Fast Track Emergency Room Program

INTRODUCTION: The Academy of Oral Surgery seeks a long term partnership with the following and graciously seeks the promotion of our Fast Track ER Program Algorithm so we can improve healthcare on a national basis:

Per the American Dental Association, Emergency Rooms throughout the United States have seen 2.1 million patients seeking treatment for dental pain in 2017. This is one dental patient every 15 seconds going to the Emergency Room. 70% of these patients visit the Emergency Room outside normal business hours. $2.7 Billion dollars spent in hospital Emergency Rooms to see dental patients.

Since hospitals aren’t properly equipped for dental treatment, many patients are prescribed antibiotics and/or pain medications. However, since the underlying dental issue has not been addressed, many of these same patients return back to the Emergency Room complaining of the same problem with some declining into a worse condition.

Then there are the dental patients who go to some form of Urgent Care or Immediate Care clinic and receive the same treatment as well. After the dental patient goes to the emergency room or urgent care facility, he/she should be scheduled to see a dental healthcare professional the next day to address the underlying problem. The sooner treatment is initiated the better the outcome for the patient. An extraction or root canal done in a timely manner could be the difference of another trip to the emergency room but in a much worse condition.

Something must be done to reduce healthcare costs, improve patient outcomes, reduce burdens to the emergency department and establish hospital/urgent care to dentist relationships.

The Academy of Oral Surgery (AOS) would like to present our Fast Track ER Program which is a dental emergency referral program that meets all of these needs. We have developed an interactive algorithm for hospitals, urgent care clinics and immediate care facilities to use to improve patient care.

AOS realizes that there is considerable expense when a patient with dental disease presents to your emergency room.  In fact, in 2017, $2.1 BILLION dollars was spent on dental disease through all emergency departments in the USA. AOS has provided you the AOS Fast Track ER Program that will create that triage algorithm where your emergency department streamlines dental disease therefore becoming more efficient and cost-effective.  If Nurse Practitioners are employed in your emergency department, consider them as the primary contact for dental disease.  AOS also recommends you approach community dentists to be listed on a Call Schedule dedicated only to dental disease.  Compensation to these dentists will be a discussion you’ll need to implement with these providers. After all, if you establish this program so patients are seen within 24 hours of reporting to your Emergency Room, treatment may be rendered by one of these dentists very soon.  Now the cycle of returning back to your Emergency Room with a far worse condition requiring more test, possible hospitalization and surgery has now been ended.

Together, we will make great strides in patient outcomes while reducing significant costs that occur from dental patients seeking emergency rooms or urgent care facilities for repeated prescriptions instead of proper treatment. The favor of a reply is kindly requested so we may know your decision to partner with us.