AHRQ Health Care Innovations Exchange

October 28, 2009 | Go to past issues.

Featured Topic: Oral Health Disparities

Oral health disparities persist in the U.S. population for many reasons, including complex cultural and social processes that affect oral health and access to effective dental health care. Infrequent preventive care and high rates of dental disease are associated with minority status, low socioeconomic status, and unemployment.

The featured innovations describe programs aimed at reducing oral health disparities in two vulnerable populations — older homeless adults and refugees.

The featured QualityTools provide oral health resources, including a toolkit and an educational video to assist health professionals working with vulnerable populations.

This Issue's Featured Innovations:

Cross-Training of Medical, Dental, and Psychiatric Fellows Enhances Access to Comprehensive Care for Homeless and Formerly Homeless Older Adults

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Oral Health Program Offers Screening, Education, and Referrals for Followup Care, Enhancing Access to Culturally Sensitive Dental Care for Refugees and Asylum Seekers

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Other Innovations in this issue:

Community Health Center-Jail Partnerships Improve Care During and After Incarceration, Reduce Jail-Based Violence and Deaths and Enhance Access to Community-Based Care

Organization-Wide Adoption of Patient- and Family-Centered Care Leads to Consistently High Levels of Patient Satisfaction

Providers Offer HIV Testing to All Emergency Department Patients in an Inner City Hospital, Improving Access to Testing and Subsequent Care for High-Risk Populations

Rehearsing Team Care for Relatively Rare Obstetric Emergencies Leads to Improved Outcomes

updated At-Home, Internet-Enabled Therapy Sessions Enhance Access to Cognitive Rehabilitation for Traumatic Brain Injury Patients, Leading to High Levels of Patient and Therapist Satisfaction

updated Online Tools and Services Activate Plan Enrollees and Engage Them in Their Care, Enhance Efficiency, and Improve Satisfaction and Retention

updated Team-Developed Care Plan and Ongoing Care Management by Social Workers and Nurse Practitioners Result in Better Outcomes and Fewer Emergency Department Visits for Low-Income Seniors

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This Issue's Featured QualityTools:

Healthy People 2010 Oral Health Toolkit

Oral Health Exam

Oral Health, Cancer Care, and You

Other QualityTools in this issue:

Blood Thinner Pills: Your Guide to Using Them Safely

Community Oriented Correctional Health Services Mapping Arrestee Population Tool (COCHS M.A.P. Tool^©)

Keep ME Healthy Toolkit

Practical Obstetric MultiProfessional Training (PROMPT) e-Tools

The Outpatient Health Care Usability Profile

Go to all QualityTools.

Last updated: October 28, 2009.

Expert Commentary: Reducing oral health disparities requires a multidisciplinary and community-focused approach.

Have your attempts to improve health care delivery fallen short?
Join us for a free Webinar on Learning from Disappointment: When Your Innovation Falls Short

When: Tuesday, November 17, 2009; 2-3 p.m. (EST)

Innovators Cathleen Colon-Emeric at Duke University Medical Center and Dennis Manning at Mayo Clinic will discuss their approaches to learning from attempts and applying lessons learned to future work.

Visit here to register and learn more.

The Health Care Innovations Exchange benefits from the guidance and input of a multidisciplinary group of highly qualified medical professionals.

Gregory Pawlson, MD, MPH, FACP
Executive Vice President, National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)

Visit all expert biographies.