Overview
Many children at or near the poverty threshold do not receive preventive dental care. SmileConnect's dental referral technology addresses this problem by giving providers a secure platform to help administer, coordinate, and track oral health care for low-income children in their communities.
Our Approach
SmileConnect's referral technology provides information to general practitioners on how to identify tooth decay, apply fluoride varnish, and educate young patients about oral health. It also makes it easy for doctors, social workers, and other care professionals to refer children in need of oral care to nearby dentists who accept Medicaid, and to track the care they receive. In addition, our dental referral technology’s FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) gateway ensures information within the system is securely shared across oral health care teams for better overall coordination.
Results
Children in Michigan who are referred to a dentist through SmileConnect's dental referral technology platform are five times more likely to visit a dentist and get preventive oral care than children who did not receive an electronic referral. Doctors also appreciate that when they use the dental referral technology, they are not only expanding access to oral health care in their communities, but are part of a collaborative care team that includes dentists.
Contact Us
Carley Kirk - MS
Deputy Director, Population Health
Areas of Expertise- Maternal and Child Health
- Clinical Quality Improvement
- Public Health IT Solutions
Carley Kirk has 15 years of experience managing large quality improvement initiatives focused on maternal and child health, including a CMS-funded program in Michigan that resulted in one million low-income children receiving access to preventive oral health services. She specializes in advancing population health through programmatic and technology implementation, policy development, and leading health care demonstrations of innovative approaches that advance care. Carley holds a master’s degree in health education from the University of Michigan.