UPMC pledges seamless transition as dental center closes

State Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, says UPMC has assured him that dental patients transferred from its soon-to-close Montefiore center “will be easily absorbed” into the University of Pittsburgh Dental School clinic without undue treatment delays.

He said the hospital system said most employees from the Montefiore operation have been hired at the Pitt clinic, with equivalent pay and improved benefits.

“Wait times to schedule initial appointments will remain, on average, around two to three weeks, and follow up appointments will be scheduled immediately and will take place in weeks, not months,” Frankel wrote in a letter to the hospital system summarizing his take of a meeting Thursday between himself and UPMC representatives.

The letter was addressed to Sandra Rader, president of UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside Hospital.

Prior to the meeting, Frankel raised concern over how the closure, set for later this week, had been handled. He expressed worry about adverse impacts from a move that he said could potentially impact thousands of patients.

The Montefiore center at 3459 Fifth Ave., Oakland, stopped taking new appointments effective March 6 and is scheduled to close Thursday. UPMC previously said a phone line at the center would remain until that day to answer questions and provide medical records.

Frankel said UPMC has since agreed to direct patients after March 21 to a second phone number for obtaining dental records.

UPMC communicated to him that as Pitt’s Dental Clinic grows “it will continue to prioritize the communities that rely on both clinics now, and will maintain the same 70-80% proportion that uses government insurance.” Frankel wrote.

“I remain concerned that the burdens of running a clinic with high resource needs and little profit potential is being transferred from the ledger of UPMC to that of Pitt,” he wrote. “To that end, I reiterate my expectation that Pitt should not be charged rent for the new space, and would like to be kept updated on any related lease agreements.

Asked for comment on the letter, UPMC spokeswoman Susan Manko said it welcomed the opportunity to clarify its plans.

“We expect less than 2,000 patients total will need to transition their care, all of whom can easily be accommodated by the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine,” Manko said in an email on Monday. “Measures are in place to ensure that this transition will be as seamless as possible for patients.’’

She did not provide any staffing numbers but said “ almost every staff member has been hired by Pitt.”

She did not address a question about why the center was closing, but in an earlier correspondence, she referenced duplication of services as a potential issue.

Frankel said he hopes communication will improve going forward.

“I am disappointed by the lack of transparency by UPMC in pursuing changes that will affect underserved populations in our community,” he said. “I take your pledge to inform legislators of future changes that will affect their constituencies to heart, and I look forward to more timely conversations in the future.”