Effects of New York State’s Medicaid Orthodontic Policy Changes on Approved Orthodontic Treatment Complexity

Authors

June Harewood DDS, MA, MS, Columbia University College of Dental Medicine
Karolina Kister DMD, PhD, Columbia University College of Dental MedicineFollow
Lynn Tepper PhD, EdD, Columbia University College of Dental Medicine
Hassan M. Khan DMD, MBE, MS, Columbia University College of Dental Medicine
Jing Chen DDS, PhD, Columbia University College of Dental Medicine
Christine O'Hea DMD, MSc, Columbia University College of Dental Medicine
Thomas Hoopes, Columbia University College of Dental Medicine
Sunil Wadhwa DDS, PhD, Columbia University College of Dental Medicine

Keywords

Medicaid, handicapping labio-lingual deviation index (HLD), orthodontic treatment

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze how 2013 New York State Medicaid legislation that introduced HLD index affected orthodontic Medicaid treatment approval affected orthodontic Medicaid treatment approval. Eighty-six patients pre-2013 and eighty-six post-2013 were selected from a single academic center. The number of patients who auto-qualified post-2013 significantly increased (58 vs 39, p=0.006). For the patients who did not auto-qualify there was a significant increase (p=0.017) in HLD scores post-2013 (31.38) compared to pre-2013 (13.34). Fifty-one percent of the patients approved pre -2013 would not have qualified for coverage under the current policy.

Recommended Citation

Harewood, June DDS, MA, MS; Kister, Karolina DMD, PhD; Tepper, Lynn PhD, EdD; Khan, Hassan M. DMD, MBE, MS; Chen, Jing DDS, PhD; O'Hea, Christine DMD, MSc; Hoopes, Thomas; and Wadhwa, Sunil DDS, PhD (2022) "Effects of New York State’s Medicaid Orthodontic Policy Changes on Approved Orthodontic Treatment Complexity," The New York State Dental Journal: Vol. 88: No. 3, Article 6.
Available at: https://commons.ada.org/nysdj/vol88/iss3/6