PDS Health Advanced Dental-Medical Integration, Growth and Innovation in 2024

In its 30th year, the organization expanded beyond dentistry, evolving into an integrated healthcare support organization dedicated to advancing dental-medical integration nationwide.

HENDERSON, Nev., Jan. 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- PDS Health^™, a leading integrated healthcare support organization, marked 2024 as a year of growth, innovation, and expanded impact. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the company transitioned from Pacific Dental Services to PDS Health, reflecting its broader mission to support dental and medical providers in delivering connected care that recognizes the proven link between oral health and overall health through the research-backed Mouth-Body Connection^®. By investing in proven technologies, expanding strategic partnerships, and growing a nationwide team dedicated to advancing integrated health care, PDS Health is shaping the future of patient-centered care.

In 2024, more than seven million patient visits were completed by over 5,000 clinicians at 1,000 practices, demonstrating the impact of PDS Health's integrated healthcare support model. By strengthening collaboration between dental and medical providers, the organization is helping to close critical gaps in health care, improve early detection of systemic conditions, and expand access to preventive and specialized care for patients nationwide.

"In 2024, we reached significant milestones in our ongoing journey to innovate and transform health care," said PDS Health Founder and CEO Stephen E. Thorne IV. "PDS Health is shaping the future of dental-medical integration by expanding access to proven technologies, support, and best practices that help clinicians deliver more connected, preventive care. With growing recognition of oral health's role in overall health, we're at the forefront of an unprecedented opportunity to reshape how care is delivered. I'm incredibly proud of our entire organization for the strides we made this year, and I look forward to building on this momentum in 2025 and beyond."

Growth and Milestones

In 2024, PDS Health reached key milestones that underscore its dedication to supporting clinicians and expanding access to care:

• Transitioned from Pacific Dental Services^® to PDS Health, reflecting a broader focus on connecting dental and medical care to improve patients' overall health.
  
  
• Celebrated the company's 30th anniversary, highlighting three decades of growth and innovation.
  
  
• Delivered continued strong financial results with solid double-digit growth.
  
  
• Supported the completion of over seven million patient visits, averaging more than 19,000 patients daily.
  
  
• Increased market presence in 14 states by opening 63 de novo practices, including four primary care practices connected to dental practices.
  
  
• Opened the organization's 1,000th practice, Dentists of West Ashley, in Charleston, S.C.
  
  
• Welcomed more than 80 new dental practice owners and expanded its specialty practice ownership model by adding four new specialty groups.
  
  
• Onboarded over 800 dentists, 700 dental hygienists, and 170 specialty dentists, contributing to a total of more than 5,000 clinicians (dentists, dental hygienists, physicians, and nurse practitioners) within a workforce of over 16,000 team members nationwide.
  
  
• Relocated its corporate headquarters to Henderson, Nev. to support collaboration and innovation as the company continues to grow.

Advancing Patient Care

PDS Health continued to lead in patient care innovation through technology, increased access, and advocacy:

• Continued to optimize the integration of Epic in all practices, enhancing the adoption of shared health records that connect dental and medical histories. To date, over 181 million patient records have been securely exchanged, enabling healthcare organizations nationwide to access critical oral health data and improve care coordination for their patients.
  
  
• Administered over 72,000 saliva diagnostic panels and expanded in-practice testing programs, including saliva screenings (aMMP-8) and HbA1c (blood glucose) tests, advancing the role of oral health providers in detecting and managing systemic health conditions.
  
  
• Implemented DTX Studio^™ Clinic across all dental practices, leveraging AI-assisted image sorting and analysis to enhance diagnostics and patient care.
  
  
• Enhanced patient care with 3D imaging capabilities through cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) technology, including the DEXIS^™ OP 3D^™, now available in 97% of PDS Health practices.
  
  
• Conducted a feasibility study of the world's first 3D intraoral Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) system with Perceptive, exploring advanced imaging technology for improved patient consultations and treatment planning.
  
  
• Surpassed a lifetime milestone of four million dental restorations using CEREC^® CAD/CAM technology, with 478,000 completed in 2024 alone.
  
  
• Partnered with Delta Dental of Massachusetts to offer complimentary saliva screenings to eligible members, enhancing early detection of periodontal disease and supporting prevention of systemic health issues.
  
  
• Selected to participate in the American Heart Association and Delta Dental's Healthy Smiles, Healthy Hearts^™ initiative, a four-year program integrating cardiovascular screenings, education, and referrals into the dental setting.
  
  
• Continued advancing the joint venture with MemorialCare health system in Southern Calif., strengthening care coordination between medical and dental providers to enhance patient outcomes.
  
  
• Continued participation in a consortium that successfully advocated for Medicare to cover medically necessary dental procedures for seniors, including care for patients undergoing specific cancer treatments, certain organ transplants (such as kidney, heart, and liver), and dialysis for end-stage renal disease.
  
  
• Successfully contributed to the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors' steering committee on medical-dental integration, resulting in published findings to advance collaboration between dental and medical care.

Impact Through Service

In 2024, PDS Health focused on initiatives that increased access to care and supported communities across the country:

• Provided $26 million in donated dental services to more than 29,000 patients worldwide and contributed over 117,000 volunteer hours across a variety of initiatives.
  
  
• During the 14th annual Smile Generation Serve Day, team members dedicated 86,000 hours to expand access to care for underserved patients. The event delivered critical oral health services valued at $16.5 million, contributing to a lifetime impact of $74 million in donated care since 2011.
  
  
• Raised and contributed more than $1.5 million to charity: water, helping more than 36,000 people access clean water.
  
  
• Raised and contributed over $1.2 million to the Pacific Dental Services Foundation to increase access to dental care for patients with special needs, provide specialized training for clinicians focused on special needs dentistry, fund additional dental assisting scholarships, and support four service trips to the PDS Foundation Clínica Dental in Xenacoj, Guatemala.
  
  
• Sponsored and constructed the 19th and 20th playground builds in partnership with KABOOM!.

Excellence and Recognition

PDS Health earned several honors in 2024, reflecting its impact on health care and communities nationwide:

• Honored as a "Civic 50" national recipient by Points of Light, ranking among the top 50 community-minded companies in the U.S., and received the Strategic Volunteering award for skills-based and pro bono initiatives.
  
  
• Recognized by Delta Dental with the Smile Star Hero Award, becoming the first dental support organization to receive this distinction.
  
  
• Stephen E. Thorne IV received the Presidential Award from the Association of Dental Support Organizations (ADSO).
  
  
• Named as one of the "Civic 50 Orange County" by OneOC and Points of Light for the sixth time.
  
  
• Recognized by the Orange County Business Journal for the fifth time as one of Orange County's "Companies That Care."

Looking Ahead

As PDS Health enters its 31st year, the organization remains committed to shaping the future of health care. Through leadership in dental-medical integration, expanding access to care and investing in proven technologies, PDS Health continues to support clinicians in creating healthier, happier patients around the world.

Learn more about how PDS Health is advancing integrated health care at pdshealth.com.

About PDS Health
PDS Health^™ continues the journey started by Pacific Dental Services^® in 1994, with a vision to redefine health care through the integration of dental and medical services. Its approach, centered on the connection between oral health and overall health, aims to create healthier, happier patients and set new benchmarks in the healthcare industry. As a leading provider of integrated healthcare support, the company delivers a broad spectrum of services to dental, dental specialties, and medical providers, enhancing operations and care delivery for clinicians across the U.S. For more information about PDS Health, visit pdshealth.com.  

SOURCE PDS Health