Delta Dental of California’s proposed reductions to the “maximum allowable fees” for approximately 2,200 endodontists, periodontists and oral surgeons in California will not take effect July 1, as previously scheduled. Instead, Delta Dental has decided to indefinitely postpone the previously announced fee reductions.
CDA has been urging Delta Dental to reevaluate the proposed fee reductions since Delta Dental first announced them last February, not only due to the pandemic but also because CDA believed that the reductions were based on invalid and insufficient data and would violate Delta Dental’s duties under its contracts with providers.
CDA on March 26 provided further support for its claims by sending Delta Dental a specific legal analysis setting forth why the reductions would, in CDA’s view, be unlawful and by providing data that CDA believed backed up its contentions. On April 5, Delta Dental announced that it had decided to postpone the reductions indefinitely.
CDA’s consistent goal has been and remains to ensure that Delta Dental is honoring its contractual obligations to members and providers. While the current issue appears to be resolved for now, CDA will continue to monitor the situation on specialists’ behalf for any developments.
Updating fees annually ensures dental plans receive accurate fee data
CDA encourages dentists to file annually for the increases that they believe are fair and reasonable. If not filed annually, Delta Dental can decide that no increase is needed. Request increases to your full UCR annually and, when submitting requests for fee reimbursement, submit your normal UCR rather than just the Delta Dental approved fee. Members with questions can call the CDA Contact Center at 800.232.7645 to request to speak with a Practice Support analyst.