A University of Minnesota dental clinic that serves mostly low-income patients will not close this summer after all.
The clinic in Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside neighborhood lost about $800,000 last year, largely because of low reimbursement rates for patients on Medical Assistance.
Following the recommendation of a budget task force, officials with the School of Dentistry decided last fall that they would shutter the clinic June 30.
But Todd Thierer, associate dean for clinical affairs, said news coverage of the planned closure forced them to reconsider.
“We got a lot of feedback from a lot of different folks. People were really telling us that this clinic means a lot to them,” he said.
Thierer had figured patients wouldn’t mind switching to another university dental clinic inside Moos Tower on the East Bank campus. It turns out that wasn’t the case.
“When people start telling you their stories, it really starts making a different impact than when you look at it on paper,” he said.
Thierer has committed to maintaining the clinic for at least one more year while working to minimize the operating loss.
He sees reason for hope in Gov. Mark Dayton’s budget proposal, which includes a large increase in the dental reimbursement rate. About 75 percent of the Cedar-Riverside clinic’s 7,500 visits each year pay through the state’s Medicaid program, not private insurance.
Meanwhile, the clinic is looking to reduce its costs. Thierer declined to go into detail, citing ongoing negotiations.
He said they should know by late May or early June whether they’ll be able to narrow the operating deficit enough to keep the clinic open beyond next year.
Besides serving low-income patients, the clinic offers recent graduates the chance to gain experience before starting or joining a traditional dental practice. The clinic is run each year by eight general-practice residents under faculty supervision.