Partnerships between providers and advocates: A key to oral health integration in a value‐based care environment

Families USA is proud to be part of a newly released special issue of the Journal of Public Health Dentistry, A System Ripe for Change: Progressing Value-Based Care in Oral Health. Value‐based care, which rewards providers for achieving health outcomes rather than simply for providing services, is an important way to refocus the health care system on the needs of the families it serves, including better integration of care. While the oral health environment lags behind some other parts of the health care system in transitioning to value-based care, the COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare many of the vulnerabilities in the current system – including the need to more rapidly transform oral health services. This special issue lays out some of the ways in which oral health care has begun to transition toward value based care, and explores ways in which this trend may grow- particularly as we emerge from the pandemic.

Our contribution to this special issue, Partnerships between providers and advocates: A key to oral health integration in a value‐based care environment, works to ensure that consumers, and the consumer perspective, are central to any shifts toward value-based care. Patients’ health and integrated, high-quality care must be central priorities for policymakers working on value‐based care. As we discuss in detail, partnerships between public health dental professionals and consumer advocates will be key to making care systems more responsive to patients’ needs: Public health dentists can help advocates learn about effective models of dental care and service integration, and advocates can play key roles in elevating consumers’ experiences and getting states to implement best practices.

Working together, advocates and dental providers can monitor care, watch for performance improvements, and explain what consumers and providers need to ensure that the system more effectively works toward improving health. It is time for such a change.

Read the full article to learn more: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jphd.12410