The Journey Toward Comprehensive Dental and Medical Integration with Stephen Thorne

What if a routine dental cleaning could predict heart disease, and preventing Alzheimer’s started with your annual x-ray?

Stephen Thorne, founder and CEO of Pacific Dental Services (PDS), is spearheading a transformation in healthcare by integrating dental and medical services through an innovative business model. After a personal loss and extensive research into oral-systemic health connections, Thorne invested heavily in implementing Epic’s health records system across PDS practices, enabling dentists to access comprehensive patient data, identify systemic health risks, and seamlessly coordinate with physicians.

PDS’s integrated approach reflects a broader vision for transforming healthcare economics and delivery, particularly for Medicare Advantage plans and high-risk populations. By positioning dental offices as early intervention points for conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and high-risk pregnancies, PDS demonstrates how preventive oral care could dramatically reduce downstream healthcare costs. Thorne advocates for fundamental changes in healthcare reimbursement models, including eliminating separate dental coding systems and incorporating dentists into medical insurance panels, to make integrated care financially sustainable.

The Think Oral Health podcast dives deep into the profound connection between oral and systemic health. Join hosts Mariya Filipova and Dr. Jonathan Levine as they explore groundbreaking perspectives with pioneering healthcare innovators, researchers, and clinicians.