Epic has a new customer for its comprehensive health records system: Irvine, California-based Pacific Dental Services, which provides business and administrative services for dental offices.

WHY IT MATTERS
It's the first dental support organization to sign on with Epic. The implementation means that all healthcare organizations, including dentists and oral specialists supported by PDS, can use Epic technology can now readily exchange patient data for improved patient care.

The rollout, which is expected to be completed by 2020, will boost care coordination and reduce duplication, according to Epic. Patients of those dental providers will have access to its MyChart patient portal, gaining secure digital access to their health information and the ability to schedule appointments and pay bills.

"Poor oral health has been linked to cardiovascular disease, pregnancy and birth defects, and diabetes," said Alan Hutchison, vice president of population health at Epic. "Through the use of Care Everywhere, dentists across the country will have real-time access to important clinical information."

THE LARGER TREND
This is not Epic's first experience with dental records. Earlier this year, Columbia University College of Dental Medicine announced that it would launch a new Center for Precision Dental Medicine, which will leverage technology for data-driven research into links between dental and overall health.

The college is among the first academic dental institutions to unify dental and medical patient records in Epic, enabling them to be shared among clinicians at Columbia, NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine.

ON THE RECORD
"Oral healthcare is a critical component of overall health and this investment will enable PDS-supported clinicians and their patients to more fully participate in the promise of a seamless, comprehensive healthcare system focused on whole body health," said Stephen E. Thorne, IV, founder and CEO of Pacific Dental Services, in a statement.

Twitter: @MikeMiliardHITN
Email the writer: mike.miliard@himssmedia.com