Health & Oral Health: The Systemic Linkages Conference

MO COALITION FOR ORAL HEALTH 1400 Rock Quarry Road
Columbia, MO 65211-3280
573-673-9675 or 573-875-3004
sarah@oralhealthmissouri.org
Press Release
Contact: Sarah A. Grim, Ex Dir
Phone: (573)673-9675 or (573)875-3004 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
9 AM November 3, 2009

MO Coalition for Oral Health Hosts Summit on Health and Oral Health: The Systemic Linkages Conference, November 13, 2009, Columbia, MO

Columbia, MO, November 3, 2009: The MO Coalition for Oral Health (MCOH), a statewide organization dedicated to improving oral health among Missourians, is hosting its annual Oral Health Summit on November 13, 2009, at the Holiday Inn Select Center, Columbia, MO. The Summit theme this year is Health and Oral Health: The Systemic Linkages Conference. The Summit will start at 8 AM and conclude by 4 PM.

Featured speakers from Aetna, Blue Cross-Blue Shield, Doral Dental, AT Still School of Dentistry, and the Gurenlian & Associates will address Summit attendees. Speakers will discuss how they are implementing and promoting an integrated medical-dental system of care including insurance policies, billing, client education, and records for patients with chronic conditions. Building the business case for integrated systems of care will focus upon current and planned work to develop better care coordination and management of those with chronic conditions or who may be pregnant.

According to Oral Health In America, "Many systemic diseases and conditions have oral manifestations. These manifestations may be the initial sign of clinical disease and as such, serve to inform clinicians and individuals of the need for further assessment." Registration for the Summit is $50 per person, $10 per student.

MCOH is hoping such models may prove beneficial to MO Medicaid by providing strategies to restore Adult Dental Funding through reductions in health care costs to chronic care populations, including those with diabetes, heart disease, stroke, asthma, and women who are at risk of low birth weight babies, who are currently covered by MO Medicaid. MO Medicaid does not currently cover Adult Dental services due to budget cuts. In addition, speakers will offer public and private employers information on how to reduce health premiums and employee expenses by taking a coordinated approach to chronic and oral disease.
• According to Medical News Today (18 Nov. 2006), "the cost of caring for U.S. adults with diabetes rose sharply between 1996 and 2003, a period in which the number of patients soared from 9.9 million to 13.7 million and the average annual inflation-adjusted treatment costs rose from $1,299 to $1,714, according to reports released recently by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The federal report found overall, hospitals spent $58 billion in 2004 on the 6 million stays of patients diagnosed with diabetes. That's 20 percent of the total amount spent by hospitals on the 38.6 million patient stays that year and that overall care for patients with diabetes -- including treatment in all settings and for other illnesses such as congestive heart failure - averaged more than $10,000 annually." A study on diabetes and periodontal disease found an annual savings of 30% in diabetes cost per patient for those diabetics treated for periodontal disease.
• A study by Aetna and Columbia University School of Dentistry "found a relationship between periodontal treatment and the overall cost of care for several chronic diseases. Earlier periodontal care has a positive effect on the cost of medical care, with earlier treatment resulting in lower medical care costs for patients with diabetes, cerebrovascular disease or stroke, and coronary artery disease."
• According to Delta Dental of WI, "left untreated, periodontal disease can result in the loss of otherwise healthy teeth. But that’s only the start of it. Problems caused by periodontal disease aren’t limited only to the mouth. Studies show that periodontal disease is linked to complications resulting from diabetes, and that it also can be a factor in the incidence of preterm, low-birth weight babies. Together, these problems create additional costs of well over $150 billion each year in the United States, mostly for medical treatment."
• BlueCare Dental Connection(SM), a new integrated medical-dental program, compares individuals' medical and dental data to create customized plans designed to improve their health. This approach is designed to help users make better decisions about their oral health. Thru BlueCare Dental Connection, BCBSIL can utilize medical and dental claim information to identify and reach out to members at risk for health conditions complicated by dental disease, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and pregnancy. The goal of the BlueCare Dental Connection program, which is available at no additional cost to members who carry BCBSIL medical and dental insurance, is to help members identify potential opportunities for dental health intervention and prevention and realize the benefits to their overall health."

Summit speakers will include:
• Mary Lee Conicella, DMD, FAGD, Aetna National Director of Clinical Operations, and Oral Health of America Board of Directors. Dr. Mary Lee Conicella received her DMD from Temple University School of Dentistry in 1987. She received her fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry in Toronto in 2000. She was in private practice prior to joining Aetna in 1997, and is on the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, where she has taught since 1992. Dr. Conicella resides in Pittsburgh, Pa., and is the national director of Clinical Operations for Aetna Dental.
• JoAnn R. Gurenlian, RDH, PhD, Gurenlian & Associates. Dr. Gurenlian is the owner of Gurenlian & Associates which offers continuing education and consulting services to healthcare professionals. Gurenlian has a Bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene from Fairleigh Dickinson University, a Master’s degree in dental hygiene from Columbia University, and a Doctoral degree specializing in educational leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Gurenlian has been active in dental hygiene for over 30 years having served as a former chairperson of the Department of Dental Hygiene at Thomas Jefferson University and former President of the ADHA. Presently, she is an entrepreneur offering consulting and continuing education services to health care professionals.
• Dr. Jack Dillenberg, Dean, DDS, AT Still School of Dentistry. Dr. Jack Dillenberg is the inaugural dean of the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health. Dr. Dillenberg received his master’s degree in public health from Harvard School of Public Health and completed his dental education at New York University, College of Dentistry. He received his undergraduate degree from Tulane University in New Orleans. Prior to joining the Arizona dental school, Dr. Dillenberg was associate director for public health programs in the California Department of Health Services and prior to that was area health officer serving the west area of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.
• Dr. Timothy Custer, DDS, Dental Director, Professional Services, Dental Network of America. Dr. Timothy Custer has over 25 years experience within the dental industry and began his career with Dental Network of America in April 1995. As Dental Director, Dr. Custer oversees the Professional Review and Utilization Management of claims within all lines of business. Dr. Custer provides professional opinion and clinical oversight to various initiatives within the organization, including Operations, Network Development, Special Investigations and Wellness. Dr. Custer received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Loyola University School of Dentistry in 1983, and MBA from Benedictine University in 2001.
• Ms. Rosa Rocha, RN, BSN, MBA, joined Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois in May, 2009 as a Clinical Account Executive in Healthcare Management. In this role, she provides information and reviews reports on the Blue Care Connection programs to customers, brokers and consultants. She also works with the National Account Management group on medical management strategies and planning. She holds a BS degree in Nursing from Loyola University and an MBA from DePaul University. Rose brings over 25 years of experience in the healthcare and managed care arena holding leadership positions in nursing administration, provider network management, and customer strategic account management.
• Cindy Sellon, MSW, Wellness and Outreach Administrator, Doral Dental. Cindy Sellon has been developing and providing education, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation and association management for over 25 years. She obtained her MSW from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1990 and became a Certified Independent Social Worker for the State of Wisconsin in 1999. Ms. Sellon currently serves as the Wellness and Outreach Administrator for Doral Dental USA in Mequon, WI. In this position, she oversees wellness and outreach programs in 23 states, including six states in which Doral is the sole dental administrator: Illinois, Tennessee, Virginia, Massachusetts, Idaho and Maryland.

MCOH is a non-profit organization governed by a 21-member board of directors and with more than 100 members statewide. A listing of the MCOH board of directors is available upon request.

For more information please contact Sarah A. Grim, Executive Director, MO Coalition for Oral Health, at sarah@oralhealthmissouri.org or by calling 573-875-3004 (home office).

Media representatives are invited to attend the Summit as our guests. Speakers and MCOH Board members will be available for interviews the day of the event at the Holiday Inn Select Center starting at 9 AM.