This paper discusses the value of a single patient record for a CHC, FQHC, or tribal health center.  These centers have medical and dental units that can achieve higher levels of patient care and focus in the continuum of patient care with a unified patient record.

1. An Integrated Electronic
Dental Record (EDR):
The Missing Piece for
Community Health Centers
Spring/Summer 2013

2. Many community health
centers (CHCs), federally
qualified health centers
(FQHCs), and tribal
health centers (THCs) do
not work from a single,
integrated medical,
dental, behavioral health,
and administrative data
management platform.
That’s changing.
Capture, Share, and Leverage All
Patient Data in the CHC, FQHC,
and THC
Because CHCs, FQHCs, and THCs offer patient care
across the continuum, virtually everyone in the facility
is affected by any electronic system(s) used to capture,
share, and leverage clinical data, protected health
information (PHI), and financial/claims data:
• Providers – physicians, clinicians, dentists, dental
hygienists, mental health professionals
• Office staff – billing, supervisors, schedulers, patient
advocates, office managers
• Information technology (IT) staff – IT managers,
system support, third party support
• Executive Leaders – Directors, CEOs, COOs,
Executive Directors, Chief Technology Officers
• Patients – specialized populations; chronic illness;
dental-needs patients; cultural
care issues
But CHCs, FQHCs, and THCs differ widely in how they
benefit from systems that work well, are deterred by
systems that don’t, or are somewhere “in between”
using systems that are not fully configured for maximum
value and impact.
A common IT configuration among CHCs, FQHCs,
and THCs is to have an EHR system, or an EHR and
integrated practice management system, with either no
EDR, or an EDR supplied by a different vendor. Facilities
without an integrated EDR as part of their EHR and
practice management software solution cannot reap the
value offered in a fully integrated software solution that
covers the continuum of care.
EDR – The Missing Piece in a Single
Platform Solution for CHC, FQHC,
and THC Applications
Getting an EDR is important. A facility can improve
collaboration between dentists and physicians with a
single, integrated solution. But instead of choosing
one more IT vendor for your EDR, consider partnering
with one who does more – is able to offer you a single,
integrated EHR, EDR and practice management
platform. The positive impact on system functionality,
and the value that system can deliver to staff and
patients, is significant:
› Real-time data access of medical and
dental records
› Full collaborative care capabilities for medical,
dental, and behavioral care delivery
› Single, consolidated health record to document
important medical information
› Working with a single vendor for all upgrades,
maintenance, or problem resolutions
› Develop one master contract with a single vendor
to cover every aspect of the integrated system
› One single customer support contact, regardless
of the system module support issue
› Patient demographics information viewable within
the EDR

3. › One-click access to a patient’s EHR from the EDR
› A single, integrated allergy module; a single,
integrated medication module
› A single, integrated platform to enter and maintain
patient demographic information
› Single solution for the entire facility to accomplish
patient scheduling
› Single solution to accomplish billing, reporting, and
follow-up administrative patient queries
› Procedures completed in the EDR are available in
practice management system for billing/reporting
The functionality CHCs, FQHCs, and THCs derive from
a single, integrated software solution for EHR, EDR,
and practice management can provide critical ROI and
new levels of value that matter in today’s health center
environment. The whole patient is treated while costs
are better managed. With a single patient record a more
holistic approach to patient care is possible. That in turn
can reduce office visits and reduce costs. And when
patients do require care, it can be delivered with more
efficiency and safety, regardless of the reasons for the
visit. It’s all connected. Or at least, it should be.
Every stakeholder within the CHC, FQHC, or THC
will experience the value created by a single platform
software solution for EHR, EDR, and practice
management data collection and sharing.
The Power of One – For Providers
Providers in CHCs, rural medical centers, and specialized
health facilities stay more connected to each other and
to the patients they share and serve.
› Improved patient care with a single, real-time, up-
to-date, comprehensive patient record
› Access to an integrated (dental, behavioral health,
primary care) patient chart anytime online
› Enhanced care coordination for effective patient
population health across disease states
› Centralized prescription management and
drug database
The Power of One – For Office Staff
Office managers, billing supervisors, schedulers,
and patient support staff see the same, up-to-date
information for patient histories, future appointments,
special needs, and family/caregiver issues.
› Single-source practice management for the entire
clinic drives financial accuracy and productivity
with centralized accounts receivable and billing
management
› Enhance patient throughput, resource utilization,
and procedure coordination with integrated
scheduling
› Simplify patient financial responsibilities and clarify
account and cash flow status with automated sliding
fee schedules
› Automatic clinical data flow into charge entry
› NextGen®
Electronic Data Interchange (NextGen
EDI) for further integration and automation
The Power of One – For IT Staff
Regardless of how IT is managed inside the CHC,
FQHC, or THC, the benefit of working with a single
IT vendor is that the vendor can become a
strategic partner.
› A vendor partner offers unmatched levels of
connectivity and integrated functionality to your
stakeholders
› Simple HIE, EDI, Portal, and Mobile connections
enable interoperability with
other systems
› Upgrades, maintenance programs, and schedules
are developed and executed from
a single source

4. The Power of One – For Executive
Leaders
Leading specialized healthcare facilities requires a
wide field of management vision; every aspect of the
operation must be monitored for maximum value, safety,
and efficacy. Financial resources must be protected and
leveraged while care quality is maintained at high levels.
› Measure clinical improvements with dashboard
reporting of facility-wide or patient populations’
diabetes status, immunization rates, and screening
test compliance
› Gain full capabilities for encounter billing to
National Government Services (NGS) and Medicaid
programs including Meaningful Use incentive
revenue for physicians and dentists
› Improve facility-wide efficiencies and the bottom
line. Easily comply with regulations; flourish under
new payment models.
The Power of One – For Patients
With so much “IT talk” – even if it is integrated, single
solution IT talk – we can lose sight of the end goal.
But that never changes. It’s to improve the patient
experience of care (quality and satisfaction) while
improving patient health and reducing costs. A single,
integrated software platform does that.
› Robust charting and graphing helps keep patients
informed, instructed, and involved
› Ensure timely visits and treatment plan adherence
with compete information to caregivers and
patient families
› Patients know more so they are likely to take
more responsibility for their own well-being
True integration of
dental and medical data
drives simplicity and
better outcomes.
Every Dentist Wants an EDR
The dentists working in CHCs, FQHCs, and THCs are
no different; they want to use an integrated EDR, too,
because they’ve heard about the clinical and practice
value an EDR system can provide. If they are using
an EDR but it’s not connected to a facility’s EHR and
practice management system – or is supplied by an
unrelated vendor – those dentists and their facility are
not reaping the full benefits of state-of-the-art EDR
functionality and facility-wide data integration.
With NextGen®
Electronic Dental Record (NextGen
EDR), as an integrated solution with the NextGen®
Ambulatory EHR and NextGen®
Practice Management
platform, dentists can not only share information with
their medical and behavioral health colleagues, but also
chairside dentists can:
› Use “SmartNotes” that quickly and
comprehensively automate the details of
dental treatment
› Search for and assign specific diagnosis codes
to dental procedures documented in a specific
patient’s NextGen EDR
› Use filtering tools to quickly access information
in a specific patient’s NextGen EDR
› Leverage voice-activated periodontal charting
and graphical tooth charting
› Improve connection with patients using multi-
lingual patient education modules for enhanced
cultural sensitivity
› Evaluate medical issues and related collaborative
data that may impact dental treatment plans with
direct access to NextGen Ambulatory EHR for
allergies, medical history, and scanned information

5. Confidential Property of NextGen Healthcare Information Systems,
LLC – For Use By Authorized Parties Only. Do Not Distribute.
The Power of One is One for All
– System and Vendor
It’s not whether a CHC, FQHC, or THC needs an EDR as
part of an integrated, single solution EHR, EDR, practice
management software platform. Instead, the question is
more about the best vendor you select to partner with for the
initiative.
Over 400 CHCs, FQHCs, and THCs partner with QSIDental/
NextGen Healthcare because our commitment to this
market is unmatched in the industry. We support our
specialized CHC, FQHC, and THC products, services,
training, and experience with a dedicated Director of
Community Health and Tribal Health. We layer that support
with dental technology solutions leadership spanning
more than 30 years.
Every patient can benefit because a single, integrated EHR,
EDR, and practice management software platform enables
treatment and healthcare delivery that’s optimized for each
patient’s unique clinical, social, and financial circumstances.
QSIDental/NextGen Healthcare is more than a vendor. The
company is the partner for CHC, FQHC, and THC integrated
software solutions that help these facilities deliver quality
medical, dental, and behavioral healthcare to specialized
populations.
Learn why digital integration of the complete
continuum of care is vital to simplified
management and better patient outcomes.
Learn how we can help you add the missing
piece: NextGen EDR.
Contact us at 855.510.6398 or visit
www.qsidental.com/solutions/nextgenedr
NextGen®
EDR,
Version 4.3 - CC-2014-345777-4
NextGen®
Ambulatory EHR,
Version 5.8 - CC-2014-345777-3
CCHIT®
and CCHIT Certified®
are registered trademarks of the Certification
Commission for Health Information Technology.
For complete NextGen EDR certification information
please visit www.cchit.org
QSIDental
18111 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 700 Irvine, CA 92612
p: 800.888.7955 | f: 949.255.2605 | qsidental.com
NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, LLC
795 Horsham Road Horsham, PA 19044
p: 215.657.7010 | f: 215.657.7011 | nextgen.com
Copyright ® 2013 QSIDental and NextGen Healthcare Information
Systems, LLC. All rights reserved. QSIDental is a trademark and
NextGen is a registered trademark of QSI Management, LLC, an
affiliate of QSIDental and NextGen Healthcare Information Systems,
LLC. All other names and marks are the property of their respective
owners. Patent pending.