Friday, May 3, 2013

How Data Analytics Creates Value in Dental Care

By: Shaju Puthussery, Chief Analytics Officer


As components of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) go into effect, dental benefit management is keeping pace. Health plans need a dental partner that provides products and services at attractive prices, but also one with experience in commercial and government spaces, as well as on a public exchange. And perhaps most importantly, a dental benefits partner should have the ability to go beyond claims processing into deep data analytics that create cost savings – including the potential for lower premiums – as a result. This new model goes beyond claims adjudication to collaborative engagement with providers and patients. 


In  order to gain cost savings from these partnerships, plan administrators must be able to understand and predict provider and patient behaviors and then put these assessments into action. Data analytics are the key to understanding those behaviors. With the right kind and amount of data, we can build predictive models that ultimately result in better quality of care from providers and better oral health outcomes for patients. That’s a win-win under any circumstances. But add to that the ability to control costs, and you can see why data analytics are a necessity for success in the world of consumer-driven healthcare.

Not every dental benefits organization can leverage data effectively, though. To create effective predictive models, you must start with a wealth of data. DentaQuest, for instance, has access to many years of data from more than 18 million members and thousands of providers. This is where effective modeling begins, as we use external data coupled with claims pattern data and provider utilization data. 

To find out more about how data analytics creates cost savings, sign up for our America Health Insurance Plan (AHIP) webinar, titled “Health Reform Dental Mandate and What It Means to You: The Role of Data Analytics In Value-Based Healthcare.” The webinar is on Wednesday, May 8, 2013 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET and offers an opportunity to ask our on-staff experts about dental benefits, data analytics, and how to create value in the new healthcare environment. Register today by visiting http://ahip.org/Webinar/DentalMandate/.

With the changes resulting from ACA mandates, health plans are looking for ways to differentiate themselves from competitors. Integrating high-quality dental benefits into their products is an excellent way to do this and an effective strategy to retain and grow membership.