas
to better understand problems of access to dental services by Medicaid beneficiaries
(children) in Kansas. The research examined access issues from the following
perspectives.

Assessed the current access situation in the State
Canvassed other states both from literature searches and on-site visits
Used a mail survey of dentists in Kansas along with followup focus groups to
understand the supply perspective
Conducted a telephone survey of Medicaid beneficiaries with additional focus
groups to assess access from the user perspective and
Interviewed policy makers about their perception of the problems and possible
solutions.

The research found a substantial demand by Medicaid children for dental services and an
undersupply of service opportunities. More particularly:

Current situation

Although the number of Kansas dentists per 100,000 residents is comparable to
national (50 per 100,000) and Medicaid norms (one dental provider per 2,000
enrollees), this ratio is not meaningful as a measure of dental access for Medicaid
beneficiaries because of the small number of dentists that accept Medicaid enrollees
and the even smaller number that serve significant numbers of Medicaid enrollees.
The issue in Kansas is less one of the number of dentists and more one of how they
are distributed within the State.

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