Many patients with special needs may have to wait several months, or even a year, to receive dental care because of new Denti-Cal policies, according to Fox 40.
Here are five observations:
1. California's Department of Health Care Services implemented new guidelines, leading patients to wait months to receive preventative dental care.
2. Some autistic patients suffer sudden outbursts during medical appointments and need to undergo anesthesia for the appointments. However, the new guidelines require patients to meet new standards for anesthesia and are required to have evaluations every year.
3. The new rules also require the same anesthesiologist who sees each patient to meet with the patient prior to the appointment. The mandate presents challenges for the anesthesiologists who often do not know what patients they will see until the night before the procedure.
4. The Department of Health Care Services countered saying the new policies on anesthesia are consistent with basic standards for pre-anesthesia care and are applicable to all patients who receive anesthesia.
5. The costs of anesthesia are not covered for hospitals and surgical centers, leading many Denti-Cali dentists to forgo treating special needs adults.
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