1 00:00:00,719 --> 00:00:03,040 Hello, everyone. This is Jacob Emerson with the 2 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:04,740 Becker's Panger Issues podcast. 3 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:07,279 We're going to be joined by doctor Richard 4 00:00:07,279 --> 00:00:10,099 Selco, who's the chief dental officer at UPMC 5 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:12,320 Health Plan. Doctor Selco, thank you so much 6 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:13,919 for taking the time to be with me 7 00:00:13,919 --> 00:00:15,139 on the podcast today. 8 00:00:15,705 --> 00:00:17,945 Jacob, thank you for the opportunity to discuss, 9 00:00:18,344 --> 00:00:21,545 some things relevant to oral health. Yeah. Absolutely. 10 00:00:21,545 --> 00:00:23,304 And before we dive into everything we wanna 11 00:00:23,304 --> 00:00:24,824 talk with you about, Richard, can you tell 12 00:00:24,824 --> 00:00:26,824 us a little bit more about yourself, your 13 00:00:26,824 --> 00:00:28,664 background in health care, and what it is 14 00:00:28,664 --> 00:00:30,364 that you do today at UPMC? 15 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:35,280 Sure. My background in, in dentistry or health 16 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:36,659 care started back 17 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:38,179 in '19, 18 00:00:38,719 --> 00:00:41,780 '85 when I graduated from Saint Vincent College, 19 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:43,060 in Latrobe. 20 00:00:43,704 --> 00:00:46,104 I went to, I was luckily and fortunate 21 00:00:46,104 --> 00:00:47,484 enough to be accepted at 22 00:00:47,864 --> 00:00:50,024 the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, 23 00:00:50,024 --> 00:00:52,024 and I did my four years of training 24 00:00:52,024 --> 00:00:52,265 at, 25 00:00:53,225 --> 00:00:54,765 at University of Pittsburgh, 26 00:00:55,304 --> 00:00:57,864 dental school and followed that up with one 27 00:00:57,864 --> 00:01:00,850 year of a hospital based residency at Montefiore 28 00:01:00,850 --> 00:01:02,869 Hospital here in Pittsburgh as well. 29 00:01:03,729 --> 00:01:06,150 I spent nearly ten years in private practice 30 00:01:06,290 --> 00:01:06,609 with my, 31 00:01:07,810 --> 00:01:10,049 I I took over my father's practice after 32 00:01:10,049 --> 00:01:10,709 he retired 33 00:01:11,329 --> 00:01:12,549 in 1990 34 00:01:12,609 --> 00:01:13,109 and 35 00:01:14,814 --> 00:01:15,855 practiced there till, 36 00:01:16,895 --> 00:01:18,515 nearly 1998. 37 00:01:18,974 --> 00:01:20,495 And at that point in time, I went 38 00:01:20,495 --> 00:01:23,454 into the insurance aspect as a dental consultant 39 00:01:23,454 --> 00:01:25,715 working for Aetna, a life insurance company. 40 00:01:26,174 --> 00:01:27,935 And I spent eleven years there as their, 41 00:01:28,549 --> 00:01:30,709 ending my career there as their national dental 42 00:01:30,709 --> 00:01:31,209 director 43 00:01:31,909 --> 00:01:32,569 of utilization 44 00:01:32,870 --> 00:01:33,370 management. 45 00:01:34,549 --> 00:01:36,549 Following that, I did some time in a 46 00:01:36,549 --> 00:01:39,209 company up in New York, New York City, 47 00:01:39,349 --> 00:01:40,810 PNR Dental Strategies, 48 00:01:41,510 --> 00:01:42,730 and I was the 49 00:01:43,734 --> 00:01:46,954 national dental director for a national dental insurance 50 00:01:47,015 --> 00:01:48,155 company called Avisis, 51 00:01:49,415 --> 00:01:51,334 for a few years. And after that, I 52 00:01:51,334 --> 00:01:52,135 I was, 53 00:01:53,174 --> 00:01:55,814 brought on to, the University of Pittsburgh Medical 54 00:01:55,814 --> 00:01:57,515 Center, UPMC Health Plan, 55 00:01:58,090 --> 00:02:02,670 back, eleven years ago. So back in 02/2014, 56 00:02:02,810 --> 00:02:04,989 I started my career here in, UPMC, 57 00:02:05,609 --> 00:02:06,569 and I've been here, 58 00:02:07,049 --> 00:02:09,689 since then in a few different roles. But 59 00:02:09,689 --> 00:02:11,949 my current role is chief dental officer, 60 00:02:12,794 --> 00:02:14,715 for the health plan, and I'm involved with 61 00:02:14,715 --> 00:02:15,375 the Medicaid, 62 00:02:16,314 --> 00:02:18,574 and commercial dental benefits administration. 63 00:02:20,715 --> 00:02:22,954 Fantastic. So a long career in the dental 64 00:02:22,954 --> 00:02:24,254 industry and the insurance 65 00:02:24,715 --> 00:02:25,854 industry, Richard. 66 00:02:26,459 --> 00:02:29,099 You've obviously then seen a lot about how 67 00:02:29,099 --> 00:02:31,659 the industries have evolved over the decades. And 68 00:02:31,659 --> 00:02:33,659 so where I wanted to start with you 69 00:02:33,659 --> 00:02:35,819 today in terms of our conversation is is 70 00:02:35,819 --> 00:02:38,219 asking a little bit about, where your role 71 00:02:38,219 --> 00:02:39,759 intersects with UPMC's 72 00:02:40,459 --> 00:02:41,199 large footprint. 73 00:02:41,594 --> 00:02:44,175 Obviously, the health system operates in urban areas 74 00:02:44,235 --> 00:02:46,155 and and in rural areas as well in 75 00:02:46,155 --> 00:02:48,235 terms of the patients and the members that 76 00:02:48,235 --> 00:02:48,974 you serve. 77 00:02:49,275 --> 00:02:51,314 So I wonder if you could, delve into 78 00:02:51,314 --> 00:02:53,754 our for our listeners a little bit about 79 00:02:53,754 --> 00:02:54,974 how you think 80 00:02:55,370 --> 00:02:58,349 rural dental care is different from dental care 81 00:02:58,409 --> 00:03:00,490 provided in an urban environment. And I ask 82 00:03:00,490 --> 00:03:02,669 that because we hear so much today about, 83 00:03:03,449 --> 00:03:04,909 rural health care access. 84 00:03:05,210 --> 00:03:06,810 So can you give us your take on 85 00:03:06,810 --> 00:03:08,909 on what some of the differences there are? 86 00:03:09,794 --> 00:03:10,534 Yes. Certainly. 87 00:03:12,514 --> 00:03:14,055 Well, in the urban areas, 88 00:03:14,514 --> 00:03:15,094 you know, 89 00:03:15,635 --> 00:03:17,335 access isn't really an issue. 90 00:03:17,794 --> 00:03:19,474 But when we get out to the, 91 00:03:19,794 --> 00:03:22,594 more rural areas and the surrounding areas outside 92 00:03:22,594 --> 00:03:23,310 of, say, 93 00:03:23,870 --> 00:03:25,729 a metropolis or a metropolitan 94 00:03:26,669 --> 00:03:29,389 city, finding dentists that, you know, they're very 95 00:03:29,389 --> 00:03:31,569 difficult to come by, and specialists, 96 00:03:32,110 --> 00:03:34,750 in particular are even harder to find when 97 00:03:34,750 --> 00:03:36,509 you need their type of work, like oral 98 00:03:36,509 --> 00:03:37,650 surgeons or periodontists 99 00:03:38,030 --> 00:03:38,770 or prosthodontists. 100 00:03:40,245 --> 00:03:40,745 So 101 00:03:41,685 --> 00:03:44,824 say let's say for center city of Pittsburgh, 102 00:03:44,885 --> 00:03:45,385 Pennsylvania. 103 00:03:46,405 --> 00:03:48,324 We have a dental school within a, you 104 00:03:48,324 --> 00:03:50,824 know, miles of the downtown area. 105 00:03:51,125 --> 00:03:53,784 We have many general dentists and many specialists. 106 00:03:53,844 --> 00:03:56,219 We have hospitals within a stone's throw of 107 00:03:56,219 --> 00:03:56,879 each other. 108 00:03:57,340 --> 00:03:59,280 But when you get into a rural area, 109 00:03:59,419 --> 00:04:00,860 you know, you may have to rely on 110 00:04:00,860 --> 00:04:02,879 a federally qualified health center, 111 00:04:03,579 --> 00:04:05,739 that may only have a part time dentist 112 00:04:05,739 --> 00:04:07,739 as an employee. They may have a full 113 00:04:07,739 --> 00:04:09,900 time medical staff or even a part time 114 00:04:09,900 --> 00:04:10,799 medical staff. 115 00:04:11,264 --> 00:04:14,384 But finding a full time dentist in rural 116 00:04:14,384 --> 00:04:14,884 areas 117 00:04:15,344 --> 00:04:16,884 is challenging because 118 00:04:17,665 --> 00:04:18,464 they're not, 119 00:04:18,785 --> 00:04:20,404 you know, they're not highly populated. 120 00:04:21,345 --> 00:04:22,084 There aren't 121 00:04:22,785 --> 00:04:24,884 many employees that really 122 00:04:25,425 --> 00:04:25,925 are 123 00:04:26,870 --> 00:04:28,810 are able to get to those places. 124 00:04:29,509 --> 00:04:32,629 And, so it's very challenging to find qualified 125 00:04:32,629 --> 00:04:35,610 people to wanna live and work in rural 126 00:04:35,750 --> 00:04:36,250 communities. 127 00:04:36,789 --> 00:04:38,789 So that's one of the biggest challenges that 128 00:04:38,789 --> 00:04:40,745 we face. And, you know, you may think 129 00:04:40,745 --> 00:04:42,584 that, oh, we're in the center city of 130 00:04:42,584 --> 00:04:44,584 Pittsburgh. And but if you go a half 131 00:04:44,584 --> 00:04:46,604 hour north, southeast, or west, 132 00:04:46,904 --> 00:04:48,745 you're in an area that's not really a 133 00:04:48,745 --> 00:04:50,104 dental desert, but it's, 134 00:04:51,144 --> 00:04:53,404 you're gonna drive or you're gonna have difficulty 135 00:04:53,464 --> 00:04:55,810 finding a a provider. So maybe, 136 00:04:56,189 --> 00:04:58,029 you know, those are the challenges right now. 137 00:04:58,029 --> 00:05:00,829 In the centers of the urban or urban 138 00:05:00,829 --> 00:05:01,329 areas, 139 00:05:01,949 --> 00:05:04,349 the having finding dental access isn't really a 140 00:05:04,349 --> 00:05:06,829 problem. But the further you go out with 141 00:05:06,829 --> 00:05:07,569 your diameter 142 00:05:07,870 --> 00:05:08,769 in the radius 143 00:05:09,274 --> 00:05:12,394 of your circle there, it's, definitely a a 144 00:05:12,394 --> 00:05:13,694 challenge to find 145 00:05:14,314 --> 00:05:17,274 quality dental care or dental care in general. 146 00:05:17,274 --> 00:05:17,774 But, 147 00:05:18,954 --> 00:05:21,675 finding access is, has been a challenge for 148 00:05:21,675 --> 00:05:22,974 many of our membership. 149 00:05:23,709 --> 00:05:25,069 Sure. No. It makes a lot of sense, 150 00:05:25,069 --> 00:05:27,629 and that really, of course, parallels with, other 151 00:05:27,629 --> 00:05:30,189 health care services as well in in terms 152 00:05:30,189 --> 00:05:31,569 of access in rural areas. 153 00:05:32,269 --> 00:05:34,349 Yeah. Dentistry is not alone in that. So 154 00:05:34,509 --> 00:05:35,329 Yeah. Certainly. 155 00:05:36,314 --> 00:05:39,355 So from UPMC's perspective then, how is the 156 00:05:39,355 --> 00:05:41,774 health system how is the health plan supporting, 157 00:05:42,555 --> 00:05:45,435 connecting individuals or patients and members in these 158 00:05:45,435 --> 00:05:47,615 rural areas to better dental services, 159 00:05:48,154 --> 00:05:50,175 to to more education and support? 160 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:53,259 What what's your thoughts there? 161 00:05:54,919 --> 00:05:57,240 Certainly. We have well, one of the things 162 00:05:57,240 --> 00:05:59,160 that separates us from some of the other 163 00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:01,479 plans and, if if they do have them, 164 00:06:01,479 --> 00:06:03,660 they they they borrowed our ideas. 165 00:06:04,245 --> 00:06:06,564 We have a clinical team of public health 166 00:06:06,564 --> 00:06:10,725 dental hygiene practitioners that are strategically located throughout 167 00:06:10,725 --> 00:06:12,345 our Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania. 168 00:06:13,524 --> 00:06:15,305 Let's just say we have 14 169 00:06:16,004 --> 00:06:19,389 public health dental hygiene practitioners, and they're scattered 170 00:06:19,449 --> 00:06:22,029 in various counties where they have responsibility 171 00:06:22,569 --> 00:06:23,550 for counties 172 00:06:24,089 --> 00:06:26,089 that are in close proximity to where they 173 00:06:26,089 --> 00:06:26,589 live. 174 00:06:27,129 --> 00:06:28,509 So they'll be contacted 175 00:06:29,290 --> 00:06:30,110 and connect 176 00:06:30,889 --> 00:06:31,389 members 177 00:06:32,414 --> 00:06:34,354 to dentists in those communities. 178 00:06:35,375 --> 00:06:37,235 So we you know, say in the Northwestern 179 00:06:37,534 --> 00:06:40,354 Part Of Pennsylvania, we have a a specific 180 00:06:40,495 --> 00:06:42,274 public health dental hygiene practitioner 181 00:06:42,894 --> 00:06:45,134 who knows not only the dentists in the 182 00:06:45,134 --> 00:06:48,029 areas, but knows other resources where they can 183 00:06:48,029 --> 00:06:50,509 be seen. There's a dental school up there, 184 00:06:50,509 --> 00:06:51,889 Lee Com Dental School. 185 00:06:52,270 --> 00:06:54,350 Lake Lake Erie College of Medicine has a 186 00:06:54,350 --> 00:06:56,270 dental school up in the our Erie area, 187 00:06:56,270 --> 00:06:58,365 which is located in Northwestern VA. 188 00:06:58,685 --> 00:07:01,644 And our in our, Western or Eastern areas, 189 00:07:01,644 --> 00:07:02,305 we have 190 00:07:02,685 --> 00:07:05,404 Temple University, the Kornberg School of Dentistry, and 191 00:07:05,404 --> 00:07:06,704 the University of Pennsylvania. 192 00:07:07,485 --> 00:07:09,824 So we do have access and 193 00:07:11,724 --> 00:07:12,224 to 194 00:07:13,139 --> 00:07:16,519 places like that. So UPMC has our hygienists, 195 00:07:16,740 --> 00:07:18,199 our our public health hygienists 196 00:07:18,819 --> 00:07:22,039 that can arrange and navigate with the members 197 00:07:22,500 --> 00:07:24,259 to make sure that they get in to 198 00:07:24,259 --> 00:07:26,919 see the providers for the care that they 199 00:07:27,139 --> 00:07:28,120 either need 200 00:07:28,764 --> 00:07:30,764 specifically or want, you know, if they need 201 00:07:30,764 --> 00:07:32,764 a tooth taken out or if they need 202 00:07:32,764 --> 00:07:33,345 a filling. 203 00:07:33,805 --> 00:07:36,764 So our hygienists are very familiar with the 204 00:07:36,764 --> 00:07:39,584 providers and the resources within their own community. 205 00:07:39,964 --> 00:07:41,345 And that seems to be 206 00:07:42,139 --> 00:07:44,639 a great benefit for us because 207 00:07:45,500 --> 00:07:47,920 sometimes we have to have a bilingual 208 00:07:48,779 --> 00:07:51,040 public public health dental hygiene practitioner, 209 00:07:51,580 --> 00:07:53,100 and they'll be they, 210 00:07:53,500 --> 00:07:56,080 they'll help their their membership or our members, 211 00:07:57,345 --> 00:07:59,584 find the provider who can best suit their 212 00:07:59,584 --> 00:08:00,084 needs. 213 00:08:00,785 --> 00:08:02,785 A lot of times, they're they'll even go 214 00:08:02,785 --> 00:08:05,904 above and beyond by, working with those patients 215 00:08:05,904 --> 00:08:06,724 or our members 216 00:08:07,104 --> 00:08:08,084 to find transportation 217 00:08:08,625 --> 00:08:10,305 to get them to the places that they 218 00:08:10,305 --> 00:08:12,779 need. Because one of the other issues in 219 00:08:12,779 --> 00:08:13,279 rural 220 00:08:13,660 --> 00:08:14,160 Pennsylvania 221 00:08:14,699 --> 00:08:16,879 is lack of consistent access 222 00:08:17,339 --> 00:08:18,080 by transportation. 223 00:08:19,180 --> 00:08:19,839 You know, 224 00:08:20,300 --> 00:08:22,399 depends on weather. It depends on 225 00:08:22,860 --> 00:08:23,520 a multiple 226 00:08:23,899 --> 00:08:24,560 of things. 227 00:08:25,175 --> 00:08:27,495 But, so those are things those are some 228 00:08:27,495 --> 00:08:30,055 of the benefits that we have by employing 229 00:08:30,055 --> 00:08:32,075 our public health dental hygiene practitioners. 230 00:08:32,534 --> 00:08:35,014 They really know their their communities, and they're 231 00:08:35,014 --> 00:08:37,514 able to connect our members with the providers 232 00:08:37,815 --> 00:08:39,434 who best serve their needs. 233 00:08:40,690 --> 00:08:43,009 Understood. So, really, a whole host of challenges 234 00:08:43,009 --> 00:08:44,929 that can make getting access in this type 235 00:08:44,929 --> 00:08:46,950 of health care difficult, it sounds like. 236 00:08:47,409 --> 00:08:47,909 Certainly. 237 00:08:48,450 --> 00:08:51,089 Any other resources you would share in terms 238 00:08:51,089 --> 00:08:51,589 of, 239 00:08:52,289 --> 00:08:54,690 what is available to individuals living in these 240 00:08:54,690 --> 00:08:57,365 areas or any new trend you're seeing in 241 00:08:57,365 --> 00:08:59,605 the dental benefits industry, Richard, that you think 242 00:08:59,605 --> 00:09:02,324 is really helping expand access to to more 243 00:09:02,324 --> 00:09:03,065 dental care. 244 00:09:03,605 --> 00:09:05,464 Yes. I what I do see and 245 00:09:06,964 --> 00:09:08,345 are are trends in, 246 00:09:09,329 --> 00:09:11,990 certainly, in the education aspect of it. They're 247 00:09:12,049 --> 00:09:13,990 doing more counseling on nutrition. 248 00:09:16,449 --> 00:09:18,769 Smoking cessation's a big item for, 249 00:09:19,569 --> 00:09:21,809 for us to cover when we deal with 250 00:09:21,809 --> 00:09:24,625 our patients and have members that have, you 251 00:09:24,625 --> 00:09:26,625 know, they're trying to to quit so we 252 00:09:26,625 --> 00:09:29,024 can provide them with resources or even case 253 00:09:29,024 --> 00:09:29,524 managers 254 00:09:30,065 --> 00:09:31,985 to get them the resources that they need 255 00:09:31,985 --> 00:09:33,365 for those types of things. 256 00:09:34,065 --> 00:09:37,424 So education is certainly key. What we're trying 257 00:09:37,424 --> 00:09:38,644 to do is prevent 258 00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:42,120 the need for dental services by, you know, 259 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:43,980 applying sealants to children, 260 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:46,460 other, there are other 261 00:09:47,080 --> 00:09:49,980 materials that can be applied to teeth. Hydroxyapatite 262 00:09:50,759 --> 00:09:52,299 is one that's another 263 00:09:52,934 --> 00:09:55,835 decay preventing measure, silver diamine fluoride, 264 00:09:56,774 --> 00:09:58,475 which helps stop decay. 265 00:09:59,335 --> 00:09:59,835 So 266 00:10:00,215 --> 00:10:01,674 that's one of the key 267 00:10:03,174 --> 00:10:05,894 keys to our success is by having our 268 00:10:05,894 --> 00:10:06,394 hygienists 269 00:10:06,774 --> 00:10:07,595 and other 270 00:10:08,509 --> 00:10:09,809 oral health care professionals 271 00:10:10,190 --> 00:10:12,850 be able to provide those types of resources 272 00:10:13,070 --> 00:10:15,250 and those, you know, either through 273 00:10:15,629 --> 00:10:18,290 demonstrating proper brushing and flossing techniques, 274 00:10:19,549 --> 00:10:22,370 applications of silver diamine or so of topical 275 00:10:22,509 --> 00:10:23,009 fluoride, 276 00:10:23,615 --> 00:10:24,115 and, 277 00:10:24,654 --> 00:10:27,695 different things like that to help make people 278 00:10:27,695 --> 00:10:28,355 more aware 279 00:10:28,815 --> 00:10:30,834 and make them a better 280 00:10:31,294 --> 00:10:33,794 partner in taking care of their teeth because 281 00:10:34,014 --> 00:10:36,014 you just can't visit a dentist twice a 282 00:10:36,014 --> 00:10:38,789 year and think that everything's gonna be great. 283 00:10:38,789 --> 00:10:41,049 It takes some work on the patient's part 284 00:10:41,269 --> 00:10:43,269 to maintain that. So you come to see 285 00:10:43,269 --> 00:10:45,909 the professionals once or twice a year, and 286 00:10:45,909 --> 00:10:48,949 then and sometimes our our population can't get 287 00:10:48,949 --> 00:10:51,049 to the dentist once or twice a year. 288 00:10:51,274 --> 00:10:52,634 So we have to end up going into 289 00:10:52,634 --> 00:10:55,835 the communities and trying to address their needs. 290 00:10:55,835 --> 00:10:57,375 And we do that with certain, 291 00:10:58,475 --> 00:11:00,875 events, and certain providers go out into our 292 00:11:00,875 --> 00:11:03,195 communities and have what we call pop up 293 00:11:03,195 --> 00:11:03,695 events 294 00:11:04,075 --> 00:11:06,879 where people can be brought into either 295 00:11:07,339 --> 00:11:09,899 a a local facility like a church or 296 00:11:09,899 --> 00:11:11,600 a library or a VFW 297 00:11:12,220 --> 00:11:14,539 or something like that, and they can receive 298 00:11:14,539 --> 00:11:17,500 some dental services that way. So we are 299 00:11:17,500 --> 00:11:19,904 very fortunate to have a few doctors who 300 00:11:19,904 --> 00:11:20,644 who do 301 00:11:21,185 --> 00:11:24,384 the portable equipment to different locations throughout our 302 00:11:24,384 --> 00:11:24,884 Commonwealth, 303 00:11:25,264 --> 00:11:27,904 and that really helps increase our access. But, 304 00:11:27,904 --> 00:11:30,225 ideally, we'd like to have everybody assigned to 305 00:11:30,225 --> 00:11:31,285 a dental home 306 00:11:31,665 --> 00:11:33,764 so they can get consistent treatment 307 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:36,879 and, receive the services that they need when 308 00:11:36,879 --> 00:11:37,700 they need them. 309 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:40,799 Understood. So a pretty multi pronged strategy here 310 00:11:40,799 --> 00:11:43,299 from the APMC, Richard, it sounds like, from 311 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:44,580 education resources, 312 00:11:45,120 --> 00:11:47,220 to allocation of of physical tools, 313 00:11:47,759 --> 00:11:48,740 to to clinic. 314 00:11:50,065 --> 00:11:52,485 Yes. It it definitely is a multi pronged 315 00:11:52,704 --> 00:11:55,664 strategy and approach. We need not just, 316 00:11:56,544 --> 00:11:59,284 our dental hygiene practitioners, but we need every, 317 00:11:59,824 --> 00:12:01,605 health care provider in our community. 318 00:12:02,065 --> 00:12:03,204 We have our providers, 319 00:12:03,824 --> 00:12:04,485 our pediatric 320 00:12:05,330 --> 00:12:06,790 dentists that are very 321 00:12:07,809 --> 00:12:08,950 important in this 322 00:12:09,649 --> 00:12:12,149 in this equation or this approach because 323 00:12:12,529 --> 00:12:14,129 many of them are the ones that our 324 00:12:14,129 --> 00:12:17,570 public health dental hygiene practitioners refer to. And 325 00:12:17,570 --> 00:12:20,774 even the we have public health dental hygiene 326 00:12:20,774 --> 00:12:24,615 practitioners in the pediatricians' offices, and that helped 327 00:12:24,774 --> 00:12:26,134 or not in all of them, but in 328 00:12:26,134 --> 00:12:27,034 many of them. 329 00:12:27,335 --> 00:12:29,014 And that really helps us to, 330 00:12:29,735 --> 00:12:31,975 to get patients when they're in there for 331 00:12:31,975 --> 00:12:34,519 their wellness checks. We can get some dental 332 00:12:34,519 --> 00:12:36,459 services in there and check the teeth. 333 00:12:36,839 --> 00:12:39,659 So it's involving a, you know, 334 00:12:40,919 --> 00:12:41,419 multifaceted 335 00:12:42,360 --> 00:12:43,740 oral health care approach. 336 00:12:44,279 --> 00:12:47,159 And you have to understand how dentistry and 337 00:12:47,159 --> 00:12:49,134 medicine are integrated. I mean, there is a 338 00:12:49,134 --> 00:12:50,514 dental medical integration. 339 00:12:51,375 --> 00:12:53,855 And so, you know, the saliva that we 340 00:12:53,855 --> 00:12:56,095 have in our mouths, how that starts the 341 00:12:56,095 --> 00:12:59,375 digestion process and things like that. And so 342 00:12:59,375 --> 00:13:01,475 the mouth is the gateway to to 343 00:13:01,779 --> 00:13:04,419 health, and that's really where we want to 344 00:13:04,580 --> 00:13:06,820 we focus on. So as a dentist, that's 345 00:13:06,820 --> 00:13:08,580 our first place to look and to see 346 00:13:08,580 --> 00:13:11,139 if there's any can we identify anything that 347 00:13:11,139 --> 00:13:12,600 may be going on systemically? 348 00:13:12,980 --> 00:13:15,845 You know? You can tell, you know, bleeding 349 00:13:15,845 --> 00:13:17,365 gums, and that may be a sign of 350 00:13:17,365 --> 00:13:18,345 another condition. 351 00:13:18,804 --> 00:13:21,125 And, many times, the dentist is the first 352 00:13:21,125 --> 00:13:23,684 person to see that patient to say, hey. 353 00:13:23,684 --> 00:13:25,444 You know you know you have bleeding gums 354 00:13:25,444 --> 00:13:26,745 here. Do you know why? 355 00:13:27,125 --> 00:13:28,485 And then if they don't know why and 356 00:13:28,485 --> 00:13:29,220 if it's not, 357 00:13:29,779 --> 00:13:32,199 you know, related to an oral health condition, 358 00:13:32,659 --> 00:13:34,919 then that's where you engage them with their 359 00:13:35,139 --> 00:13:38,039 primary care physician or a specialist. 360 00:13:38,899 --> 00:13:41,379 So, you know, there's various things that happen, 361 00:13:41,379 --> 00:13:43,240 and that's why it's so important to 362 00:13:43,865 --> 00:13:46,105 be seen by a dental provider and oral 363 00:13:46,105 --> 00:13:47,004 health care providers, 364 00:13:47,704 --> 00:13:48,204 routinely. 365 00:13:48,664 --> 00:13:50,024 We try to avoid having, 366 00:13:50,904 --> 00:13:51,404 unnecessary 367 00:13:52,024 --> 00:13:55,945 stays in hospitals or unnecessary visits to, urgent 368 00:13:55,945 --> 00:13:56,445 centers 369 00:13:56,750 --> 00:13:59,789 for two, three related issues. So if you 370 00:13:59,789 --> 00:14:02,209 know, my advice to everybody would be to 371 00:14:02,509 --> 00:14:04,829 see a dentist, you know, and certainly as 372 00:14:04,829 --> 00:14:05,970 often as you can 373 00:14:06,429 --> 00:14:06,929 and, 374 00:14:07,629 --> 00:14:08,850 mitigate the circumstances, 375 00:14:09,230 --> 00:14:11,889 you know, take take heed of the education, 376 00:14:13,205 --> 00:14:15,684 learn from the counseling that's provided, you know, 377 00:14:15,684 --> 00:14:16,825 maybe stop some 378 00:14:17,285 --> 00:14:18,665 of the habits, smoking, 379 00:14:19,125 --> 00:14:22,485 other things like that, vaping, chewing. And, it's 380 00:14:22,485 --> 00:14:24,024 best to do that with the younger 381 00:14:25,205 --> 00:14:28,105 at least we found better success with younger, 382 00:14:29,100 --> 00:14:30,399 population students. 383 00:14:31,100 --> 00:14:33,019 You know, maybe some peer pressures kicked in 384 00:14:33,019 --> 00:14:35,179 where they wanna try smoking or vaping and 385 00:14:35,179 --> 00:14:37,340 things. So it's important for us as health 386 00:14:37,340 --> 00:14:39,120 care professionals to show them 387 00:14:39,580 --> 00:14:40,799 the, the negative 388 00:14:41,475 --> 00:14:43,954 sides of or, you know, what the bad 389 00:14:44,195 --> 00:14:46,375 what's bad that can happen by prolonged 390 00:14:47,075 --> 00:14:50,115 chewing or smoking, things like that. So trying 391 00:14:50,115 --> 00:14:53,075 to educate and prevent is really the, two 392 00:14:53,075 --> 00:14:53,894 of the major 393 00:14:54,620 --> 00:14:56,779 points here at UPMC Health Plan that we 394 00:14:56,779 --> 00:14:57,440 like to 395 00:14:58,620 --> 00:15:00,720 make sure that we communicate to our membership. 396 00:15:01,659 --> 00:15:03,659 Certainly. Certainly. Well, I I really appreciate all 397 00:15:03,659 --> 00:15:06,459 the details here, Richard. And I also wanna 398 00:15:06,459 --> 00:15:08,320 ask if there's any other initiatives, 399 00:15:08,784 --> 00:15:12,465 programs of note from UPMC regarding expanding access 400 00:15:12,465 --> 00:15:15,184 to dental care, that that you think are 401 00:15:15,184 --> 00:15:15,924 worth highlighting. 402 00:15:17,745 --> 00:15:18,804 Yes. Thank you. 403 00:15:20,705 --> 00:15:23,105 Coming up is a, a really great event. 404 00:15:23,105 --> 00:15:25,710 It's the, Mission of Mercy at Pittsburgh, 405 00:15:26,169 --> 00:15:28,570 and that would be October, 406 00:15:28,570 --> 00:15:30,490 and it's held at the David Lawrence Convention 407 00:15:30,490 --> 00:15:32,509 Center here in Downtown Pittsburgh. 408 00:15:33,690 --> 00:15:35,230 It's basically a two day 409 00:15:35,554 --> 00:15:38,514 free dental clinic, but there's also other health 410 00:15:38,514 --> 00:15:41,095 care services that are offered, which include, 411 00:15:41,554 --> 00:15:44,054 eye care and hearing. So, 412 00:15:45,235 --> 00:15:48,514 many local sponsors get together, including UPMC Health 413 00:15:48,514 --> 00:15:50,514 Plan, which is a premier sponsor of the 414 00:15:50,514 --> 00:15:51,014 event, 415 00:15:52,090 --> 00:15:54,410 where patients can not only receive dental care 416 00:15:54,410 --> 00:15:56,169 if, you know, whatever they need. We do 417 00:15:56,169 --> 00:15:58,910 everything from planings to fillings to extractions 418 00:15:59,850 --> 00:16:02,990 to small partial dentures, what we call flippers, 419 00:16:03,370 --> 00:16:05,210 replacing one or two teeth. We don't do 420 00:16:05,210 --> 00:16:06,429 complete or full dentures, 421 00:16:08,725 --> 00:16:10,965 or major root canals, like third molar root 422 00:16:10,965 --> 00:16:13,365 canals or, you know, molar root canals in 423 00:16:13,365 --> 00:16:15,785 general. But we do a lot of extractions 424 00:16:15,924 --> 00:16:16,165 because 425 00:16:16,965 --> 00:16:17,465 and, 426 00:16:18,004 --> 00:16:20,004 there's also the hearing in the eye, so 427 00:16:20,004 --> 00:16:20,825 we give away 428 00:16:21,699 --> 00:16:22,199 eyeglasses 429 00:16:22,500 --> 00:16:23,720 to those that are eligible 430 00:16:26,259 --> 00:16:28,339 and hearing aids. So this is all free. 431 00:16:28,339 --> 00:16:29,320 There's no insurance 432 00:16:29,779 --> 00:16:31,079 information gathered 433 00:16:31,459 --> 00:16:33,539 other than a name and some of the 434 00:16:33,539 --> 00:16:34,039 basic 435 00:16:35,745 --> 00:16:37,745 needs such as name and weight and things 436 00:16:37,745 --> 00:16:39,925 like that to make sure that we administer, 437 00:16:40,144 --> 00:16:42,325 if we need to, proper amounts of anesthetic. 438 00:16:43,665 --> 00:16:44,884 So that's the one 439 00:16:45,345 --> 00:16:46,945 thing that's coming up. And there are other 440 00:16:46,945 --> 00:16:49,110 events in the area, which are like the 441 00:16:49,110 --> 00:16:52,389 regional area medical events such as the remote 442 00:16:52,389 --> 00:16:54,870 area medical. Those are usually held in the 443 00:16:54,870 --> 00:16:56,629 summers, and we just had one a few 444 00:16:56,629 --> 00:16:57,450 months ago. 445 00:16:57,910 --> 00:17:00,550 But, we do support those types of things. 446 00:17:00,550 --> 00:17:02,889 We have employees that, volunteer. 447 00:17:03,684 --> 00:17:06,664 And, here at UPMC, we're probably gonna have, 448 00:17:08,724 --> 00:17:10,085 oh, I don't know. We'll probably have a 449 00:17:10,085 --> 00:17:12,805 thousand volunteers in total for this our Mission 450 00:17:12,805 --> 00:17:15,045 of Mercy here in in two weeks in 451 00:17:15,045 --> 00:17:17,065 October. 452 00:17:17,605 --> 00:17:17,845 But, 453 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:20,559 it's a wonderful event. And if, you know 454 00:17:20,559 --> 00:17:23,039 of anybody who's interested in volunteering, please just 455 00:17:23,039 --> 00:17:24,099 have them go to our 456 00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:27,119 mompgh.0rg 457 00:17:27,119 --> 00:17:30,160 website to, find out further information and details 458 00:17:30,160 --> 00:17:31,119 as to how to, 459 00:17:31,795 --> 00:17:34,115 become part and active with our, our mission 460 00:17:34,115 --> 00:17:35,894 to Mercy, but it's a wonderful event. 461 00:17:37,474 --> 00:17:39,474 Fantastic. Well, it's so great to hear how 462 00:17:39,474 --> 00:17:42,994 UPMC is sponsoring and supporting efforts like this, 463 00:17:42,994 --> 00:17:45,174 Richard. So I appreciate you sharing with us. 464 00:17:45,519 --> 00:17:47,519 Before we go, you've got the ears of 465 00:17:47,519 --> 00:17:49,839 a lot of other health plan and dental 466 00:17:49,839 --> 00:17:50,339 leaders 467 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:52,559 from all over the country right now. So 468 00:17:52,559 --> 00:17:54,160 I'm wondering if you could take a minute, 469 00:17:54,640 --> 00:17:56,640 is there any any final thoughts with them, 470 00:17:56,640 --> 00:17:59,359 any tidbits of advice you wanna offer as 471 00:17:59,359 --> 00:18:02,474 as they do continue to navigate this business. 472 00:18:02,934 --> 00:18:04,634 Anything you would share. 473 00:18:06,375 --> 00:18:07,494 Yeah. Thank you. And, 474 00:18:08,454 --> 00:18:09,515 I'd just like to 475 00:18:10,294 --> 00:18:12,775 ask my colleagues and everybody out there just 476 00:18:12,775 --> 00:18:14,075 to understand how 477 00:18:14,630 --> 00:18:16,890 how the situations of the world impacted 478 00:18:17,350 --> 00:18:19,110 dentistry. You know, we had we went through 479 00:18:19,110 --> 00:18:19,769 an epidemic 480 00:18:20,070 --> 00:18:21,990 or a pandemic there, and, 481 00:18:22,710 --> 00:18:23,769 that really impacted 482 00:18:24,710 --> 00:18:26,809 the needs of dental practitioners 483 00:18:27,190 --> 00:18:28,490 as well as the patients. 484 00:18:29,234 --> 00:18:31,634 So I I appreciate my colleagues and everyone 485 00:18:31,634 --> 00:18:32,615 in our space 486 00:18:32,994 --> 00:18:34,835 that's doing what they can to get the 487 00:18:34,835 --> 00:18:36,134 patients who had to 488 00:18:36,515 --> 00:18:38,994 not be able to seek treatment during the 489 00:18:39,075 --> 00:18:40,214 that pandemic 490 00:18:40,755 --> 00:18:42,134 and getting them in and 491 00:18:42,470 --> 00:18:45,670 taking care of the diseases that were unable 492 00:18:45,670 --> 00:18:46,490 to be addressed 493 00:18:46,789 --> 00:18:49,269 during that time. So I wanna offer my 494 00:18:49,269 --> 00:18:51,269 sincere thanks to everybody in our, 495 00:18:51,990 --> 00:18:54,170 my profession and all the health care professions 496 00:18:54,789 --> 00:18:57,375 for doing what they can to, finally get 497 00:18:57,454 --> 00:18:58,275 caught up and, 498 00:18:59,134 --> 00:19:01,234 get patients in in timely fashions 499 00:19:01,775 --> 00:19:04,894 and address the needs that probably got worse 500 00:19:04,894 --> 00:19:07,315 since there was lack of access during that 501 00:19:07,694 --> 00:19:10,035 pandemic period. But as the 502 00:19:10,809 --> 00:19:13,690 pandemic worn, wore down and the you know, 503 00:19:13,690 --> 00:19:15,930 now that offices are open again and things 504 00:19:15,930 --> 00:19:16,589 like that, 505 00:19:17,130 --> 00:19:19,150 I just, appreciate everybody's 506 00:19:20,650 --> 00:19:23,450 input and how they've come together to make 507 00:19:23,450 --> 00:19:25,630 sure that the patient's needs get addressed 508 00:19:26,144 --> 00:19:26,884 timely and, 509 00:19:27,744 --> 00:19:30,144 appropriately. So I couldn't be more proud to 510 00:19:30,144 --> 00:19:32,325 be a dentist at this point in time, 511 00:19:32,465 --> 00:19:34,065 and I'm proud to work with a lot 512 00:19:34,065 --> 00:19:36,404 of the colleagues, not only here at UPMC 513 00:19:36,545 --> 00:19:38,805 Health Plan, but throughout the state, Pennsylvania, 514 00:19:39,529 --> 00:19:41,529 and across the nation. I have friends and 515 00:19:41,529 --> 00:19:42,029 colleagues, 516 00:19:42,329 --> 00:19:43,309 across the country, 517 00:19:43,769 --> 00:19:45,609 and, they do great work. And I just, 518 00:19:46,250 --> 00:19:48,089 I'm proud to be associated with each and 519 00:19:48,089 --> 00:19:49,390 every one of them. So 520 00:19:50,329 --> 00:19:52,224 that's where it is. Wonderful. I think that's 521 00:19:52,224 --> 00:19:54,144 a great place to leave things. So, doctor 522 00:19:54,144 --> 00:19:56,304 Salfour, I wanna thank you for taking the 523 00:19:56,304 --> 00:19:58,224 time to chat with us and for sharing 524 00:19:58,224 --> 00:20:00,544 your insights with our audience. We really appreciate 525 00:20:00,544 --> 00:20:01,044 it. 526 00:20:01,505 --> 00:20:03,125 Jacob, thank you for the opportunity. 527 00:20:03,744 --> 00:20:05,759 Absolutely. And to our listeners, if you'd like 528 00:20:05,759 --> 00:20:07,799 to listen to more podcasts from Becker's Health 529 00:20:07,799 --> 00:20:11,019 Care, you can visit beckershospitalreview.com.