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Survey of Adult Dental Needs
DENTAL ECONOMICS NON-PROFIT HOSPITAL SERVICE PLANS* T h e remarkable growth of non-profit hospital service plans as a relatively new method of paying hospital bills makes it difficult to keep abreast with the many changes which have accompanied the growth. From an estimated member ship o f 2,000 in 1933, the membership had grown to 4,500,000 at the beginning of 1940, when the number of plans had increased to sixty. M ost people are fam iliar with the benefits provided by hospital service plans, although they m ay not be familiar with the organization of the plan. As a general rule, a non-profit corporation is first established and trustees are elected, who serve without pay. (Twenty-four states have passed special enabling acts in the past several years to permit the establishment of such non-profit corpora tions.) T he corporation then enters into contracts with employed persons, who agree to p ay sums regularly in return for the promise that hospital benefits will be supplied to them when needed. These benefits usually amount to about 21 days’ service a year for each person. T h e subscriber has free choice o f mem ber hospitals, and there is no interference with the relationships among hospital, patients and staffs. In most plans, the use o f the operating room, anesthetics, dressings, drugs and laboratory work are also covered by the contract.
•Inform ation obtained from a recent pub lication of the American Hospital Association entitled “Non-Profit Hospital Service Plans,” by C . Rufus Rorem. Readers interested in obtaining a brief but complete discussion of this subject should obtain copies o f this an alysis.
Jour. A .D .A ., Vol. 27,. April 1940
T h e corporation also makes contracts with a group of hospitals, which guaran tee to provide the necessary hospital facilities in return for the payment of a fixed sum for each day of care pro vided for subscribers to the plan. T he experience of the first few years in operation o f these plans has demon strated that they must be well organized and efficiently administered in order to operate successfully. T h e organizers must not be motivated by the desire for pecu niary gain and must be prepared to sur mount m any difficulties in the path of success. Subscription rates must be high enough to ensure fulfilment o f all con tractual promises and provide a reason able reserve for contingencies. In a num ber o f states, rates must be approved by the department of insurance before they can be put into effect. In order to ensure the utmost chance o f success, the plans should have the sponsorship of a variety of community representatives and should not be estab lished unless there is a clear-cut com munity demand and need. A ll of the plans have problems o f public relations and public education, but their non-profit character makes it less difficult for them to obtain the cooperation and assistance o f other community agencies, both pub lic and private. T h e assistance of these agencies makes i t ' easier to obtain the necessary subscriber enrolment and to gain the approval o f employer and em ploye groups. T h e American Hospital Association has promulgated a list of standards for non-profit hospital plans. These stand ards were established primarily to assure
647
648
T h e Journal o f the Am erican D en ta l Association
the non-profit character of the enterprise, but they have been extended and revised to include approval of administrative policies and procedures and the financial position of the service. Plans which have the approval of the Commission on
Hospital Service are permitted to identify themselves with the Am erican Hospital Association by the use of the latter’s insignia superimposed upon a blue cross. Reapproval is granted annually upon evi dence of reasonable progress.
SURVEY OF ADULT DENTAL NEEDS T h e Economics Committee of the American Dental Association plans to conduct an extensive nation-wide survey of the dental needs o f adults during the week of M ay 27-31. Present plans are to distribute approxim ately 40,000 cards to about 8,000 dentists in many states. Each dentist will be asked to record the dental needs of five adult patients who visit his office during the week o f the survey and return these
records to the Central Office of the Am er ican Dental Association. A preliminary study has indicated that valuable and interesting information can be obtained from such a study. However, the cooperation of a sufficient number of members must be obtained if the survey is to be successful. Further information concerning this survey will be published in the M ay issue of T h e J o u r n a l .
OBITUARIES R U D O L F K R O N F E L D , B.S., M .D ., D.D.S. (1901-1940) T h e sudden death of Rudolf Kronfeld dur ing the recent Midwinter Meeting of the Chi cago Dental Society injected a note of sad ness into- the meeting, which was felt by all of his friends and acquaintances, particu larly in Chicago. Dr. Kronfeld was born in Vienna, Austria, December 10, 1901. After obtaining his academic education in the Gymnasium, he took up the study of medicine under the direction of his father, who is a dentist, and received his M.D. degree in 1926. Immedi ately thereafter, he entered the dental school and prepared himself for the practice of dentistry. Soon after his entrance into den tistry, Dr. Kronfeld became attracted to the research aspect of medicine and dentistry and became affiliated in research work with Bernhard Gottlieb, of Vienna, in the Den tal Institute.
Jour. A .D .A ., V o l. 2 7 , A p ril 1940
Rudolf Kronfeld, D.D.S.
•Inform ation obtained from a recent pub lication of the American Hospital Association entitled “Non-Profit Hospital Service Plans,” by C . Rufus Rorem. Readers interested in obtaining a brief but complete discussion of this subject should obtain copies o f this an alysis.
Jour. A .D .A ., Vol. 27,. April 1940
T h e corporation also makes contracts with a group of hospitals, which guaran tee to provide the necessary hospital facilities in return for the payment of a fixed sum for each day of care pro vided for subscribers to the plan. T he experience of the first few years in operation o f these plans has demon strated that they must be well organized and efficiently administered in order to operate successfully. T h e organizers must not be motivated by the desire for pecu niary gain and must be prepared to sur mount m any difficulties in the path of success. Subscription rates must be high enough to ensure fulfilment o f all con tractual promises and provide a reason able reserve for contingencies. In a num ber o f states, rates must be approved by the department of insurance before they can be put into effect. In order to ensure the utmost chance o f success, the plans should have the sponsorship of a variety of community representatives and should not be estab lished unless there is a clear-cut com munity demand and need. A ll of the plans have problems o f public relations and public education, but their non-profit character makes it less difficult for them to obtain the cooperation and assistance o f other community agencies, both pub lic and private. T h e assistance of these agencies makes i t ' easier to obtain the necessary subscriber enrolment and to gain the approval o f employer and em ploye groups. T h e American Hospital Association has promulgated a list of standards for non-profit hospital plans. These stand ards were established primarily to assure
647
648
T h e Journal o f the Am erican D en ta l Association
the non-profit character of the enterprise, but they have been extended and revised to include approval of administrative policies and procedures and the financial position of the service. Plans which have the approval of the Commission on
Hospital Service are permitted to identify themselves with the Am erican Hospital Association by the use of the latter’s insignia superimposed upon a blue cross. Reapproval is granted annually upon evi dence of reasonable progress.
SURVEY OF ADULT DENTAL NEEDS T h e Economics Committee of the American Dental Association plans to conduct an extensive nation-wide survey of the dental needs o f adults during the week of M ay 27-31. Present plans are to distribute approxim ately 40,000 cards to about 8,000 dentists in many states. Each dentist will be asked to record the dental needs of five adult patients who visit his office during the week o f the survey and return these
records to the Central Office of the Am er ican Dental Association. A preliminary study has indicated that valuable and interesting information can be obtained from such a study. However, the cooperation of a sufficient number of members must be obtained if the survey is to be successful. Further information concerning this survey will be published in the M ay issue of T h e J o u r n a l .
OBITUARIES R U D O L F K R O N F E L D , B.S., M .D ., D.D.S. (1901-1940) T h e sudden death of Rudolf Kronfeld dur ing the recent Midwinter Meeting of the Chi cago Dental Society injected a note of sad ness into- the meeting, which was felt by all of his friends and acquaintances, particu larly in Chicago. Dr. Kronfeld was born in Vienna, Austria, December 10, 1901. After obtaining his academic education in the Gymnasium, he took up the study of medicine under the direction of his father, who is a dentist, and received his M.D. degree in 1926. Immedi ately thereafter, he entered the dental school and prepared himself for the practice of dentistry. Soon after his entrance into den tistry, Dr. Kronfeld became attracted to the research aspect of medicine and dentistry and became affiliated in research work with Bernhard Gottlieb, of Vienna, in the Den tal Institute.
Jour. A .D .A ., V o l. 2 7 , A p ril 1940
Rudolf Kronfeld, D.D.S.