7 - How to Conduct a Medical-Dental Integration Environmental Scan in Your State

Description: Medical practices integrating oral health into primary care are often challenged by the lack of clarity around scopes of practice for medical and dental providers, lack of reimbursement for oral health services, lack of oral health indicators in electronic health records (EHR), and lack of interoperability between EHRs. To improve access to and utilization of comprehensive, high-quality oral health care for pregnant women, infants, and children at high risk for oral disease, the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau funded three regional Networks for Oral Health Integration (NOHI) projects in twelve states/jurisdiction: Midwest (IA, IL, MI, OH), Rocky Mountain (AZ, CO, MT, WY), and East Coast (DC, MD, NY, VA). The projects collaborated to develop a comprehensive environmental scan tool to collect state/jurisdiction-specific data regarding integrating dental services into medical settings. The environmental scan included questions that focused on the scope of practice of medical and dental providers, Medicaid payment, and state policies that impact medical-dental integration. NOHI staff and/or partners within each state conducted the environmental scan in consultation with their state Primary Care Association, Medicaid office, state oral health program, and community dental offices. The environmental scan tool’s development, execution, and summary data in a user-friendly chartbook will be discussed, along with how to use this information to identify opportunities to inform policy change at the state level. The tool is available as a resource for other states to conduct similar scans.

Source of Funding::Health Resource and Services Administration, cooperative agreement UK7MC33230.