care coordination C D A J O U R N A L , V O L 5 0 , Nº 6
Care Coordination: A Valuable Adjunct To Dental Practice — Lessons Learned in a Public Health Setting Ellen Darius, RDH, MS, MPH; Huong Le, DDS, MA; Sridevi Ponnala, BDS,DDS, MBA; and Curtis Le, DMD
abstract Background: Children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) face numerous barriers in accessing dental care including a lack of providers who are comfortable and competent in addressing their needs. Care coordination is an effective and financially viable tool to navigate the complexities of the health care system and match patients to providers with the appropriate training and facilities to treat their specific needs. Care coordinators have been shown to improve access, reduce barriers and decrease health care costs for CYSHCN. Objectives: To present results of a care coordination pilot in two federally qualified health centers that worked with community dental care coordinators (CDCCs) as part of the Healthy Teeth Healthy Communities (HTHC) project to determine if this model is financially sustainable and potentially beneficial to connecting CYSHCN to dental care. Methods: Several case studies were examined to determine the efficacy of the care coordination model with regard to improving oral health outcomes by decreasing barriers to care for CYSHCN. Data were analyzed from two federally qualified health centers that participated in the dental care coordination pilot. Results: The results illustrate a positive correlation between care coordination and patients’ ability to establish a dental home. The data also show a decrease in the number of no-shows for the patients supported by care coordinators. Conclusions: This pilot demonstrated that care coordination improves access and continuity of care for all patient populations. Additional research and funding should be afforded to further investigate care coordination programs as a bridge to better oral health care for CYSHN. Keywords: Special needs dentistry, community and public health dentistry, vulnerable patients, pediatric dentistry
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