About MCDC

Michigan Community Dental Clinics, Inc. (MCDC) is a not-for-profit management services corporation, established in 2006 to allow the successful Dental Clinics North (DCN) model for delivery of Public Health Dental Services to expand to other areas of Michigan.

The Dental Clinics North Model utilizes electronic patient record, digital radiography, state of the art dental equipment, and compensation methods that encourage productivity, efficiency, and control costs.  The result is Public Health dental clinics that more closely resemble private practice, with the outcome of more people provided needed services in a timely fashion.  In addition, the dental program “breaks-even”, so that the Local Health Department does not have to financially support the dental clinic for the long term.

The target populations served by the clinics are adults and children on Medicaid as well as low income, uninsured individuals, whose income is below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level.  The non-Medicaid crowd is offered a reduced fee schedule that equates to the Delta Dental PPO rates.  (Surplus funds over costs allow for establishment of a Dental Assistance Fund to supplement the cost of care on a sliding percentage, based upon an individual’s income.)

Michigan Community Dental Clinics is currently assisting Local Health Departments establish dental clinics via:

1. Design of new clinic facilities or remodel of existing facilities.
2. Providing specifications for equipment and supplies needed to provide care.
3. Management of the Clinic facilities by:
   a. Providing the Electronic Patient Record, using the Dentrix Enterprise Software Program.
   b. Billing Medicaid for services rendered.
   c. Hiring all clinic personnel.
   d. Providing direction for the operation of the clinic.
4. Assisting LHDs with integration of Oral Health Education and Prevention programs with existing WIC and other LHD services.

With this approach, MCDC is able to attract and retain exceptional dental practitioners who now have a viable alternative to owning their own private practice.

Groups of dental clinics are operated by one Local Health Department (ANCHOR HD) for the sake of collecting fees from Medicaid and patients and for paying the ongoing costs of clinic operations.  In addition the ANCHOR HD reimburses MCDC the direct cost of payroll for the clinics in its network, and a monthly management fee for the management services listed above, which are allocated based on the ANCHOR clinics’ percentage of gross billings.  So more clinics result in lower cost per clinic, gaining economies of scale that cannot be had by an individual Health Department dental clinic.

MCDC allows delivery of dental services in a unique fashion, and shares the DCN expertise and success to other areas of Michigan in a very cost-efficient fashion.

For more information contact:
Thomas J. Veryser, DDS, MHSA, Executive Director