PDS Health®, an integrated healthcare support organization, has launched PDS Health Medical™, a new business unit designed to more closely align medical and dental care through shared locations, embedded primary care clinicians, and coordinated referral pathways.
The initiative builds on longstanding clinical interest in the connection between oral and systemic health. With a model grounded in collaborative care and informed by years of implementation experience, PDS Health aims to address structural divides between dentistry and medicine that can hinder effective care coordination.
"As we deepened our understanding of the Mouth-Body Connection®, it became clear that the separation of dental and medical care was a barrier to better health," said Stephen E. Thorne IV, founder and CEO of PDS Health. "PDS Health Medical is a direct response to that insight. By bringing oral health and primary care together, we're creating a more complete model of care that improves outcomes for patients."
The integrated care model was first piloted in Summerlin, Nevada, where dental and medical services were offered within a single practice. The concept has since expanded to 13 locations—eight in the Las Vegas area and five in the greater Phoenix region. Each site is structured to facilitate team-based, whole-person care, with interoperable systems and aligned clinical protocols supporting day-to-day operations.
A core component of the integration strategy is the use of Epic®, a widely adopted electronic health record platform. PDS Health was the first dental organization of its size to fully implement Epic and currently operates the largest oral health deployment of the system globally. This infrastructure enables shared access to patient health data across disciplines, enhancing coordination and continuity of care.
"Clinicians now have a full view of their patients' health, which was not possible when medical and dental operated in silos," said Joe Feldsien, president of PDS Health Medical. "That changes how we approach preventive care and chronic disease management."
Looking ahead, PDS Health Medical plans to scale its integrated model across new and existing markets, initially focusing on Nevada, Arizona, California, and Colorado. The organization has also expressed interest in partnering with health systems that share its commitment to connected, community-based care.
In addition to expanding care delivery, the model presents opportunities for primary care providers to take on clinical leadership roles. PDS Health Medical emphasizes a structure that combines provider autonomy with administrative and operational support.
According to PDS Health, the long-term goal of the initiative is to create a more accessible, coordinated healthcare environment—one that supports both patient outcomes and clinician collaboration by removing long-standing barriers between medical and dental care.
More information is available at pdshealth.com.
