In addition to offering medical care, community health centers provide more than one million dental visits each year to thousands of underserved Californians. Yet productivity among the 245 clinics that offer dental care varies widely, which ultimately has a negative impact on access and the clinic's financial strength.

As part of its goal to help improve the productivity and capacity of community dental clinics, the California HealthCare Foundation provided five clinics with a range of assistance and consulting support, including:

• Productivity improvement consulting: A 12-month, four-phase process with a data-driven practice assessment, enhancement plan, and supported implementation.
• Learning community: In-person meetings, conference calls, online meetings, and email discussions, with a focus on clinics' enhancement plans.
• Evaluation of results: Clinical and financial performance and organizational changes.
• Incentive to provide complete data: $5,000 to clinics that completed the 12-month project and supplied all necessary quarterly data.

In exchange for technical assistance, travel support, and incentive payments, grantee clinics were expected to demonstrate commitment from leadership, work with consultants to implement enhancement plans, participate in learning communities, and participate in formal evaluations.

Following a request for applications (RFA) process, these clinics were selected in November 2008:

1. Clinicas de Salud del Pueblo, Brawley (FQHC)
2. Community Oral Health Services, Salinas (501[c]3 mobile vans clinic)
3. County of Marin Dental Clinic, San Rafael (public health clinic)
4. Inland Behavioral and Health Services, San Bernardino (FQHC)
5. Vista Community Clinic, Vista (FQHC)

Independent Project Evaluation

An analysis of the project's success, along with the technical assistance model, was published by Harder + Company Community Research in January 2011 and is available through the External Link below. Among the consulting strategies evaluated were fee schedule adjustments, patient mix modifications, and scheduling procedure changes. The evaluation also examined changes in net revenue, patient mix, and average wait time. Most clinics made measurable improvements during the project, though the extent varied.