A Survey of Participation in Managed Care Programs by Endodontic Specialists

A survey was published in the Quarterly Survey of Dental Practice (QSDP) Special Topics that dealt with contractual agreements in dentistry. This survey evaluated general dental practitioner participation apart from that of dental specialists in general. The Quarterly Survey of Dental Practice survey was modified and used in the present study to specifically determine the participation by endodontists in various contractual insurance agreements, including Preferred Provider Organization and Health Maintenance Organization programs. A 10% sample of practicing endodontists was randomly selected to participate in this survey. Questionnaires (331) were sent out, and 229 or 69% were returned. Total participation by endodontists responding to this survey in any Health Maintenance Organization and/or Preferred Provider Organization insurance plans was 31.3%; however the total percentage of patients treated under these insurance plans was only 6.6%. These results were similar to those in the 1994 survey in which it was shown that 27% of the general dental practitioners and 41% of the dental specialists participated in one or more of these insurance programs and treated respectively, 5% and 9%, of their patients under these plans.

Although participation in various managed care programs by endodontists in this survey was close to one-third, the total number of patients treated under these plans was low. Overall patients treated under fee-for-service arrangements by endodontists responding to this survey formed 85.3% of their patient pool. It does not appear from the results of this survey that managed care insurance has a significant impact on the practice of endodontics. It can be postulated that endodontists are unwilling to accept more than a small reduction in fees to join managed care plans, and they also desire to retain full control of their dental practice.