Pacific Dental Services Partners with MemorialCare for Medical Dental Integration

Pacific Dental Services Partners with MemorialCare for Medical Dental Integration

Pacific Dental Services (PDS) has announced a partnership with MemorialCare. MemorialCare is a nonprofit integrated health system, and through this partnership the two groups will provide comprehensive oral and medical care, according to a press release from PDS. Co-located practices will open over the next 5 years with PDS-dental offices inside select MemorialCare Medical Group health centers throughout Orange and Los Angeles counties. This partnership will bridge the oral and medical health gap, according to Founder and CEO of PDS Stephen Thorne IV.

“This unprecedented partnership is a natural extension of Pacific Dental Services’ goal to bring to light link between oral health and overall health–what we at PDS call The Mouth-Body Connection®–in an effort to improve the health of patients,” Thorne IV said in the press release. “Because many systemic diseases, conditions, and even medications can affect a patient’s oral health, we have long advocated for closer collaboration between medical and dental professionals. This partnership brings that to fruition.”

Both systems use Epic for their health records, making this partnership a smooth transition. Because gum disease and other oral conditions are often indicators for systemic health issues, this partnership will allow medical and dental professionals to openly communicate and provide patients with a robust, full-body health system.

Patients will be able to view medical and dental health history through Epic’s MyChart portal, and will have the opportunity to take advantage of this new system, according to President and CEO or MemorialCare Barry Arbuckle.

“MemorialCare has a long history of partnering with innovative organizations that share our vision of delivering best practice medicine and improving community health,” Arbuckle said in the press release. “This unique, innovative venture provides our patients and community with seamless integration of primary care and oral health, an essential clinical service not previously offered.”