#  What is care convergence, and how is it defined? 

 



Care convergence is a shift in how care is designed and delivered. It brings together disciplines, technologies, and payment models to treat the **whole patient**, rather than isolated conditions across disconnected systems.

Today, healthcare is often organized around specialties, institutions, and billing structures—not around people. Care convergence challenges that model by connecting **medical, behavioral, and oral health** with lifestyle factors such as nutrition and social determinants of health. It aligns incentives across payers, providers, and technology platforms and emphasizes **coordinated, prevention-focused care** that improves outcomes while reducing costs.

This program applies the care convergence framework to dental and integrated care. However, the leadership principles, business tools, and change management strategies participants develop are relevant to leaders working to break down silos across the broader healthcare system.

To explore the framework in more depth, we recommend these resources by Course Director **Mariya Filipova**:

- **For clinical audiences:** [*Care Convergence: 5 Proven Strategies to Elevate Dental Care and Patient Outcomes*](https://www.dentaleconomics.com/practice/article/55246960/care-convergence-5-proven-strategies-to-elevate-dental-care-and-patient-outcomes) (Dental Economics, January 2025)
- **For business and health system audiences:** [*Care Convergence: Mindset Shift for the Future of Care Delivery*](https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2024/10/07/care-convergence-mindset-shift-for-the-future-of-care-delivery/) (Forbes, October 2024)