1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,899 Evernorth brings the power of wonder and relentless 2 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:05,919 innovation to create world class pharmacy care and 3 00:00:05,919 --> 00:00:09,199 benefit solutions. Our connected health services make the 4 00:00:09,199 --> 00:00:12,080 treatment, prediction, and prevention of health care's most 5 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:13,059 complex conditions 6 00:00:13,605 --> 00:00:16,344 easier and more accessible as we drive organizations 7 00:00:16,725 --> 00:00:19,524 and people forward. Ever North Home Based Care 8 00:00:19,524 --> 00:00:22,004 provides value based care that helps patients with 9 00:00:22,004 --> 00:00:23,384 multiple chronic conditions 10 00:00:23,844 --> 00:00:26,085 and social determinant of health barriers get the 11 00:00:26,085 --> 00:00:28,804 care they need and the personalized experience they 12 00:00:28,804 --> 00:00:31,660 deserve. We serve patients who struggle to navigate 13 00:00:31,660 --> 00:00:34,060 the health care system by bringing high quality 14 00:00:34,060 --> 00:00:34,560 primary 15 00:00:35,020 --> 00:00:37,739 and preventative care services to the home. By 16 00:00:37,739 --> 00:00:40,619 providing clinical care and support services that provide 17 00:00:40,619 --> 00:00:44,185 whole person care, we improve health equity, access, 18 00:00:44,185 --> 00:00:46,605 and outcomes for the populations we serve. 19 00:00:48,024 --> 00:00:50,204 Hello, and welcome to the Becker's Healthcare podcast. 20 00:00:50,344 --> 00:00:53,065 I'm joined today by Gary Rosenfield, director of 21 00:00:53,065 --> 00:00:56,045 Medicaid product and strategy at United Concordia Dental. 22 00:00:56,469 --> 00:00:57,909 Gary, can you start off by telling us 23 00:00:57,909 --> 00:00:59,689 a little bit about yourself and your background? 24 00:01:00,469 --> 00:01:03,509 Sure. I am, as you said, the director 25 00:01:03,509 --> 00:01:06,170 of Medicaid product and strategy at United Concordia 26 00:01:06,310 --> 00:01:06,810 Dental. 27 00:01:07,430 --> 00:01:10,834 We are the wholly owned subsidiary dental plan 28 00:01:10,834 --> 00:01:12,694 under the umbrella of Highmark Health. 29 00:01:13,234 --> 00:01:14,694 I joined in 30 00:01:15,075 --> 00:01:17,795 January of this year after spending a lot 31 00:01:17,795 --> 00:01:20,194 of my career on the Medicaid managed care 32 00:01:20,194 --> 00:01:20,694 side 33 00:01:20,995 --> 00:01:22,295 of the of the business. 34 00:01:23,259 --> 00:01:25,180 So I ran the Medicaid line of business 35 00:01:25,180 --> 00:01:27,180 in a couple health plans in New York, 36 00:01:27,180 --> 00:01:27,680 ran 37 00:01:28,299 --> 00:01:30,299 Medicaid strategy for a number of years at 38 00:01:30,299 --> 00:01:32,239 a large health plan on the West Coast. 39 00:01:32,700 --> 00:01:35,519 And I was excited to join United Concordia 40 00:01:35,579 --> 00:01:37,039 because in my 41 00:01:37,575 --> 00:01:39,515 experience on the managed care side, 42 00:01:39,974 --> 00:01:41,354 dental is a 43 00:01:41,734 --> 00:01:42,314 a huge 44 00:01:42,775 --> 00:01:43,275 challenge 45 00:01:43,734 --> 00:01:45,114 for the Medicaid population, 46 00:01:45,415 --> 00:01:48,635 and I believe United Concordia Dental is positioned 47 00:01:48,935 --> 00:01:52,609 well to, address those challenges. So I'm tasked 48 00:01:52,609 --> 00:01:53,109 with, 49 00:01:53,729 --> 00:01:55,269 really growing our 50 00:01:55,569 --> 00:01:59,409 Medicaid footprint beyond our, you know, beyond Highmark 51 00:01:59,409 --> 00:02:01,329 Health, which is where we currently serve Medicaid 52 00:02:01,329 --> 00:02:02,149 in 3 states. 53 00:02:02,609 --> 00:02:05,090 From improving member experience and expanding value based 54 00:02:05,090 --> 00:02:07,775 care to controlling costs, You know, payer executives 55 00:02:07,994 --> 00:02:09,914 have ambitious growth goals for the rest of 56 00:02:09,914 --> 00:02:11,914 the year and into next year. In your 57 00:02:11,914 --> 00:02:13,275 role, what would you say is your top 58 00:02:13,275 --> 00:02:14,875 priority right now, and how are you planning 59 00:02:14,875 --> 00:02:15,694 to get there? 60 00:02:16,955 --> 00:02:17,455 So 61 00:02:18,555 --> 00:02:21,354 the top priority I mean, there there's there 62 00:02:21,354 --> 00:02:22,574 are several top 63 00:02:23,010 --> 00:02:24,550 priorities. I would say 64 00:02:25,569 --> 00:02:27,909 2 of them that are are 65 00:02:28,370 --> 00:02:30,469 probably equal is 1. 66 00:02:31,010 --> 00:02:33,409 Access to care is a is a challenge, 67 00:02:33,409 --> 00:02:35,430 especially for the Medicaid population. 68 00:02:36,094 --> 00:02:38,174 So what yeah. One of the things that 69 00:02:38,174 --> 00:02:39,875 we're looking at is 70 00:02:40,574 --> 00:02:41,634 we have the 71 00:02:42,014 --> 00:02:45,134 largest provider network. United Concordia, which I didn't 72 00:02:45,134 --> 00:02:45,954 mention before, 73 00:02:46,414 --> 00:02:47,715 has the TRICARE 74 00:02:48,060 --> 00:02:50,460 contract. So we have the military contract. So 75 00:02:50,460 --> 00:02:53,180 we have a network provider. If there's a 76 00:02:53,180 --> 00:02:54,879 post office, we have a network provider. 77 00:02:55,420 --> 00:02:55,920 So 78 00:02:56,780 --> 00:02:57,680 how do we 79 00:02:58,219 --> 00:02:58,719 leverage 80 00:02:59,580 --> 00:03:00,480 that network 81 00:03:01,099 --> 00:03:02,080 in a way that 82 00:03:02,564 --> 00:03:03,064 expands 83 00:03:03,605 --> 00:03:04,105 access. 84 00:03:04,645 --> 00:03:05,944 But with the challenges, 85 00:03:06,485 --> 00:03:09,305 within the current providers who take Medicaid, 86 00:03:09,925 --> 00:03:11,685 one of the, like, kind of priorities is 87 00:03:11,685 --> 00:03:13,844 how do we expand the capacity for those 88 00:03:13,844 --> 00:03:14,344 existing 89 00:03:14,645 --> 00:03:17,420 providers? So that's one. The other is 90 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:19,719 more you know, this this is like a 91 00:03:19,719 --> 00:03:20,540 team effort. 92 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:22,939 The head has, 93 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:24,540 for an inexplicable 94 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:27,400 reason, been separated from the body when it 95 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:28,540 comes to regulations 96 00:03:28,920 --> 00:03:29,659 and funding. 97 00:03:30,294 --> 00:03:32,715 We need to really work on advocating 98 00:03:33,014 --> 00:03:34,794 to get the 99 00:03:35,094 --> 00:03:37,514 proper attention to make oral health 100 00:03:37,894 --> 00:03:40,775 really part of the conversation so that there's 101 00:03:40,775 --> 00:03:43,435 the appropriate funding to to really 102 00:03:43,770 --> 00:03:46,330 make that connection between the oral and systemic 103 00:03:46,330 --> 00:03:47,069 health link. 104 00:03:48,169 --> 00:03:50,330 At an industry level, what would you say 105 00:03:50,330 --> 00:03:53,129 are the biggest barriers to effectively serving and 106 00:03:53,129 --> 00:03:54,030 engaging members? 107 00:03:54,330 --> 00:03:56,250 You know, what opportunities do you see for 108 00:03:56,250 --> 00:03:58,564 large scale improvements in this area, and how 109 00:03:58,564 --> 00:04:00,344 are you currently applying these strategies? 110 00:04:01,284 --> 00:04:04,004 Yeah. So, you know, great question. You know, 111 00:04:04,004 --> 00:04:06,405 in the in the dental space and, again, 112 00:04:06,405 --> 00:04:07,224 with Medicaid, 113 00:04:08,324 --> 00:04:10,025 I I could cite, you know, 114 00:04:10,670 --> 00:04:11,409 some statistics, 115 00:04:12,189 --> 00:04:13,090 like 93% 116 00:04:13,710 --> 00:04:14,210 of 117 00:04:14,750 --> 00:04:15,730 people in poverty 118 00:04:16,750 --> 00:04:18,850 have not used dental services. 119 00:04:19,550 --> 00:04:22,189 People of color are 3 times more likely 120 00:04:22,189 --> 00:04:23,790 to have never seen a dentist, and they're 121 00:04:23,790 --> 00:04:25,605 also 3 times more likely to go to 122 00:04:25,685 --> 00:04:28,504 the emergency department when they have an oral 123 00:04:28,805 --> 00:04:30,025 health care issue. 124 00:04:30,725 --> 00:04:32,185 So one of the biggest 125 00:04:32,485 --> 00:04:32,985 barriers 126 00:04:33,525 --> 00:04:35,305 to engaging members is 127 00:04:35,845 --> 00:04:36,904 we need to 128 00:04:37,525 --> 00:04:39,944 really figure out or really 129 00:04:41,310 --> 00:04:43,790 get to the community level. You know, much 130 00:04:43,790 --> 00:04:46,689 like community health workers, we at United Concordia 131 00:04:47,709 --> 00:04:51,149 have a team of government relations liaisons who 132 00:04:51,149 --> 00:04:52,770 actually go out in the communities, 133 00:04:53,310 --> 00:04:56,264 where the military bases are, and they educate 134 00:04:56,264 --> 00:04:58,764 the active duty military members and their families, 135 00:04:59,144 --> 00:05:01,384 help get them connected to providers that are 136 00:05:01,384 --> 00:05:03,564 in their neighborhood or area 137 00:05:04,024 --> 00:05:06,285 with with the intent to make sure that 138 00:05:06,345 --> 00:05:08,745 the active duty military member is fit for 139 00:05:08,745 --> 00:05:09,245 deployment. 140 00:05:09,930 --> 00:05:11,529 We could take that same model and have 141 00:05:11,529 --> 00:05:13,930 the the boots on the ground that kind 142 00:05:13,930 --> 00:05:15,230 of address 143 00:05:15,610 --> 00:05:16,110 the 144 00:05:16,970 --> 00:05:19,210 kind of trust barriers that we find with 145 00:05:19,210 --> 00:05:19,949 those populations, 146 00:05:20,410 --> 00:05:22,670 help get them connected to social 147 00:05:23,129 --> 00:05:24,990 services that may be impediments, 148 00:05:25,504 --> 00:05:27,605 help get them connected to to providers, 149 00:05:28,064 --> 00:05:31,764 really put some programs in there that drives 150 00:05:32,384 --> 00:05:34,245 not only engagement, but actually 151 00:05:34,785 --> 00:05:35,285 access, 152 00:05:35,745 --> 00:05:36,245 adaptability, 153 00:05:36,865 --> 00:05:37,605 or adoption 154 00:05:37,985 --> 00:05:39,044 of of the care. 155 00:05:39,649 --> 00:05:41,810 And so so we're looking at that as 156 00:05:41,810 --> 00:05:43,830 far as like large scale improvements. 157 00:05:44,850 --> 00:05:47,189 It's it it is a team 158 00:05:47,569 --> 00:05:49,350 effort and Medicaid 159 00:05:50,129 --> 00:05:51,970 as as the saying goes, you've seen one 160 00:05:51,970 --> 00:05:54,935 Medicaid member, you've seen one Medicaid member. It 161 00:05:54,935 --> 00:05:57,595 is really community driven. So how can we 162 00:05:58,134 --> 00:05:58,634 leverage 163 00:05:59,175 --> 00:06:00,875 some of the, you know, the technology 164 00:06:01,334 --> 00:06:02,634 tools that we have 165 00:06:02,935 --> 00:06:05,014 to remove some of the, 166 00:06:05,495 --> 00:06:05,995 barriers 167 00:06:06,375 --> 00:06:08,589 of getting providers in the network. Right? So 168 00:06:08,589 --> 00:06:09,089 administrative 169 00:06:09,550 --> 00:06:11,490 kind of burdens that are placed on them. 170 00:06:11,629 --> 00:06:12,529 How can we 171 00:06:12,910 --> 00:06:15,410 get creative with value based contracting 172 00:06:15,870 --> 00:06:17,649 with the providers who are in our network 173 00:06:17,789 --> 00:06:20,269 so that they're more open to enrolling in 174 00:06:20,269 --> 00:06:23,524 Medicaid and taking those those members? Mhmm. Things 175 00:06:23,524 --> 00:06:24,185 like that. 176 00:06:24,724 --> 00:06:28,164 So keeping up with, today's rapidly evolving health 177 00:06:28,164 --> 00:06:29,944 care landscape is is challenging. 178 00:06:30,485 --> 00:06:33,044 What's one piece of advice you'd like to 179 00:06:33,044 --> 00:06:35,125 share with other leaders in your space to 180 00:06:35,125 --> 00:06:37,204 help grow their businesses while keeping members top 181 00:06:37,204 --> 00:06:37,865 of mind? 182 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:40,680 That that is a really good question. I 183 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:42,519 I would say the the first piece of 184 00:06:42,519 --> 00:06:43,819 advice is 185 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:47,000 patience. This is it's not a sprint. It's 186 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:48,699 a marathon. It's a complicated 187 00:06:49,159 --> 00:06:52,439 population like Medicaid. So really kind of understanding 188 00:06:52,439 --> 00:06:53,144 that it is 189 00:06:53,704 --> 00:06:55,964 local, you know, community driven. 190 00:06:56,345 --> 00:06:56,845 Also, 191 00:06:58,104 --> 00:06:59,865 don't get caught in the trap of trying 192 00:06:59,865 --> 00:07:02,584 to boil the ocean, which is often a 193 00:07:02,584 --> 00:07:04,685 lot of leaders wanna just fix everything. 194 00:07:05,144 --> 00:07:07,564 Really start on a 195 00:07:08,029 --> 00:07:08,930 a kind 196 00:07:09,550 --> 00:07:10,850 of a a deliberate 197 00:07:11,310 --> 00:07:13,569 kind of more focused approach 198 00:07:14,269 --> 00:07:15,169 to solving 199 00:07:15,470 --> 00:07:16,289 or addressing 200 00:07:17,069 --> 00:07:20,189 challenges that that they're facing. All that being 201 00:07:20,189 --> 00:07:22,449 said, that does keep the members in mind 202 00:07:22,574 --> 00:07:23,555 It because 203 00:07:24,014 --> 00:07:25,395 if you're understanding 204 00:07:26,014 --> 00:07:27,955 the challenges of the local communities 205 00:07:28,654 --> 00:07:30,735 and then putting programs in place to address 206 00:07:30,735 --> 00:07:33,314 those challenges, you will start seeing 207 00:07:33,694 --> 00:07:36,194 outcomes, drive delivering a better member experience, 208 00:07:36,895 --> 00:07:38,699 and all the things that are related to 209 00:07:38,699 --> 00:07:39,199 that. 210 00:07:39,899 --> 00:07:42,860 So we we talked about the rapidly changing 211 00:07:42,860 --> 00:07:43,839 health care landscape. 212 00:07:44,139 --> 00:07:47,360 It's also ever evolving from a regulatory environment 213 00:07:47,420 --> 00:07:49,180 as well. What are some of the tools 214 00:07:49,180 --> 00:07:51,740 and strategies that have helped your organization improve 215 00:07:51,740 --> 00:07:53,199 quality and clinical outcomes 216 00:07:53,824 --> 00:07:54,865 while staying, 217 00:07:55,264 --> 00:07:55,764 compliant? 218 00:07:56,464 --> 00:07:58,625 So very good question. So we we are 219 00:07:58,625 --> 00:08:01,925 a heavily regulated industry. It especially with Medicaid, 220 00:08:02,064 --> 00:08:03,985 you you have to be in compliance. Right? 221 00:08:03,985 --> 00:08:06,084 So the contract is scrutinized, 222 00:08:06,384 --> 00:08:07,125 the reporting, 223 00:08:07,829 --> 00:08:09,910 everything that we do for the members, how 224 00:08:09,910 --> 00:08:12,089 we engage them, you know, the marketing, 225 00:08:12,470 --> 00:08:14,410 the messaging, all has to be approved. 226 00:08:15,110 --> 00:08:16,949 And and to your point, it is an 227 00:08:16,949 --> 00:08:17,449 evolving 228 00:08:17,750 --> 00:08:20,009 regulatory environment and, you know, given 229 00:08:21,214 --> 00:08:21,875 what happened 230 00:08:22,254 --> 00:08:24,574 with the election, not to bring that in, 231 00:08:24,574 --> 00:08:25,074 but 232 00:08:25,615 --> 00:08:27,555 Medicaid is going to be in the crosshairs 233 00:08:27,855 --> 00:08:30,415 of massive changes at the federal level, most 234 00:08:30,415 --> 00:08:32,415 likely. So we have to start thinking about 235 00:08:32,415 --> 00:08:35,919 that. But in terms of of, you know, 236 00:08:35,919 --> 00:08:39,539 being able to improve the quality and clinical 237 00:08:39,839 --> 00:08:40,339 outcomes 238 00:08:40,879 --> 00:08:41,940 while staying compliant, 239 00:08:43,039 --> 00:08:45,759 we at United Concordia Dental, and and and 240 00:08:45,759 --> 00:08:47,625 this this kind of is one of the 241 00:08:47,625 --> 00:08:50,024 advantages of having Highmark Health, which is an 242 00:08:50,024 --> 00:08:52,125 MCO as our parent company, 243 00:08:52,745 --> 00:08:54,745 have are you know, we take a total 244 00:08:54,745 --> 00:08:55,565 health approach. 245 00:08:56,184 --> 00:08:58,925 So we are, yeah, like, really 246 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:00,220 deliberate 247 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:03,799 about driving better health overall health outcomes. So 248 00:09:03,799 --> 00:09:04,860 we do that by 249 00:09:05,240 --> 00:09:07,879 making that, like, medical, dental integration. So kind 250 00:09:07,879 --> 00:09:10,379 of connecting the oral systemic health link. 251 00:09:10,919 --> 00:09:11,500 You know, 252 00:09:12,084 --> 00:09:14,904 60 chronic conditions, including, like, diabetes 253 00:09:15,205 --> 00:09:16,345 and and heart disease. 254 00:09:16,804 --> 00:09:18,985 Those are all things that could actually be 255 00:09:19,445 --> 00:09:19,945 diagnosed 256 00:09:20,485 --> 00:09:22,964 or or mitigated if you get your oral 257 00:09:22,964 --> 00:09:24,964 health care. There's a link between oral health 258 00:09:24,964 --> 00:09:26,424 and and those chronic conditions. 259 00:09:27,220 --> 00:09:29,639 There are other like like, with prenatal 260 00:09:30,100 --> 00:09:30,600 care, 261 00:09:30,899 --> 00:09:34,200 there are connections to if you get the 262 00:09:34,340 --> 00:09:35,639 moms in for 263 00:09:37,460 --> 00:09:38,600 a teeth cleaning 264 00:09:39,615 --> 00:09:40,355 during pregnancy, 265 00:09:40,735 --> 00:09:41,475 it actually 266 00:09:41,934 --> 00:09:42,434 reduces 267 00:09:42,815 --> 00:09:43,554 the risk 268 00:09:44,174 --> 00:09:44,674 of 269 00:09:45,054 --> 00:09:48,095 preterm births and low birth weight. Those are 270 00:09:48,095 --> 00:09:50,014 all things that that we're doing. So we've 271 00:09:50,014 --> 00:09:53,215 we've created, like, a dental medical insights platform 272 00:09:53,455 --> 00:09:56,259 Mhmm. That allows us to kind of take 273 00:09:56,259 --> 00:09:58,360 the data and and 274 00:09:58,660 --> 00:09:59,559 gain some 275 00:10:00,179 --> 00:10:01,320 actionable insights 276 00:10:01,860 --> 00:10:05,320 that allow us to take action to improve 277 00:10:05,940 --> 00:10:06,440 quality 278 00:10:07,059 --> 00:10:10,125 in terms of, you know, managing diabetes 279 00:10:10,504 --> 00:10:11,004 or 280 00:10:11,384 --> 00:10:11,884 improving 281 00:10:12,664 --> 00:10:14,605 quality for maternal health. 282 00:10:16,024 --> 00:10:18,125 So a little bit ago, you talked about 283 00:10:18,184 --> 00:10:18,924 some of the 284 00:10:19,625 --> 00:10:22,044 disparities in the dental space in your communities. 285 00:10:22,690 --> 00:10:25,509 What are some of the things your organization 286 00:10:25,570 --> 00:10:27,570 is doing to address these? And, you know, 287 00:10:27,570 --> 00:10:30,230 do you have any measurable examples of success? 288 00:10:31,649 --> 00:10:34,450 So that that is a great question. You 289 00:10:34,450 --> 00:10:36,690 know, measurable, you know, we're, you know, still 290 00:10:36,690 --> 00:10:39,565 kinda sifting through that. Mhmm. But some of 291 00:10:39,565 --> 00:10:41,325 the things that that we're doing, like I 292 00:10:41,325 --> 00:10:45,504 mentioned, kind of, using our kind of government 293 00:10:45,565 --> 00:10:47,985 relations liaisons or GRL model, 294 00:10:48,524 --> 00:10:50,285 you know, we could call them community dental 295 00:10:50,285 --> 00:10:52,065 advocates, like, use that model 296 00:10:53,070 --> 00:10:54,769 or the Medicaid population 297 00:10:55,549 --> 00:10:57,089 to really get into the communities 298 00:10:57,549 --> 00:10:58,049 to 299 00:10:58,509 --> 00:11:01,389 address the diverse needs, you know, one community 300 00:11:01,389 --> 00:11:03,389 at a time. So we could, you know, 301 00:11:03,389 --> 00:11:05,789 look at rural areas or certain ZIP codes 302 00:11:05,789 --> 00:11:07,970 where there are some challenges and kind of 303 00:11:08,245 --> 00:11:10,404 develop a framework or a model where we 304 00:11:10,404 --> 00:11:11,465 actually have 305 00:11:12,085 --> 00:11:14,165 boots on the ground, people from the community 306 00:11:14,165 --> 00:11:16,404 who could build that trust and address some 307 00:11:16,404 --> 00:11:19,045 of those inequities and disparities that are out 308 00:11:19,045 --> 00:11:19,545 there. 309 00:11:20,085 --> 00:11:20,825 We also 310 00:11:21,605 --> 00:11:22,105 have 311 00:11:23,639 --> 00:11:25,960 kind of recognized or identified, you know, some 312 00:11:25,960 --> 00:11:28,379 of the, you know, prior auth 313 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:30,620 challenges, like prior authorizations. 314 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:34,299 So, you know, for example, like with diabetes, 315 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:34,965 like, 316 00:11:35,524 --> 00:11:36,665 removing the 317 00:11:37,125 --> 00:11:40,184 prior auth need so that someone with diabetes 318 00:11:40,325 --> 00:11:42,485 could get, like, an extra cleaning, get an 319 00:11:42,485 --> 00:11:43,625 extra exam. 320 00:11:44,165 --> 00:11:45,925 You know? So kind of working with with 321 00:11:45,925 --> 00:11:46,665 those populations 322 00:11:47,125 --> 00:11:50,184 on a on a disease level. We also 323 00:11:50,960 --> 00:11:55,059 are you know, use benefit limits exceptions. So 324 00:11:55,279 --> 00:11:57,700 a lot of states with Medicaid, they have 325 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:00,639 for the adult population, they have, you know, 326 00:12:00,639 --> 00:12:01,860 strict limits on 327 00:12:02,160 --> 00:12:04,179 how much is paid in dental. 328 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:06,500 There are certain kind of 329 00:12:06,955 --> 00:12:09,214 procedures, again, with the chronic conditions 330 00:12:09,914 --> 00:12:11,615 that we make exceptions 331 00:12:12,075 --> 00:12:14,154 and and because it's the right thing to 332 00:12:14,154 --> 00:12:15,855 do from a health standpoint. 333 00:12:16,554 --> 00:12:17,534 So those things 334 00:12:17,914 --> 00:12:18,975 are delivering, 335 00:12:19,355 --> 00:12:20,815 you know, better outcomes. 336 00:12:21,220 --> 00:12:22,899 And, again, it's like one community at a 337 00:12:22,899 --> 00:12:24,120 time. Mhmm. Mhmm. 338 00:12:24,500 --> 00:12:26,419 Well, Gary, I really appreciate you sharing your 339 00:12:26,419 --> 00:12:28,580 insights today. But before I let you go, 340 00:12:28,580 --> 00:12:29,779 do you have any final thoughts you'd like 341 00:12:29,779 --> 00:12:30,840 to leave with our listeners? 342 00:12:31,620 --> 00:12:35,139 So final thought is and I I say 343 00:12:35,139 --> 00:12:36,840 this to everyone. I said at the beginning. 344 00:12:37,485 --> 00:12:39,985 It's real we we need to make 345 00:12:40,285 --> 00:12:41,965 the head part of the body, and we 346 00:12:41,965 --> 00:12:43,424 need everyone out there, 347 00:12:43,804 --> 00:12:45,745 especially on the payer side, 348 00:12:46,845 --> 00:12:47,345 recognizing 349 00:12:47,725 --> 00:12:50,759 that oral health is part of physical health. 350 00:12:50,759 --> 00:12:53,080 It is part of the body. Mhmm. And 351 00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:54,139 and really 352 00:12:55,480 --> 00:12:58,360 get, you know, take take some focus and 353 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:00,860 and really, you know, lean into 354 00:13:01,639 --> 00:13:02,139 addressing 355 00:13:02,680 --> 00:13:04,759 oral health care needs as part of total 356 00:13:04,759 --> 00:13:06,934 health. Well, Gary, thank you again for joining 357 00:13:06,934 --> 00:13:08,534 us today on the Beckers Health Care Podcast, 358 00:13:08,534 --> 00:13:09,574 and I hope you have a lovely rest 359 00:13:09,574 --> 00:13:11,095 of your day. Alright. Thank you so much. 360 00:13:11,095 --> 00:13:11,834 Bye bye.