Delta Dental reports increased engagement after postcard outreach; provider turnover affected 3,354 members

Julie Fernandez, national account manager for Delta Dental, briefed the board on second-quarter 2022 utilization and network status.

Delta reported that 64.1% of active members had at least one dental cleaning in the most recent 12 months and that 69.6% of active members used dental benefits during that period. For retirees, the presentation showed similar utilization metrics. Fernandez said the Smile Way wellness benefit — targeted to members with chronic conditions — showed increased enrollment and procedure counts.

To boost preventive care, Delta and SFHSS deployed a targeted postcard and preventive-email campaign; Fernandez said the outreach included updates to explanation-of-benefit language and encouragement to create online accounts. “So when we take a look at first the active populations... 64.1 percent of members had at least 1 cleaning in the most recent 12 months,” Fernandez said.

On the provider network, Delta reported 6,100 providers were utilized by SFHSS members in the reporting period; as of July 1 there were 5,885 remaining (215 left), which affected 3,354 members. Delta said it had added 1,338 providers across California during the period and continues recruitment and directory verification to improve access.

Board members asked about accessibility for visually impaired members and multilingual outreach; Delta said it would follow up on accessibility options and that directory updates and webinars for open enrollment are planned.

Next steps: Delta will continue provider recruitment, report back next quarter on impacts of the postcard/email campaign and check accessibility and multilingual resources for member outreach.