Navigate the healthcare industry
Healthcare Brew covers pharmaceutical developments, health startups, the latest tech, and how it impacts hospitals and providers to keep administrators and providers informed.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue is seeking approval to expand its outpatient dental clinic, according to plans filed with the state this week.
The $830,000+ renovation of Bellevue’s clinical space would double the number of dental chairs from three to six, and allow the Manhattan public hospital to “meet the existing demand for dental services, meet the training requirements of the dental general practice residency program, and allow for additional growth to meet the oral health needs of the underserved and uninsured population in the community,” according to the application.
Bellevue reported that each of its dental chairs has an average annual utilization rate of 2,000 visits, or about 6,000 total visits a year. According to the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center, “most safety net dentists see 2,500–3,200 patient visits per year, with the yearly national average coming in at 2,600.”
Safety net services like dental care are often government subsidized and designed to treat low-income individuals who have insurance or are covered by Medicaid, though NYC Health + Hospitals touts its policy of treating patients regardless of their ability to pay.
The expansion, which requires state approval, would also help the public hospital manage wait times and services rendered, according to the application.
“The clinic is severely undersized to meet the training requirements of the dental general practice residency program at the hospital,” according to the application. “Currently there are nine general practice resident slots in this program and only three exam rooms, which results in long wait times to schedule consultations (up to 90 days from time of request) and limited variety of dental treatments offered (no restorative, limited conservative, and limited oral hygiene treatments).”
The proposed expansion comes after 5 million New York residents gained improved access to dental care in May following a 2018 federal class-action lawsuit against the New York State Department of Health—a case that argued the state Medicaid program denied recipients medically necessary care.
“Dental problems are some of the most common health ailments around, and though they’re seldom fatal, they can be socially crippling—imagine trying to find a job or a romantic partner when you’re missing most of your teeth—and often affect your overall health,” according to the New York Times. “And yet Medicaid, which provides healthcare to over 5 million low-income adults in New York, did not cover many basic dental procedures.”
The state health department confirmed the application is under review. A spokesperson for NYC Health + Hospitals didn’t immediately return a request for comment.