The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) has contracted with two health care organizations, Health Plan of Nevada and Nevada Health Solutions, to serve as the preferred providers for dental care for their Medicaid members in Clark County, according to Tony Flores, UNLV vice president of finance.

Under the contract, the UNLV School of Dentistry will be the provider for approximately 40 percent of the population eligible for Medicaid coverage in Nevada. The remaining 60 percent of the eligible population will continue to be served by individual Medicaid dental providers. Those served by the School of Dentistry will be covered under two Medicaid categories: Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF) and the Children's Health Assurance Program (CHAP). The school also serves children enrolled in the Nevada Check Up Program in Clark County.

"From its very inception, one of the major goals of the UNLV School of Dentistry has been to provide dental services to the under-served populations of the state," UNLV Provost Ray Alden said. "The Medicaid contracts represent a major step toward providing critically needed oral health services directly to Nevada's under-served populations, particularly the children of low-income families."

The School of Dentistry and its affiliated clinics and practices will provide full dental care for eligible children and emergency care for eligible adults.

UNLV will be paid for dental services through the two managed care health plans contracted by the university and the state of Nevada. The university will receive approximately $6.2 million in the first full year of the contract, which will be used to support the cost of clinic operations.

At this time, the dental care services will be provided by the school's three faculty practices, the School of Medicine Dental Residency Clinic, and the Community College of Southern Nevada Faculty Practice, as well as a number of dentists in the community.