New dental school gets high-tech records system

The High Point Enterprise, N.C.
·2 min read

Feb. 23—HIGH POINT — High Point University is the first academic institution to partner with a dental support organization to gain an electronic health records system.

Pacific Dental Services, one of the nation's leading dental support organizations, announced the partnership Tuesday. PDS will extend Epic, which it called the most widely used comprehensive electronic health records system in the United States, for use in HPU's new Workman School of Dental Medicine and the dental practices that will be affiliated with the school.

Ali Shazib, chief clinical officer of the HPU Oral Health Network, said in the PDS press release that HPU will get a custom-built dental version of Epic.

"Epic allows us to capture real-time data that will have tremendous value for delivering integrated oral health care, education and research," he said. "With the experience of PDS, we are confident we will be supported throughout the entire process, from preparation to go-live and beyond."

Epic is used by more than 900 dental practices nationwide, PDS said.

David Baker, chief information and digital officer of PDS, called it "the most powerful dental platform in the world."

PDS plans to use its experience with HPU to expand the platform to additional dental schools, he said.

HPU's program will enroll its inaugural class in the fall of 2024. It will be North Carolina's only dental school that is part of a private university.

Starting their first semester, students will spend a significant amount of time rotating through HPU Oral Health Network practices to provide and observe patient care and learn dental auxiliary roles and functions, including the use of Epic and other technology.

The HPU Oral Health Network will be able to share records with health care systems that also use Epic, allowing for team-based and integrated care for patients. In addition, dental students will be able to refer undiagnosed medical conditions to health care providers, PDS said.

"This form of integrated care is the future of health care, underscoring the importance of oral health to overall health, and will allow HPU graduates to thrive in a team-based environment," the company said.