Jeff Parker, CEO of Healthcare Delivery, DentaQuest
The new CEO of Healthcare Delivery at DentaQuest, Jeff Parker, was recognized as one of HealthLeaders Magazine’s 2013 HealthLeaders20, which honors individuals who have made great strides in improving the healthcare industry. Parker — the first professional from the dental field to be given this honor — was recognized for his work as Chairman of Sarrell Dental Centers, which provides dental services for underserved children.
In September, DentaQuest Care Group and Alabama-based Sarrell Dental announced that they were forming an affiliation to share ideas and strategies on providing oral care to more Americans across the country.
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“Six of 10 Medicaid-eligible children in this country don’t have access to a dentist because many dentists don't take Medicaid patients,” said Parker. “Our goal is to ensure that all children on Medicaid or CHIP can and will receive the dental care they need. HealthLeaders’ recognition of our model is an important step in improving the oral health of all and I am honored to be recognized by a leading publication outside of the dental field.”
Parker’s model relies on a full-time community outreach manager to facilitate outreach and recruitment of patients and to provide information to the community on the importance of maintaining good oral health. Further, to eliminate overtreatment, each of the dentists in this program is audited by a chief dental officer.
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"We congratulate Jeff on this honor and his commitment to ensuring that all Americans have the dental care they need," said Fay Donohue, DentaQuest CEO. “We look forward to exploring new opportunities to advance cost-effective, quality care and advance our mission to improve the oral health of all.”
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This is the 7th annual “Healthleaders 20 edition.” Of the past and current 140 honorees, Parker is the first from the field of dentistry. To read the full list of HealthLeaders Magazine’s 2013 HealthLeaders20, click here.
For more information about DentaQuest, visit www.dentaquest.com.
