Premium
Interprofessional value‐based health care: Nurse practitioner‐dentist model
Author(s) -
Dolce Maria C.,
Barrow Jane,
Jivraj Ashiana,
Pham Dalton,
Da Silva John D.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of public health dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1752-7325
pISSN - 0022-4006
DOI - 10.1111/jphd.12419
Subject(s) - medicine , health care , family medicine , body mass index , nursing , population , medical home , population health , medline , interprofessional education , public health , primary care , environmental health , pathology , economics , economic growth , political science , law
Objectives The United States health system is challenged to improve patient and population health, enhance patients' experience of care, and reduce health care costs. Value‐based health care (VBHC) models are proposed to address these issues. Medical health systems are making strides toward VBHC, whereas dental care systems lag behind. The aims of this paper are to a) present study findings of an interprofessional practice model integrating oral health and primary care in a dental practice setting, and b) discuss practice and research implications for advancing VBHC approaches in oral health. Methods A nonexperimental research method was employed to evaluate the Nurse Practitioner‐Dentist Model for Primary Care (NPD Model) at the Harvard Dental Center. Pretest/post‐test design was used to assess clinical patient outcomes for a convenience cohort of Medicare beneficiaries ( n = 31) with a reported diagnosis of hypertension and/or type 2 diabetes. Clinical outcome measures included: blood pressure, weight, body mass index (BMI), and Hemoglobin A1c. Results Positive and significant improvements in biometrics (blood pressure, body weight, BMI, HbA1c) were found. Conclusions The NPD Model is an early prototype for interprofessional VBHC in oral health and holds promise for improving patient and population health outcomes. Integration of interprofessional VBHC in oral health is an imperative for achieving the Triple Aim to improve the overall health of our nation.