Trisha E. O'Hehir, RDH, BS Editorial Director, Hygienetown Magazine |
As you're well aware, dental disease includes: caries, periodontal disease, and oral cancer. General dentists focus on restorative dentistry, hygienists focus on periodontal disease and both screen for oral cancer. Despite the differences in treatment services offered between the dentist and the hygienist, both work toward the goal of optimum oral health for their patients. This is the "wellness model." While dentists focus on repairing the teeth, hygienists focus on restoring and maintaining oral health. The insurance codes used by both dentists and hygienists are for treatments and no diagnostic codes are required.
Physicians also work toward the goal of health for their patients, but the "medical model" is focused on disease rather than health. Medical practices use diagnostic codes in addition to treatment codes. A diagnostic code is needed for each visit to a physician. Patients go to physicians with disease expecting to receive a prescription or surgery or some type of treatment. The disease-
oriented coding identifies the problem, condition infection or disease for which the patient is seeking some kind of remedy.
The "medical model" is really a "disease model" rather than a "wellness model." In searching the medical diagnostic codes, the word "health" does not even appear in the list of diagnostic codes. The only codes for wellness, are supplemental codes describing "healthy liveborn infants." People don't go to physicians to maintain good physical health, but they do go to regular dental hygiene visits to maintain good oral health.
Good oral health relates to good general health. The wellness model, followed by dentists and hygienists, moves beyond diagnosis and treatment to maintaining optimum oral health. Perhaps one day dental visits will also require diagnostic codes, and oral health codes will be introduced to reflect the forward thinking wellness model rather than the age-old medical model based on disease codes.
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