A new, mobile dental
|
|
| Star photo by Tom Grace An American Mobile Dental van is parked outside the Otsego County Office Building Annex on Wednesday. | | |
service that accepts Medicaid patients will open in Otsego County by late summer.
Teams of dentists from American Mobile Dental, a firm based in Mamaroneck, will operate in vans outfitted with modern dental equipment. The vans will be able to travel where needed so they can serve as many people as possible, according to Dr. Charles Randolph, the firm’s president and chief executive officer.
Unlike many dentists in the area, these dentists welcome Medicaid patients, Randolph said Wednesday in his presentation to the Otsego County Board of Representatives in Cooperstown.
"We’re a for-profit business," Randolph said, "and we’ve found we can make a profit on the Medicaid fees."
Asked by Rep. H, R-Oneonta, why other dentists don’t want Medicaid patients, R said they may have enough patients or don’t want to undertake the paperwork associated with Medicaid.
"There must be something wrong with the system if you can work under Medicaid and they say they can’t," H said.
"Sir, you are 100 percent right," said R, who until a few years ago had a practice downstate that catered mostly to wealthy patients.
