Disease activity and need for dental care in a capitation plan based on risk assessment.

In brief An important problem is to find a system which stimulates both the patients and the clinic to use preventive measures. A capitation model has been tested in which the 'carrot' for the patient is a reduced insurance fee at a reduced risk. For the clinic this meant that more patients could be taken care of, thereby increasing revenue. Practically all the patients stated that they preferred the capitation model of care fee-for-service. Also the dentists became with time very positive to the system and stated that the capitation model could serve as a model of care for dentistry in the future. The results indicate that gains can be made if preventive knowledge is effectively applied. An important problem is to find a system which stimulates both the patients and the clinic to use preventive measures. A capitation model has been tested in which the 'carrot' for the patient is a reduced insurance fee at a reduced risk. For the clinic this meant that more patients could be taken care of, thereby increasing revenue. Practically all the patients stated that they preferred the capitation model of care fee-for-service. Also the dentists became with time very positive to the system and stated that the capitation model could serve as a model of care for dentistry in the future. The results indicate that gains can be made if preventive knowledge is effectively applied.