The American Dental Association (ADA) is conducting a survey of dental offices to better understand the utilization of EHR and EDR systems and associated interoperability issues. The data obtained will aid in the development of policies and advocacy efforts to advance the impact of health IT on dental practices. UCSF Health and UCSF Dentistry have integrated medical and oral health records into a single EHR system to streamline care coordination and improve communication between medical specialties. The efforts aim to improve patient health outcomes and ensure more comprehensive healthcare services.
The American Dental Association (ADA) is embarking on a nationwide survey to understand the utilization of Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Electronic Dental Records (EDR) systems and the associated interoperability issues faced by dental offices across the country. The survey is named “Provider Perspectives on Health Information Technology in the Dental Office” and aims to provide the ADA with valuable insights to aid in the development of policies and advocacy efforts that will have a positive impact on dental practices.
Michael Saba, DMD, Chair of the Digital Dentistry, Technology, and Innovation Subcommittee of the ADA Council on Dental Practice, emphasized the importance of the survey in understanding how dental practice management software and electronic dental records impact business operations and clinical care. Saba also stated that the ADA wants to understand how they can best advocate for dentistry based on the information obtained from practicing dentists.
The ADA will ensure confidentiality and only publish results in aggregate form. The preliminary results will be presented to the ADA Council on Dental Practice in May 2023. The survey’s aim is to assist the ADA in working with federal regulators and promoting policies that support dental practices.
Although there have been significant findings that link oral health and overall health in recent decades, the data from EHR and EDR remain largely segregated across the United States. However, some healthcare organizations are looking to enhance the interoperability of EHR and EDR data.
UCSF Health and UCSF Dentistry became the first academic health system in the western half of the US to integrate medical and oral health records into a single EHR system earlier this year. Integrating the records is intended to streamline care coordination by providing UCSF dentists with access to a patient’s complete health history, including their medications, at the point of care.
Michael Reddy, DMD, DMSc, Dean of the UCSF School of Dentistry and Associate Vice Chancellor of Oral Health Affairs at UCSF, explained that integrating medical and dental records would allow dental providers to access patient health records immediately at the point of care. Similarly, healthcare providers will have access to patient dental records, which will help to better monitor chronic diseases and prevent gaps in care.
Reddy also noted that integrating medical and dental records would help providers diagnose and treat patients better, improve communication between medical specialties, and ensure better care coordination. Reddy argued that it was time to take oral health out of clinical trials and start applying it to patients who would start to benefit.
The ADA survey and the UCSF Health and UCSF Dentistry merger of medical and oral health records into a single EHR system are two efforts being made to improve the interoperability of EHR and EDR data. These efforts are essential in providing better care coordination, improving patient health outcomes, and ensuring more comprehensive healthcare services to the population.
