CareQuest Institute for Oral Health and NxtCare have announced a data-driven program designed to integrate oral health insights into home-based care settings, with an initial launch planned in Nebraska and expansion anticipated over time.
The initiative focuses on home health patients, a population identified as high risk and often underrepresented in oral health evaluation across the broader health care continuum. The program will analyze oral health assessments within postacute settings to generate clinical intelligence connecting oral health status with broader health outcomes.
According to the organizations, the effort is intended to provide providers, payers, and accountable care organizations with data to improve care quality, reduce costs associated with untreated oral health conditions, and support earlier intervention.
“We know that oral health is essential to overall health, but it’s often missing from how medical care is delivered and measured,” said Wade Rakes, CEO at CareQuest Institute. “Through our partnership with NxtCare, we can improve oral health for this high-risk population, directly enhancing clinical outcomes and positively impacting not only the individual but also the broader care environment — which is critical for sustained systems change.”
The program also addresses the separation between medical and dental care systems. The organizations state that improving data sharing and coordination may help providers and policymakers identify risks earlier and intervene before conditions worsen.
“This partnership represents a significant step forward in how the health care ecosystem understands the relationship between oral health and whole-person outcomes,” said Bob Mikulak, CEO of NxtCare. “CareQuest Institute brings the research credibility and mission alignment that makes this work matter. NxtCare brings the data infrastructure to translate that mission into population-level intelligence. Together, we are creating visibility into the patient journey that has never existed before.”
The initiative reflects a broader effort by CareQuest Institute to advance oral health equity and strengthen the health care system through data, research, and innovation. NxtCare’s role includes building postacute care networks and providing analytics that connect patient outcomes with provider performance, offering visibility into care transitions and outcomes across the continuum.
