ReachOut Healthcare America

Last updated
ReachOutLogo.gif

ReachOut Healthcare America (RHA) is a dental management services company with its headquarters in Farmington Hills, Michigan. [1] It is a part of the private equity portfolio of Morgan Stanley. [2] The company operates in 22 U.S. states. In 2011 the company coordinated dental care at 8,700 schools and coordinated the processing of 488,000 children in those schools. As of May 2012 the company has coordinated the processing of 1.5 million patients. ReachOut seeks to coordinate treatment for underserved children on Medicaid. [3]

Contents

The company has a mobile dentistry coordination program for children in U.S. schools, [4] and it provides the coordination of services under the name "Big Smiles." [5] It also offers a coordination program for U.S. soldiers. [6] The company previously had a coordination program for senior and disabled residents of nursing homes. [7] In December 2011 the company divested its nursing home program. [8]

Chris Alltucker of The Arizona Republic said that critics argued that the Big Smiles' business model is designed to collect as much money from Medicaid as possible on behalf of dentists performing numerous, and sometimes unnecessary procedures. [5] ReachOut Healthcare America of Phoenix says it performs a valuable service, providing access to dental care for underserved children. [5] [9] The company also stated that it does not employ any dentists, or make patient care decisions for the mobile dentists that visit the schools. [10]

History

Michael Howell and Daniel Goldsmith, the founders, established ReachOut in 1997 as a company that coordinated dental services to nursing home patients in Michigan. The company began coordinating services to schools. The company had also coordinated services to foster programs, group homes, homeless shelters, and mental health facilities by late 2003. [3]

In 2005 the company began coordinating services to five school districts in St. Louis County, Missouri. [11]

Sentinel Capital Partners provided the company with private equity funding in November 2007. ReachOut increased its patient base by 500% and acquired two rival companies. The company later became a holding of Morgan Stanley Private Equities. [3]

In October 2011 a Camp Verde, Arizona boy treated by a dentist affiliated with ReachOut complained of pain. His mother, Stacey Gagnon, accused the dentist of performing dental procedures on the boy without the parents' permission. [3] Darren and Stacey Gagnon, the parents of the boy, filed a lawsuit against the individual dentist and the ReachOut company. [10] In November 2011, Dan Brown, then the superintendent of the Camp Verde Unified School District, signed a "cease and desist" letter preventing ReachOut from operating in the school district facilities. [5]

The company previously had a partnership with the Clark County School District, [3] the largest school district in the state of Nevada. In December 2011 the district ended its partnership with ReachOut. Ken Alltucker of the Arizona Republic said that several parents complained that ReachOut had performed significant dental procedures such as fillings and crowns without properly notifying the parents, but that "the driving force behind the decision was concern that students did not get proper emergency or after-hours care because ReachOut dentists visited just twice a year." [5] Amanda Fulkerson, a district spokesperson, said that many children treated by ReachOut had suffered from pain after the procedures, and many school nurses complained about the scenarios. [3] Fulkerson said "[t]hey (ReachOut) were going well beyond what we consider preventive care. It was our (school administration's) belief you should be in a proper dental setting, and the board agreed. We terminated the contract." [5] In response, a mobile dentist who worked with ReachOut, Derryl Brian, said that the dentists under ReachOut had, since 2006, treated 80,000 children, and that there was a high rate of satisfaction. [3]

Several school districts in Arizona, as of August 2012, have continued to use ReachOut. ReachOut provided care for over 2,000 students of the Peoria Unified School District in Greater Phoenix. ReachOut serviced twenty Peoria USD schools that have high percentages of low income students. The ReachOut website includes testimonials from a school nurse in Tucson, Arizona and an elementary school principal of the Deer Valley Unified School District in Greater Phoenix. [5]

In the two years until August 2012, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) paid ReachOut's affiliated dental practice $12.5 million. [5] The CEO of ReachOut Healthcare America, Chris Bird, said that during that time period, in Arizona the in-school dentists under Dr. Ralph Green treated over 100,000 children, with an average of 15 children per day per school visit. Bird said that the majority of the services included preventative dentistry, including examinations, cleanings, sealants, and fluoride treatment; and fillings. Bird said that only 1.3% of the procedures in the dental practices associated with ReachOut involve crowns and root canals. [12]

In July 2013 Chuck Grassley and Max Baucus of the U.S. Senate released a report on corporate dental care; it discusses allegations against ReachOut Healthcare America and states that "those practices were not necessarily widespread." [13] It concluded that "The reported problems of unnecessary procedures, lack of parental consent and patient abuse appear to be the result of ReachOut having management agreements with several unscrupulous dentists. Given the administrative nature of their arrangement, ReachOut lacks ability to police such bad actors." [13] It also stated that Reachout "had no standards for dentists with whom they contract to obtain parental consent for treatment." [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

Dentistry Branch of medicine

Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions of the mouth, most commonly focused on dentition as well as the oral mucosa. Dentistry may also encompass other aspects of the craniofacial complex including the temporomandibular joint. The practitioner is called a dentist.

Dentist Health care occupations caring for the mouth and teeth

A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry. The dentist's supporting team aids in providing oral health services. The dental team includes dental assistants, dental hygienists, dental technicians, and sometimes dental therapists.

Cosmetic dentistry is generally used to refer to any dental work that improves the appearance of teeth, gums and/or bite. It primarily focuses on improvement in dental aesthetics in color, position, shape, size, alignment and overall smile appearance. Many dentists refer to themselves as "cosmetic dentists" regardless of their specific education, specialty, training, and experience in this field. This has been considered unethical with a predominant objective of marketing to patients. The American Dental Association does not recognize cosmetic dentistry as a formal specialty area of dentistry. However, there are still dentists that promote themselves as cosmetic dentists.

Dental hygienist Professional working in prevention and treatment of oral disease

A dental hygienist or oral hygienist is a licensed dental professional, registered with a dental association or regulatory body within their country of practice. Prior to completing clinical and written board examinations, registered dental hygienists must have either an Associate's or bachelor's degree in Dental Hygiene from an accredited college or university. Once registered, hygienists are primary healthcare professionals who work independently of or alongside dentists and other dental professionals to provide full oral health care. They have the training and education that focus on and specialize in the prevention and treatment of many oral diseases.

Teledentistry is the use of information technology and telecommunications for dental care, consultation, education, and public awareness.

UCLA School of Dentistry Medical school in Los Angeles, California, United States

The UCLA School of Dentistry is the dental school of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) located in the Center for Health Sciences building in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. The school has several educational and training programs, conducts oral and dental health research, and offers affordable dental care at three locations: Westwood, Venice, and Inglewood. The school also participates in several outreach endeavors, including numerous health fairs during the year, STEM pipeline programs and provides dental care for underserved populations in the region. The School of Dentistry is considered among the nation's best research-intensive dental schools.

Dental assistant

Dental assistants are members of the dental team. They support a dental operator in providing more efficient dental treatment. Dental assistants are distinguished from other groups of dental auxiliaries by differing training, roles and patient scopes.

Dental public health

Dental Public Health (DPH) is a para-clinical specialty of dentistry that deals with the prevention of oral disease and promotion of oral health. Dental public health is involved in the assessment of key dental health needs and coming up with effective solutions to improve the dental health of populations rather than individuals.

In the medical field a papoose board is a temporary medical stabilization board used to limit a patient’s freedom of movement to decrease risk of injury while allowing safe completion of treatment. The term papoose board refers to a brand name.

Special needs dentistry, also known as special care dentistry, is a dental specialty that deals with the oral health problems of geriatric patients, patients with intellectual disabilities, and patients with other medical, physical, or psychiatric issues.

Pediatric dentistry

Pediatric dentistry is the branch of dentistry dealing with children from birth through adolescence. The specialty of pediatric dentistry is recognized by the American Dental Association, Royal College of Dentists of Canada, and Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons.

Aspen Dental Management, Inc. (ADMI) is a dental support organization (DSO), a dental practice management corporation that provides business support and administrative services in the US. Its headquarters is in Chicago, Illinois.

Small Smiles Dental Centers American dental company

Small Smiles Dental Centers was a privately-owned US chain of dental clinics focused on serving children from low-income families. The parent company, Church Street Health Management (CSHM), has its headquarters in Suite 520 of the Castner-Knott Building in Nashville, Tennessee. As of 2010, Church Street was the largest dental management company in the United States, and for a period it was the largest dental chain for children in the United States. As of March 2014, Small Smiles had 53 offices, and it stated that it served hundreds of thousands of children annually. As of September 2021, Small Smiles appeared to have one location in Reno, Nevada.

James R. Moriarty is an American lawyer noted for mass torts against major corporations, including Tenet Healthcare Corporation, Shell Chemicals, DuPont, and Prudential Securities. His legal cases have been described in the books Serpent on the Rock by Kurt Eichenwald, Money-Driven Medicine: The Real Reason Health Care Costs So Much by Maggie Mahar, and Coronary by Stephen Klaidman. Moriarty is a former Marine and Gold Star father.

Kool Smiles American dental company

Kool Smiles is a dental services provider, based in the United States. Its headquarters are in the Kool Smiles Patient Support Center in Marietta, Georgia, U.S., in Greater Atlanta and has over 100 offices located across sixteen states.

Jeffrey A. Parker American businessman and education philanthropist

Jeffrey Alan Parker was an American businessman and education philanthropist.

Sarrell Dental & Eye Centers

Sarrell Dental and Eye Centers, based in Anniston, Alabama, was the largest dental provider in the state of Alabama. Sarrell was organized as a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization in 2005, and operated 12 dental clinics, 4 clinics include vision care and a mobile dental bus. As of January 1, 2022, Sarrell Dental & Eye Centers rebranded to Advantage Dental+.

All Smiles Dental Centers

All Smiles Dental Professionals, P.C., doing business as All Smiles Dental Centers, was a chain of dental clinics in Texas, United States, with its headquarters in Farmers Branch, Texas in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, near the City of Dallas. The chain operates dental clinics in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and in Greater Houston. The company All Smiles Dental Center, Inc. (ADSC) is the management service organization providing business support services to All Smiles Dental Professionals, P.C. The patients mostly consist of children in low-income Hispanic communities.

Smile Starters Dental, formerly Medicaid Dental Center (MDC), is a chain of dental clinics in North Carolina. As MDC, it operated under the names Smile Starters and Carolina Dental Center. Historically, its owners were Letitia L. "Tish" Ballance of Charlotte, North Carolina and Michael DeRose of Pueblo, Colorado. DeRose was also a partner in FORBA, the company that owns the Small Smiles Dental Centers. In 2008 the chain operated seven dental clinics.

Dental Service Organizations, known in the industry as "Dental Support Organizations" or abbreviated to DSOs, are independent business support centers that contract with dental practices in the United States. They provide business management and support to dental practices, including non-clinical operations.

References

  1. ↑ "Contact Us." ReachOut Healthcare America. Retrieved on September 12, 2012. "We've moved: 2550 W. Union Hills Dr. Ste. 202 Phoenix, AZ 85027" and "ReachOut Healthcare America 1904 W. Parkside Ln, Suite 201 Phoenix, AZ 85027"
  2. ↑ "Portfolio." Morgan Stanley. Retrieved on September 12, 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Freedberg, Sydney P. "Dental Abuse Seen Driven by Private Equity Investments." Bloomberg . May 17, 2012. Retrieved on September 12, 2012.
  4. ↑ "School Programs." ReachOut Healthcare America. Retrieved on September 12, 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Alltucker, Ken. "Mobile dental clinics drawing scrutiny." The Arizona Republic . August 18, 2012. Retrieved on September 12, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Military programs." ReachOut Healthcare America. Retrieved on September 12, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Seniors Programs." ReachOut Healthcare America. July 8, 2008. Retrieved on September 12, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Seniors Programs." (Archive) ReachOut Healthcare America. Retrieved on September 12, 2012.
  9. ↑ Ken Alltucker. "Mobile dental clinics drawing scrutiny". AzCentral.com. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
  10. 1 2 "INSIDE EDITION Investigates Mobile Dentistry." Inside Edition . September 11, 2012. Retrieved on September 12, 2012.
  11. ↑ Mueller, Michelle B. Dental work will be offered in some schools ReachOut Healthcare creates the program especially for those without insurance." St. Louis Post-Dispatch . June 9, 2005. North Post, Five Star Lift Edition, p. 1. Retrieved on September 24, 2012. - Alternate link at Highbeam
  12. ↑ "CEO of ReachOut Healthcare America Responds to The Arizona Republic." ReachOut Healthcare America. Retrieved on September 24, 2012.
  13. 1 2 3 Alltucker, Ken. "Senate probe targets dentists with Phoenix ties." The Arizona Republic . Thursday July 25, 2013. Retrieved on July 26, 2013.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.