[The impact on costs and care of two approaches to reduce employees' dental plan expenses in a private company].
The present study evaluated the dental care plan offered to 4,000 employees of a private hospital and their respective families. The analysis covered three stages: (1) baseline (control), when dental care was provided by an outsourced company with a network of dentists paid for services, (2) a renegotiation of costs with the original dental care provider, and (3) provision of dental care by the hospital itself, through directly hired dentists on regular salaries. Monthly economic and clinical data were collected for this research. The dental plan renegotiation reduced costs by 37% in relation to baseline, and the hospital's own dental service reduced costs by 50%. Renegotiation led to a 31% reduction in clinical procedures, without altering the dental care profile; the hospital's own dental service did not reduce the total number of clinical procedures, but modified the profile of dental care, since procedures related to the causes of diseases increased and surgical/restorative procedures decreased.
Costa Filho
Luiz Cesar da
LC
Fundação de Amparo Social, Hospital Moinhos de Vento, Avenida Loureiro da Silva 2001, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. periodontia@rocketmail.com
Duncan
Bruce Bartholow
BB
Polanczyk
Carisi Anne
CA
Sória
Marina Lara
ML
Habekost
Ana Paula
AP
Costa
Carolina Covolo da
CC
D003258:Consumer Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003363:Cost Control / Q000379:methods; D003752:Dental Health Services / Q000191:economics; D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee / Q000191:economics*; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage; D007347:Insurance, Dental / Q000191:economics*; D020416:Outsourced Services / Q000191:economics; D017149:Private Sector