MILWAUKEE — The Wisconsin Dental Association is calling on the state's Department of Justice to monitor an insurance company's purchase of dozens of dental offices, citing potential conflicts of interest that could impact patient care.
TMJ4 first reported on those concerns last month.
The state's Office of the Insurance Commissioner is currently reviewing Delta Dental's purchase of 25 dental offices across Wisconsin. In a letter obtained by TMJ4 News, the Wisconsin Dental Association (WDA) is asking the Department of Justice to closely monitor that decision.
The WDA's letter expresses concerns from dentists that "patient treatment options may be driven more by what is cost effective for the insurer than by what is clinically best for their oral health."
Watch: Wisconsin Dental Association asks DOJ to monitor Delta Dental's purchase of 25 dental offices across state
Wisconsin is one of just a handful of states that do not require dental practices to be owned by licensed dentists. However, the WDA notes this is the first time in state history that an insurance company would serve as both the payer and provider.
Mark Paget, Wisconsin Dental Association Executive Director, is taking the lead on this DOJ request.
"One entity shouldn't control the entire transaction," Paget told TMJ4 in July. "What we just want to make sure is when this all shakes out and the practices continue operating under a new ownership, that that new ownership doesn't change or impede patient care in any way," he added.
Delta Dental of Wisconsin told TMJ4 News that their dental practices have independent leadership teams that make their own decisions on rate-setting negotiations and what's covered by insurance.
The next step in this process will be a hearing held by the Office of the Insurance Commissioner on Delta's purchase. A date for this hearing has not yet been set.
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