How Medical-Dental EHR Integration Can Improve Diabetes Care

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Informatics
• Dental Public Health

Background:

• Poor oral health is a neglected public health issue with epidemic scale in the US.
• Oral health significantly impacts overall health, leading to substantial economic and human costs.
• The US Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Surgeon General recognized the scale of poor oral health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe how health information transfer between integrated medical and dental practices can enhance diabetes care.
• To explore the ethics and equity implications of improving medical-dental practice (MDP) electronic health record (EHR) interoperability.
• To examine these issues within a large, rural Wisconsin healthcare system.

Main Methods:

• The study focuses on health information transfer within an integrated medical and dental practice.
• It analyzes the potential for improved electronic health record (EHR) interoperability between medical and dental records.
• The context is a large, rural healthcare organization in Wisconsin.

Main Results:

• Improved health information transfer between medical and dental records can positively impact diabetes management.
• Enhanced EHR interoperability presents opportunities to improve patient care coordination.
• The study highlights the need to consider ethical and equity dimensions of integrated health records.

Conclusions:

• Integrating medical and dental health information systems is crucial for improving chronic disease management, such as diabetes.
• Addressing EHR interoperability challenges is essential for equitable and ethical healthcare delivery in rural areas.
• The Marshfield Clinic Health System serves as a case study for examining these integrated health informatics principles.