CMS Rule Cements the Importance of Oral and Systemic Health Integration
A new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services policy marks a major step toward integrating dentistry and medicine. By adding oral health to its physician quality improvement activities, CMS is encouraging medical professionals to formally incorporate dental collaboration into patient care.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has taken a significant step toward uniting oral and systemic health with its 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule. Among the updates is a new oral health–related quality improvement activity under the merit-based incentive payment system, a program that adjusts Medicare reimbursement based on performance in areas such as quality, cost, and improvement initiatives.
Beginning January 1, 2026, Medicare-participating physicians can earn credit for integrating oral health into their practices. To qualify, they must complete Smiles for Life training on oral health and implement practical measures such as establishing dental referral networks, adding oral health questions to intake forms, performing intraoral screenings, or counseling patients about oral-systemic links. The initiative signals growing federal recognition that oral health is inseparable from overall wellness and encourages collaboration between medical and dental professionals.
While most payment changes in the final rule primarily affect medical specialties, the introduction of this oral health activity could foster stronger partnerships across disciplines and expand access to coordinated care. Click here to read more.
