HPC Releases 
Policy Brief on 
Oral Health  
       
Today, the HPC is releasing a policy brief  on oral health care access and emergency department utilization for avoidable oral health conditions in Massachusetts. 

In this brief, the HPC reports that there were over 36,000 preventable oral health emergency department visits in Massachusetts in 2014. The HPC further finds that both young adults and MassHealth enrollees made up a disproportionate share of emergency department visits for oral health. 

In addition to providing Massachusetts-specific research on this issue, the Policy Brief also provides model policy interventions to expand access to oral health, including augmenting the oral health workforce by licensing mid-level dental providers and supporting teledentristry initiatives.

Click here to read the policy brief.

The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC) is an independent state agency that develops policy to reduce health care cost growth and improve the quality of patient care. The HPC has five core responsibilities: Monitoring the performance of the health care system, analyzing the impact of health care market transactions on cost, quality, and access, setting the health care cost growth benchmark, investing in community health care delivery system transformation, and certifying patient-medical homes (PCMHs) and accountable care organizations (ACOs). The HPC's 11-member Board provides oversight to the activities of the agency. To learn more, please visit mass.gov/HPC   or follow on Twitter @Mass_HPC .