{
  "id": "2004-march-baby-dentistry",
  "slug": "2004-march-baby-dentistry",
  "url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/2004-march-baby-dentistry.html",
  "year": 2004,
  "month": "March",
  "monthNum": 3,
  "headline": "Baby dentistry",
  "kicker": "",
  "author_name": "",
  "author_title": "",
  "affiliation": "IRE and NICAR",
  "summary": "IRE and NICAR's Database Library partnered with WCNC Charlotte to analyze Medicaid data, uncovering that pediatric dentists were performing unnecessary root canals on babies at disproportionately high rates in major metropolitan areas. The investigation won a Scripps Howard Foundation national journalism award for excellence in electronic media.",
  "keywords": [
    "Medicaid",
    "dentistry",
    "investigation"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Data & Databases",
    "Health & Environment",
    "Investigative Methods"
  ],
  "technologies": [
    "Access",
    "FoxPro"
  ],
  "full_text": "The IRE and NICAR Database Library worked with WCNC- Charlotte, N.C. to analyze Med- icaid data for a story that aired in December. The Database Li- brary transferred tapes of Med- icaid billing records to Microsoft Access and FoxPro and identi- fied pediatric dentists spending millions of dollars of taxpayer money on unneeded root ca- nals in babies. The analysis found that the main metropoli- tan Medicaid centers in North Carolina treated fewer than 10 percent of the kids on Medicaid in the state, but performed al- most half of the baby root ca- nals. To view the story, go to www.wcnc.com/news/topstories/ stories/wcnc-121803-al medicaid.b4d99017.html. The series won a Scripps Howard Foundation national journalism award for excellence in electronic media, large market television/ cable. For more information on how IRE and NICAR can help your news organization with data analysis, contact the Database Library at 573-884-7711.",
  "provenance": {
    "extracted_by": "pre-v2",
    "extracted_at": "",
    "verified": true
  },
  "similar": [
    {
      "slug": "2004-march-bits-and-bytes",
      "score": 0.272
    },
    {
      "slug": "1992-march-loeb-selected-for-scripps-howard-award",
      "score": 0.153
    },
    {
      "slug": "1996-may-pulitzer-finalist-for-beat-reporting-medicaid-hmo-game",
      "score": 0.15
    },
    {
      "slug": "2001-marchapril-the-new-york-times-and-scripps-howard-post-election-analysis",
      "score": 0.148
    },
    {
      "slug": "1995-june-database-uncovers-abuse",
      "score": 0.138
    }
  ],
  "html_url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/2004-march-baby-dentistry.html",
  "json_url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/2004-march-baby-dentistry.json"
}