Tufts Health Plan and Delta Dental of Massachusetts Collaboration Aims to Improve the Health of their Members
Employers to see reduced premiums when purchasing the products together.
Watertown, MA and Charlestown, MA, March 28, 2017 –Tufts Health Plan and Delta Dental of Massachusetts today announced a new collaboration with the goal of enhancing care for their members while reducing health care costs.
“There are many studies which suggest that there is a link between oral health and chronic medical conditions,” said Marc Spooner, Tufts Health Plan president of commercial products. “This collaboration is unique in the marketplace and is another example of our commitment to finding innovative solutions to increase coordination with our providers while reducing costs for employers. We are confident that this new collaboration will help lower medical and dental expenses over time and improve the health of our members.”
Better care coordination
Tufts Health Plan and Delta Dental of Massachusetts will work closely to identify opportunities for better care coordination through:
- Information sharing—identify care opportunities for at risk members, including diabetes prevention, through the sharing of data. This information will also identify other populations for focus, including pregnant women and those individuals with heart failure and obstructive pulmonary disease, all of which are impacted by oral health.
- Targeted member engagement—implement broad educational campaigns on the impact of oral health on overall health to encourage healthy practices among members.
- Provider collaboration—work to educate medical and dental providers about the importance of coordinating oral and medical care.
The collaboration began with a pilot program involving a specific subset of members who carry both Tufts Health Plan and Delta Dental of Massachusetts. The pilot identified members with chronic conditions, including diabetes, providing better care coordination and educating providers on the link between oral and overall health.
“We take pride in these important steps to make the people of our state healthier while driving down health care spending,” said Delta Dental of Massachusetts president Dennis Leonard. “By leveraging data and engaging people in their own health care, we are delivering a person-centered health care experience to our members that will ultimately help improve the health of our communities.”
Premium savings
Employers will also have access to a reduced premium when they bundle the medical benefits from Tufts Health Plan and dental coverage from Delta Dental of Massachusetts. Premium discounts are effective July 1, 2017 for fully insured groups between 51-250 eligible subscribers.
For more information about this collaboration, or to learn more about this savings opportunity, please contact your broker.
About Tufts Health Plan
Tufts Health Plan is nationally recognized for its commitment to providing innovative, high-quality health care coverage. Staying true to our mission of improving the health and wellness of the diverse communities we serve, we touch the lives of more than 1.1 million members in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire through employer-sponsored plans; Medicare; Medicaid and Marketplace plans, offering health insurance coverage across the life span regardless of age or circumstance.
We continually rank among the top health plans in the country based on quality and member satisfaction:
- Our private HMO and PPO plans are rated 5 out of 5 and our Medicaid plan is rated 4.5 out of 5 by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.[i]
- Our Tufts Medicare Preferred HMO and Senior Care Options plans received a 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the highest rating possible.[ii]
To learn more about how we’re redefining what a health plan can do, visit tuftshealthplan.com/ourstories. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.
About Delta Dental of Massachusetts
Delta Dental of Massachusetts (www.deltadentalma.com), the largest provider of dental benefits in the state, is a national leader in innovative programs to improve the overall health of our members, prevent oral disease and reduce health care costs for employers, groups and individuals. Headquartered in Charlestown, Mass., Delta Dental of Massachusetts covers more than 2 million members. Delta Dental of Massachusetts is a member of the Delta Dental Plans Association (www.deltadental.com), whose member companies provide dental benefits to more than 62 million people enrolled in more than 114,000 groups across the nation.
For more oral health news, follow us on Twitter @DeltaDentalofMA, Facebook at www.facebook.com/DeltaDentalMA, or Instagram @deltadentalofma, and check out the monthly oral health calendar at www.keepahealthysmile.com.
[i] The National Committee for Quality Assurance Private Health Insurance Plan Rankings and Medicaid Health Insurance Rankings 2016-2017.
[ii] Medicare evaluates plans based on a 5-Star rating system. Star Ratings are calculated each year and may change from one year to the next. For more information on plan ratings, go to www.medicare.gov. Tufts Medicare Preferred HMO plans received 5 out of 5 stars for contract year 2016 and 2017.