Alignment Between Health and Dental Plans
Wednesday, September 25
2:15 PM - 3:15 PM (CT)
Join our panel discussion featuring representatives from stand-alone dental plans, medical plans and DSO’s. They'll explore innovative approaches to integrate dental claims data into chronic disease management programs, aiming for improved customer wellness. Discover new insights on how dental data can contribute to cost savings in medical care for individuals with chronic conditions, especially through preventive dental services. Learn about strategies to increase dental visits for individuals with chronic conditions through collaborative data-sharing initiatives
Dr. Mary Lee Conicella (Moderator)
Aetna / CVS Health
Dr. Mary Lee Conicella is Aetna’s Chief Dental Officer and oversees dental clinical initiatives and policies, with a focus on driving member engagement and improving health outcomes. She was instrumental in creating Aetna's Dental-Medical Integration program and several strategies to reduce dental opioid prescribing. These initiatives received global recognition in the groundbreaking NIH report: “Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges.” Dr. Conicella received her DMD from Temple University and is a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry. She serves on the National Dental Association’s Corporate Round Table and received the NDA President’s Award for her contributions to the mission of the NDA and the profession of Dentistry. Dr. Conicella also serves as the Clinical Advisor to the National Association of Dental Plans’ Board of Directors and was recently honored with NADP’s Gabryl Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing her volunteer leadership and efforts to improve consumer access to affordable, quality dental care through advocacy, research, and the promotion of dental benefits. She is a member of the NYU College of Dentistry Dean’s Strategic Advisory Council and holds a life membership in the American Dental Association.
Jeremy Jonckheere
Pacific Dental Services
Jeremy Jonckheere’s work at PDS Health covers insurance plan relationships, strategic partnerships, medical integration and enterprise strategy initiatives. Prior to his work with PDS, Jeremy held several positions at DaVita including senior director of strategy and director strategic development and government affairs. He holds an MBA in Finance, Marketing and Biotechnology from Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management and an HBA from the University of Western Ontario, Richard Ivey School of Business. A former professional volleyball player and member of Canada’s National Team, Jeremy spends his time with his wife and son traveling central America and exploring Florida’s winter activities.
Robert Lewando, DDS, MBA
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Dr. Bob Lewando is the Executive Dental Director of BCBSMA’s Specialty Benefits Professional Services helping to provide dental services to more than one million members. Bob had spent approximately twenty years at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates (HVMA), a multispecialty medical and dental group practice in Boston where he combined a clinical practice and administrative responsibilities. Bob was Chief of HVMA’s largest fee for service dental practice in Boston for most of those years. Bob still maintains a practice limited to periodontology approximately one day per week with the rest of his time spent at BCBSMA. Bob has helped to develop BCBSMA’s strategy of trying to improve the overall health of its membership through identification of medical conditions where dental care is particularly important. This has led to the development of condition-specific, member centric dental benefits or the Total Health program. Dr. Lewando graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. He then attended Columbia College of Dental Medicine and received specialty training in Periodontics from a combined program between the VA and Harvard School of Dental Medicine. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology. Bob also received a MBA from Boston College. He is the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association voting representative on the Code Maintenance Committee of the American Dental Association who helps to determine future CDT code changes. Bob maintains a clinical appointment at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) and is the HSDM chair of the Initiative to Integrate Oral Health and Medicine. Bob is also chair of the MDS Foundation, the charitable arm of the Massachusetts Dental Society.
Jeff Schwab, MBA
Vice President of Marketing & Sales
Dominion National
Jeff Schwab is Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Dominion National, a leading dental and vision insurer and administrator that serves leading health plans, employer groups, municipalities, associations and individuals. He has over 20 years of experience in marketing, public relations and corporate communications. Schwab is responsible for leading Dominion’s sales, marketing, account service and corporate strategy, as well as overseeing the company’s new product launches and individual product lines both on and off the health insurance exchanges. He has led the development and execution of Dominion’s teledentistry program with the goal of improving member engagement, satisfaction and access to dental care. He has also helped spearhead studies that reinforce how integrating dental and medical coverage and care can be associated with improved health and lower costs for those dealing with chronic medical issues. As Chair of Dominion’s Corporate Giving Committee, Schwab works to increase oral health awareness in Dominion’s communities through annual donations including dental health kits for children to local clinics and other charitable efforts. Schwab serves on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Dental Plans (NADP) to support NADP's mission to promote and advance the dental benefits industry to improve consumer access to affordable, quality dental care. This includes advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill. He currently serves as Vice Chair on the Board’s Executive Committee, as well as the Chair of the Communications WorkGroup. Schwab is also a guest speaker at national industry conferences to discuss teledentistry trends and the importance of preventive dental care. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland Global Campus and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Maryland. In 2019, Schwab was a Leadership Center for Excellence “40 Under 40” award recipient.
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