RCL has completed its fifth annual Dental PPO Network Study, analyzing the value of networks for all major carriers in the dental insurance industry. This year’s study shows that discounts in dental preferred provider networks, the most popular type of plan sold, increased in 2008 after an unusual decrease in 2007. The number of dentists participating in the average network also continues to increase, although no longer at the extremely fast rate seen last year.

“Dental insurers seem to have returned to a more disciplined approach to fee increases, balancing the need to add the dentists that patients want to see with controlling the cost of their network,” said Ruth Ann Woodley, FSA, author of the study.  “They continue to closely watch total savings, on claims from dentists both in and out of their network, to optimize the balance between low costs and a broad network.”

The RCL study provides detailed data on each network’s discounts, network size and network utilization rates.  It is the only tool available in the dental insurance industry that allows carriers to see how their network results line up against competitors, and is based on claim data representing over 75% of the market.

Click here for the results:

Ruark Consulting 2008 Network Study Results

Please feel free to contact Ruth Ann to discuss the study results.