Healthiest Employers Awards – 1st in Oregon & Washington
For the fourth consecutive year, PDA was named #1 in the 100-499 employee category in the Healthiest Employers of Oregon awards. PDA has participated in the annual awards since its inception, placing in the top two spots in our category over nine consecutive years. See this year’s story.
We’ve also rated #1 in Washington State for the past 5 years. See 2023 story and list. See 2022 story and 2021 story.
PDA Among Healthiest 100 in America
In 2023 we maintained #41 on this list after moving up 5 spots in 2022 (from 2021’s #47 placement). We first debuted at #96 in 2019 and placed #54 in 2020. See this year’s top 100.
Advancing The Standard of Care
More than 100 PDA dentists are members in the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network. The network is a consortium of participating practices and dental organizations that investigates research questions and shares experiences and expertise. The nation’s network is an effort to help dental professionals directly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of dental care. Essentially, it is research done about and in the “real world” of daily clinical practice.
The network’s Western Region comprises 600 dental practitioners, more than 100 of them affiliated with Permanente Dental Associates, with staffing provided through the Center for Health Research (CHR). The Western Region’s director is CHR Senior Investigator Jeff Fellows, and the deputy director is Dan Pihlstrom, DDS, of Permanente Dental Associates.
CHR in mid-2019 received another 7-year grant to continue as the Western Region site for the administrative and research center of the National Dental PBRN. This is the third consecutive, seven-year grant CHR has received to lead the Western Region since the dental PBRN was established in 2005. This grant period will continue through 2026. The National Dental PBRN is supported by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). CHR and PDA dentists have participated in NIH-funded practice-based research since its inception in 2005.
Certified B Corporation
PDA has been a Certified B Corp since 2017. In doing so, we became the 2nd dental group in the U.S. – and 4th in the world – to become a Certified B Corporation. We aspire to continuously improve balancing business decisions with caring for our people, community and environment.
See our overall B Impact score
View our 2021 Benefit Company Report
View our 2020 Benefit Company Report
Leader in Quality: AAAHC Accreditation
Kaiser Permanente Dental has been continuously accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) since 1990.
This accreditation signifies that Kaiser Permanente Dental has passed rigorous national standards for the provision of quality dental care. PDA dentists provide oral health care for more than 290,000 Kaiser Permanente Dental members in 21 Oregon and SW Washington offices.
The Model Of Total Health Through Medical-Dental Integration
PDA’s Executive Dental Director and Dental Directors are sought-after presenters at national and international dental conferences. Recent presentations have focused on the success PDA has experienced in applying evidence based principles to daily clinical practice and in promoting medical-dental integration. Through an industry-leading, fully integrated electronic health records system that shares medical, dental, pharmacy, social and mental health information, PDA dentists are a part of Kaiser Permanente’s larger care team, sharing responsibility for a member’s total health. This powerful tool helps ensure better safety oversight for patients while reducing care gaps (preventive screens & tests). Read more from this chapter Integrating Oral Health & Primary Care at Kaiser Permanente, part of a workshop presentation by Executive Dental Director John Snyder, DMD.
A Leader In Healthcare Innovation
Whether you call it “whole health” or “Total Health,” PDA’s philosophy of integrated care to achieve overall wellness was the subject of an ADA study.
“In this report, Leavitt Partners, in collaboration with the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, examines five Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) that have integrated oral health services into their care delivery model. Embracing a “whole health” philosophy these organizations are taking creative approaches to reconnecting mouth and body. The five ACOs that participated in this study experienced promising results in coordinating dental care with overall medical care and improving patient outcomes. Further opportunities for better coordination of dental and overall medical care will become more evident as the health care system continues to evolve toward increased coordination of care and value based payment.”
Recognized Leader In Dentistry
Congratulations to Dan Pihlstrom, DDS and PDA for making the cover of this issue of Journal of the American Dental Association. The article co-authored by Dr. Pihlstrom makes observations that reveal that PDA dentists, female practitioners, and older dentists are more likely to follow evidence based practices.
This is the second article published in JADA by PDA dentists. The first article titled, “Diabetes Control and Dental Care” was published in January 2012.