Rep. Frankel seeks details about imminent closure of UPMC Montefiore dental center

A UPMC decision to close its Montefiore dental center has state Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, worried about how many patients will be displaced and the potential impact on their care.

Frankel sought an explanation for the closure in a letter sent Friday to UPMC, a copy of which was obtained by TribLive.

Frankel said the number impacted is not clear, but it could be in the thousands.

Susan Manko, a spokeswoman for the hospital system, confirmed late Monday that the “UPMC Dental Center is transitioning care to Pitt Dental Medicine to provide patients with the highest level of dental care.”

UPMC’s partnership with Pitt Dental Medicine will “ensure that we are meeting patient needs while not duplicating services,” she said.

Manko did not specify how many patients will be impacted or a closing date, but a message playing on the dental center’s answering machine Monday said its final day is March 21 and patient appointments were no longer being scheduled as of last Wednesday.

Staff at the center, located in a suite at 3459 Fifth Ave. in Oakland, will be available to answer questions and provide medical records until March 21, the recording stated.

It was unclear Monday if the move will result in job losses or how many.

In his letter to Alison Beam, senior vice president and chief of government affairs at UPMC, Frankel said his understanding is that thousands of patients potentially could be moved to the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine and its clinical services.

“Most importantly, I’m concerned that the Dental School may not have the capacity to care for an influx of new patients,” Frankel wrote.

“The number of patients the school is expected to absorb seems to be in dispute, with the number as high as 4,000,’” he wrote. “The simple fact that this number is not known is alarming, and speaks to my second concern: patient welfare.”

He said Marnie Oakley, dean of Pitt’s School of Dental Medicine, stated that any patient from Montefiore could be scheduled for a screening at the student clinic within weeks. But Frankel said she could not say how long it might take post-screening for a patient to receive more advanced care needed, though she noted that it would take longer.

Oakley did not respond to a message left for her Monday by TribLive. A phone message for Beam left with UPMC governmental relations staff was not returned.

Manko did not specify a number, but she said patient volume shifting to Pitt would not be a problem.

“Pitt Dental Medicine has the resources to absorb the patients into their practice, and accepts the same insurance as UPMC Dental Center, including Medicare and Medicaid,” Manko said in an email response to questions. “UPMC has worked closely with the Dental School throughout this process over the last several months to ensure continued access to care for patients.

Manko said patients were given timely notice of the transition on Feb. 9.

Frankel is expected to meet with UPMC officials later this week. His letter said he still has questions after preliminary conversations with UPMC in recent days.

“Given what we know from experience to be extensive wait times for dentists generally, and the clinic in particular, I believe a detailed plan will need to be in place to ensure that these patients do not experience a gap in care,” he wrote.

“The decision to close the clinic was clearly made long ago, since advance notice was given to the Department of Health, as required by law,” Frankel added. “And yet, patients were not notified until mere weeks before the clinic closure.

“In my conversation with Dean Oakley days before effective closure, Pitt Dental School did not have clear information on expected patient volume or even the final clinic location,” he said.

A spokesman for the state Department of Health could not be reached for comment late Monday regarding a closure notice.

Frankel wrote that “the closure of this desperately needed service line renews my longstanding concerns about the valuation of high-profit practice over community needs.

“The Pittsburgh area has nowhere near enough dentists who accept Medicaid to meet the needs of our communities,” he said. “To shut down a major provider of those services could endanger the health and well-being of hundreds — maybe thousands – of Pittsburgh residents.”