Simplified: A restructured agreement between the University of South Dakota and Falls Community Health aims to increase access to affordable dental care in Sioux Falls, while also taking advantage of higher Medicaid reimbursement rates.

Why it matters

  • USD has long partnered with Falls Community Health, though up until now they've operated as a separate clinic within Falls. The clinic has served as a place for dental hygiene students to complete supervised clinical hours while also providing affordable access to dental appointments for people in the city.
  • Under the new agreement – approved unanimously by City Council on Tuesday night – Falls Community Health will take over operations of the USD clinic while still offering those same opportunities to students.
  • As a federally qualified health center, Falls has a more desirable Medicaid reimbursement rate, Public Health Director Joe Kippley said, which means by taking over the operational side of things, the city could bring in more than $150,000 in revenue from Medicaid reimbursement from USD's patients.
"The revenue that comes from these investments definitely outweighs any expenses," Kippley said.

Tell me more

The agreement also allows Falls dentists to see more patients each week.

  • As it stands now, USD's standalone clinic occupies six of the 14 dental suites at Falls Community Health.
  • Under the new agreement, Falls will have access to all 14 of those chairs on Mondays and Fridays, while five will be reserved for USD students on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. That will help alleviate wait lists by adding more slots to see patients.
  • It also means USD no longer has to pay $42,000 each year in rent, Kippley said.

Another new aspect of the agreement is staffing. USD will contribute a full-time faculty member, who will oversee clinical work mid-week, and can take on city patients Mondays and Fridays.

  • The staffer will work full-time for USD, but the city agrees to contribute 30% of their salary.
  • Kippley said the city will also need to hire a part-time front desk person to help run the newly consolidated front desk.

Those costs will be covered by the new revenues, Kippley assured councilors. USD has 250 patients, who come an average of three times per year. Many, if not most, of those patients use Medicaid, and each of those appointments is reimbursed at $390 per visit.

  • If even half of those patients fit that description, it'd mean more than $146,000 in Medicaid reimbursement.

It's a win-win, Kippley said, a sentiment echoed by Dean of the USD School of Health Sciences Betsy Becker.

"This transition reflects our shared responsibility to build sustainable solutions that expand access to patient care, prepare future health professionals and respond to community needs," Becker said.

What happens next?

Following council approval, the new agreement is set to take effect Sept. 1.