Henderson, Nev.-based PDS Health has launched a business unit to integrate primary care with dentistry.
PDS Health Medical, led by President Joe Feldsien, combines medical and dental care at a single location to provide patients with whole body care, according to information shared with Becker’s. These offices feature shared reception, operations and referral pathways in addition to unified patient care teams.
The organization currently has 13 fully integrated practices in Arizona and Nevada. In addition to expanding in these two states, PDS also plans to add integrated offices in California and Colorado.
Mr. Feldsien recently spoke with Becker’s to discuss the new business unit.
Note: Responses were lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: What inspired the launch of PDS Health Medical?
Joe Feldsien: A couple of things come to mind. First, our founder and CEO, Stephen Thorne, has always been driven to excellence. Over the past 30+ years, our organization has seen how the dental profession has often been siloed from broader healthcare, both in practice and in how care is delivered. Dentistry has traditionally stood alone, and the integration between dental and medical care has been limited, with a few exceptions.
But what’s become increasingly clear is the connection between oral health and overall health, supported by an established body of research. Take periodontal disease, one of the most common chronic infections in the world. And we know that chronic infection leads to chronic inflammation, and inflammation can lead to serious health issues. That’s where education on the Mouth-Body Connection comes in. Our clinicians have been working on that for over a decade, and now we’re taking it even further in more tangible ways.
When we opened our first medical practice in Nevada, it confirmed what we already suspected. Patients benefit when medical and dental are working together. We saw early examples of preventing heart attacks, strokes and diabetes complications because of integrated care. That’s when Steve said, “We’re going to put dental and medical together, create a streamlined patient experience, and ensure that it’s truly integrated.”
A key piece of that was our switch to Epic as our EHR system in 2020. Around 70 percent of patients in the U.S. already have a record in Epic. By implementing it in our dental practices, we created the largest oral health Epic instance in the world. That gave us a platform to build from, extending into primary care under PDS Health Medical. Now, our medical and dental clinicians can access the same patient record and see the full picture of a patient’s health.
Q: How does this new business unit fit into the company’s overall goal of integrated care?
JF: PDS Health has more than 1,100 dental practices in 24 states, and every one of them has the potential to incorporate a PDS Health Medical nurse practitioner, MD, or DO. The idea is to provide same-day, same-office care that’s convenient for the patient and rooted in a shared culture.
Even though the medical and dental businesses are distinct, when you walk into one of these locations, it feels integrated. Same reception area. Shared culture and values. Collaboration between clinicians. And that collaboration is where the magic happens. Two clinicians working together, looking at the same data, in the same space. That’s how we help patients get the best care possible.
Another big advantage is the shared health record. When patients come into one of our dental-and-medical integrated practices, they have access to their full Epic chart through MyChart. They have access to a dashboard where they can see how their vitals and key biomarkers have changed over time. That kind of longitudinal data is incredibly powerful, especially for managing chronic conditions and preventing more serious issues down the road.
Q: Where does PDS Health Medical’s network currently stand?
JF: Right now, we’re in Arizona and Nevada. We started in Nevada and have grown to 13 practices with about 25 providers. We’re growing. This year, we’ve grown roughly 50 percent over where we were at the same time last year. That’s good growth, and a lot of people would be happy with that, but as a startup we’re aiming higher. We’d love to be in the triple-digit range.
Q: Is there anything you can attribute to not growing as quickly as you’d like to?
JF: The biggest factor is contracts and reimbursements. Right now, as a startup, we’re being offered startup contracts. What we really want is to have our value reflected in the way we’re reimbursed.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Medicare fee-for-service rates have dropped by about 20 percent. Medicare is moving toward paying based on outcomes, which ultimately results in healthier patients and lower long-term costs. That’s a good thing. But commercial payers are still largely operating under fee-for-service, with less emphasis on value or shared savings. That puts newer, independent providers like us at a disadvantage.
Larger health systems have more negotiating power. They’ve been able to hold on to or even grow their reimbursements. Meanwhile, independents are getting squeezed. It’s one of the reasons we’re seeing fewer independent primary care providers and a growing lack of access to care in many areas.
That said, things are shifting. This administration is signaling more interest in preventive, outcomes-focused care. We’re confident our model, which includes a strong oral health component, is built for that future. And can back that up with real data.
Q: What are the initial goals for this new business unit?
JF: We’re tracking to be a $10 million revenue business with nearly 50% year-over-year growth. That’s a strong foundation to build on. One of our biggest wins so far has been the growth of our Medicare and Medicare Advantage patient base.
When we opened in Arizona in 2023, our star rating was around 2.25. Today, we’re on track to finish calendar year 2025 with a rating of four stars or higher. If you know anything about value-based care, you know how meaningful that is.
Another important metric: our Medicare patients are being seen, on average, 6.7 times per year, with 3.6 times on the medical side and 3.1 on the dental side. That kind of touchpoint frequency is important when you’re talking about prevention, chronic disease management and avoiding acute episodes like hospitalizations.
The bottom line is this: primary care is a fraction of the total cost of care. But when things escalate — when people end up in the emergency room or admitted to the hospital — that’s when the costs skyrocket. If we can help patients stay healthy and out of those settings, everybody wins.
Q: Can you tell me more about how the company plans to expand operations for this new business unit?
JF: We’re building toward a future where PDS Health supports a significantly expanded network of dental and medical practices across the country. That’s the vision, and we’re building the foundation to get there now.
Our EHR system is Epic, which is solid and scalable. We’ve launched an owner-doctor model for primary care that mirrors what’s worked so well for our dental business. That’s a big differentiator in the space. It creates leadership opportunities and drives real ownership in how care is delivered.
The biggest proposition PDS Health Medical offers is that we are an excellent candidate for health systems looking for primary care solutions and for a partner to help them increase access to primary care. We’re definitely worth considering as a partner or as a solution provider because of our extensive presence across the U.S.
PDS Health is in 24 states, has 1,100 dental practices and will continue to open new practices. We have established operations and are looking to incorporate primary care at our locations in all of those states. That really positions us well to become a good partner to a large health system that doesn’t want to spend a lot of capital dollars toward opening primary care locations and just wants to partner with a medical support organization that already has a proven model that’s going to work, grow and scale.
