The ADA, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons wrote a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services about the lack of operating room access in hospitals for providing dental care to individuals with disabilities, leading to long wait times, Disability Scoop reported. "We attribute most of this access challenge to the lack of a sustainable billing mechanism for hospitals and (ambulatory surgical centers) to report dental surgical services in both Medicare and Medicaid," the groups wrote. In response to the groups' request, the CMS has proposed a code that would allow for a hospital payment rate of $1,958.92 for dental procedures, compared with the current $203.64, and Jane Grover, D.D.S., senior director of the ADA's Council on Advocacy for Access and Prevention, said it would be a "significant first step forward toward improving access to needed dental surgeries for children and adults with disabilities."

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