Dentists' participation in capitation and preferred provider organization dental plans

Background. In 1998, the American Dental Association Survey Center conducte d a telephone and mail survey of U.S dentists in private practice in an eff ort to determine the extent of dentists' participation in capitation and pr eferred provider organization, or PPO, dental plans and the characteristics of dentists who participate in those plans. Methods, An initial phone screening survey was conducted with a random samp le of 11,550 dentists in private practice. Dentists who indicated that they participated in capitation or PPO dental plans received a follow-up mail s urvey asking specific questions concerning these two types of dental plans. Results. Almost one-half of responding dentists indicated that they partici pated in either capitation or PPO dental plans. However, far more dentists reported participating in PPO dental plans than in capitation dental plans. The majority of participating dentists' patients were reported to be fee-f or-service patients. Conclusions, Dentists' participation in PPO dental plans generally increase d from that indicated in previous surveys, though participation in capitati on plans declined. There was some regional and demographic variation in par ticipation in these dental plans, but such differences were not large. Pric ing and concerns about quality of care continue to be the primary concerns of nonparticipating dentists. Practice Implications. Dentists reporting participation in PPO dental plans are becoming more common, but such plans still do not cover the majority o f participating dentists' patients. A large percentage of nonparticipating dentists cite pricing and concerns about quality care as reasons for not jo ining these plans.