The State of Maryland's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene gave Menomonee Falls, Wis.-based Scion Dental a contract to manage dental benefits for Medicaid members in the Maryland Healthy Smiles Dental Program.
Here are six things to know:
1. Scion Dental, a part of SKYGEN USA, will manage about 650,000 Medicaid members' dental benefits.
2. Once this contract goes live on Jan. 1, 2016, Scion Dental will manage benefits for more than 10 million people in Medicaid, Medicare and commercial payer programs.
3. Since Maryland is a carve-out state, Scion Dental will deal with the state instead of through managed care organizations.
4. Scion Dental received the contract over two other dental benefit management organizations because of its high technical scores and lowest bid.
5. The organization uses a Wonderbox Technologies' software that reduces administrative tasks and enhances user-friendliness. The member portal allows providers to check member eligibility, renew clinical guidelines and submit authorization requests, among other features.
6. The contract will result in more jobs, as Scion Dental will open an office in Maryland.
"With our team's extensive experience in managing Medicaid benefits, and the unique technology solutions we bring to the table, we are confident that we will deliver the highest quality experience for members and providers, while also helping the State of Maryland reduce its administrative costs," said John Schaak, president, Scion Dental.