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G B Davidson

Publications and source records attributed to G B Davidson.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Patient age, service mix and dental practice productivity.

To further explore economic relationships between patient age and dental practice productivity detected in previous studies, this study investigated the effects of variations in the mix of services used by different age groups on time and dollar-based dental practice outputs. Production function models for dental services were estimated using data from 31 Minnesota general dental practices reporting increased visits by older adults between June, 1980 and December, 1984. Analysis suggested that standardised time-based measures of productivity were not greatly affected by differences in the types of services used by different age groups. In contrast, differences in service mix between age groups exerted a substantial influence on dollar-based productivity that was independent of patient age. Overall, dental practices were less productive with older patients, but the decline in monetary productivity was not evident until patient age was disaggregated from differences in service use by different age groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Productivity in Minnesota dental practices with increased visits by older patients.

There is little scientific information on the economic impact of treating increased numbers of older adults, despite the current growth in this population. To assess the impact of patient age on dental practice productivity, we evaluated an economic production function that included the proportions of patient visits in two older age groups (61-69 years, 70+ years) as factors that might affect the dental service production process. We used data from 12,818 patient visits to 31 Minnesota dental practices enrolled in the Minnesota Dental Practice Analysis System (DPAS) between 1980 and 1984. Ordinary least squares multiple linear regression was used to detect potential associations between practice productivity, measured in standardized time and monetary outputs, and the proportions of visits by older patients. We found that increases in the proportion of visits by patients aged 70 years and older were associated with decreases in productivity when we controlled for differences in the mix of services used. Our results support the notion that dental practices may be less productive when providing services to older patients compared to younger patients. These findings may have implications for personnel and policy planning. Further investigation of this issue is warranted because of the limited number of practices included in the study.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Modeling the costs of case management in long-term care.

A conceptual approach to developing models for analyzing cost is applied to case management in long-term care. This conceptual approach uses four dimensions to classify case management programs. The application results in identifying five case management cost models. Empirical measures of case management costs and a set of determinants of the within-model variation in these costs are suggested for each model. This article discusses several policy relevant hypotheses that could be addressed by the empirical implementation of these cost models.

Capitation Fee↗
PubMed1983

The Minnesota dental practice analysis system.

The Minnesota Dental Practice Analysis System (DPAS) is a three-year project sponsored cooperatively by the University of Minnesota's School of Dentistry, Health Services Research Center, and the Minnesota Dental Association. The primary intent of the DPAS is to generate timely, reliable information on dental practice conditions for dental work force planning efforts. The system semiannually collects data from a representative sample of Minnesota dentists to monitor trends in such important areas as practice productivity, auxiliary utilization, types of procedures performed, payment mechanisms, and dental fees. Preliminary results of the project indicate that, in comparison with 1980 indicators, overall practice conditions among established Minnesota dentists have declined.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Are dental practices less productive with older patients? Comparison of alternative output measures.

This study assessed the effects of increased visits by older dental patients on alternative measures of time- and dollar-based practice productivity. The Minnesota Dental Practice Analysis System was used for analysis of data from 31 practices (12,818 patients visits) reporting increased visits by older adults between June, 1980, and December, 1984. Results suggested that the productivity effects associated with older patient visits were highly dependent on the practice output measure selected. While increased visits by patients aged 70 and over were associated with increased monetary productivity per patient visit, time and monetary productivity per practice day were found to decline. An association between increased proportions of older patients visits and increased dentist minutes per visit appeared to account for this. This econometric analysis tends to support the notion that dental practices are less productive with older patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nurses' dental assessments and subsequent care in Minnesota nursing homes.

Concerns about the quality of care in US nursing homes led to 1987 federal regulations mandating a national standardized resident assessment. This assessment, or Minimum Data Set (MDS), is performed by nurses on all residents and includes items to detect oral health problems. As yet, however, there are few data on the utility of these MDS oral health evaluations. In this study, we analyzed data from Minnesota nursing homes to determine the prevalence of oral health problems ("triggers") requiring dental referral from the MDS, version 1 (Items L and M). We also analyzed the relationship between these MDS assessments and subsequent dental care. Data came from a 1994 Minnesota nursing home dental utilization study containing information on 466 residents (dental users and non-users) sampled from 21 nursing homes. Nurses identified 3.2% of residents as having oral debris, 3.0% with broken, loose, or carious teeth, and only four (0.9%) residents with gum inflammation/soft tissue problems. Only one resident (0.2%) was identified with mouth pain. Regression analyses of data from 135 residents admitted since 1992 revealed no relationship between the presence of MDS "triggers" and subsequent utilization measured in visits/year and gross charges/year. Nurses' MDS assessments identified few oral health problems, and those problems identified did not translate into dental treatment, raising questions about the utility of the current approach.

Aged↗