We are developing the evidence-base to support policy and systems change.
COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVE ANALYSIS
Producing evidence that can affect systems change.
The HSDM Initiative aims to transform oral health policy research by producing a body of evidence that has the rigor to withstand peer review and critical scrutiny. To that end, we are sponsoring a number of related activities.
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Development of national medical and dental claims data repository that can be used for future studies
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Launch of a longitudinal study of medical dental integration of multiple sites across the U.S.
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Systematic Review of Existing Studies that correlates reduced cost and improved health outcomes for individuals with chronic disease when their medical and dental benefits are combined compared to similar patients with medical benefits only. As part of the validation process, HSDM is conducting its own study to validate findings that uses a more robust methodology and data set.
ECONOMIC SIMULATIONS
Projects that analyze primary care, behavioral health and oral health data and simulate scenarios of comprehensive care in a shared risk environment.
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Collaborated with HMS Center for Primary Care to simulate addition of primary oral health services to shared risk arrangements
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Concurrently work on a simulation to integrate behavioral health with primary care services in a shared risk arrangement
PREVENTIVE PERIODONTAL TREATMENT TO HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS WITH DIABETES
Evaluating the effectiveness of preventative care among patients with diabetes.
With support from the Initiative, HSDM is partnering with Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital to conduct a study to assess the impact to care-seeking behaviors of patients with diabetes when they are provided with oral health services during hospitalization. The study will also measure health outcomes and weigh the feasibility and cost effectiveness of dental hygienist-delivered preventive oral care to patients with diabetes during hospitalization.
PAST COLLABORATIONS:
THE INTERNATIONAL CONSORTIUM FOR HEALTH OUTCOMES MEASUREMENT (ICHOM)
Improving decision making by developing standards to measure, benchmark and report patient outcomes.
ICHOM is a non-profit organization with the purpose of transforming health care systems worldwide by developing standards for measuring and reporting patient outcomes. ICHOM organizes global teams of physicians, researchers and patient advocates to define Standard Sets of outcomes per medical condition, and then drives adoption to enable health care providers globally to compare, learn, and improve. The framework, developed by Harvard Business School Professor Michael E. Porter, is outlined in the book, Redefining Healthcare, which he coauthored with Professor Elizabeth O. Teisberg.
To develop an Oral Health Outcomes Set, the HSDM Initiative fostered the collaboration of the ADA Health Policy Institute, the UCSF Dental School and the Dental Health Services of Queensland Australia. The metrics set will be disseminated through the professional networks of team members as well as through the 146 dental associations affiliated with FDI.
The goal is to enable standardized outcomes measurement that will improve clinical decision making between providers and patients, facilitate quality improvement, and allow for benchmarking across organizations.