If you were to ask five dentists what words come to mind when they hear the phrase “Medicaid dental managed-care vendor,” we imagine the possibility that none of them would be exciting. But for The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian)®, the prospect of being a Medicaid dental managed-care vendor for a state like Washington can be exciting.

Why? 

Because one simple question drives us every day: How can we help? 

We want to help you help your patients take the best care of their teeth. To us, you are not just another access point. You are an important member of the team charged with ensuring each Washingtonian with government dental benefits has the information, resources, and access to care needed to achieve optimal oral health. 

We are excited to offer help to Washington Medicaid dentists by: 

1. Answering your questions and offering support through our local clinical and network teams

We offer local, on-the-ground support for our dental providers, so they don’t have to call an office on the other side of the country to ask a question. 

• Guardian’s provider relations team, based out of Spokane, will help you understand the quickest way to file pre-authorization requests and claims using our secure, on-line portal. 
• Guardian’s Washington Medicaid Dental Director will answer your questions about clinical decisions and coordinate continuing education workshop on topics like special-needs dentistry and detecting and reporting family violence. 

2. Giving you 150 years of experience

Guardian has been providing insurance solutions since 1860. Many of you may already have experience with us as providers in our dental insurance networks. We now seek to bring our vast insurance and administrative experience into Washington’s Medicaid community. 

3. Introducing innovative dental service solutions that complement the great work Washington has been doing to improve oral health

Guardian and our wholly owned subsidiary and government programs administrative partner, Avēsis, have developed innovative approaches to dental benefits management, like: 

• Offering bonus payments that complement, rather than compete with, your ABCD reimbursement enhancements 
• Integrating dental care with medical care in the interest of engaging the dental community in supporting the goals of Healthier Washington

4. Taking our mandate seriously 

We believe our work helps give people the security they deserve for life. Dentists know that good oral health can correlate to both financial and physical security. We recognize this too. It’s why we hold ourselves and our organization’s management of government dental benefits – the member outreach and education, the call center, the dental network, claims processing, and provider payments – to the highest standards. 

Helping you help your patients is what excites us. So please trust that when you need information, understanding, or expertise, we’ll be there to ask: How can we help? And then we will.

Learn more about joining the Medicaid dental network Guardian is building in Washington by visiting www.guardiananytime.com or calling 509-468-6490. 

_{Avēsis is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, New York, NY. #2018-58939 (exp. 4/20)}

Guardian is a Platinum Sponsor of the 2018 Pacific Northwest Dental Conference, held June 21-23 in Bellevue, WA. Visit them at Booth 614.