Thursday, June 2, 2016
When supporting multiple practices, investing in the right practice management software is vital to our success—which is why we (Spring and Sprout) opted for a cloud-based solution in 2014.
We’ve acquired offices at a fast pace since 2014, and today support 18 pediatric and orthodontic practices. We are on pace to acquire 50 offices over the next few years. As we continue to expand, it is essential to have a universal practice management software that’s easy for all of our practices to use.
When we began researching cloud-based software back in 2014, our main objective was to find a practice management solution that would be robust and make the day to day work at our offices easier. Our goal is to support our practices and empower them to make decisions while we focus on the non-clinical side of dentistry. It soon became clear that Henry Schein’s Dentrix Ascend was the best choice. Here’s a look at why, and what we’re doing to make sure our offices are getting the most out of this cloud-based solution.
What we needed in our practice management software
With one small home office and plans for multiple locations, it just wasn’t scalable for our technology team to manage servers, backups, or other technological needs that are associated with a server-based practice management system. This is the main reason we knew from the beginning a cloud-based solution was essential.
We were well aware that as a large group practice, we’d have to rely heavily on reporting—and would need to be able to run those reports without infiltrating the office’s daily flow. We also needed the ability to login to our system from a central location to quickly see activity from any given office. That’s the visibility required for a group practice.
Beyond that, it was vital for our practices to have the same workflow. We planned to operate a patient support center, which is the equivalent of a call center, and knew it would be too difficult for employees to master multiple software solutions. The software had to be universal and easy to train on; another fact that led us to the cloud.
After multiple demos and meetings with other companies, we knew Dentrix Ascend was the right solution for our growing group practice. The team at Henry Schein has created a cutting edge, low-cost system that enables us to quickly access any information we need—no matter where we are or what time of day it is. It offers countless benefits for growing group practices like ours, from robust reporting to a more efficient workflow for all of our offices.
A small learning curve
One of the main reasons we chose Dentrix Ascend is because it’s so easy to use. In my position, I not only help practices make the transition once they become part of our group, I also spend time training them on how to use our practice management software.
With other solutions, there’s often a lot of navigating within the software and multiple different trainings needed before team members are comfortable using it on their own. In those instances, you almost need “training for the training”. That’s why we were so excited about Dentrix Ascend’s interface. It’s clean, neat and centralized.
The team members that we train have varied experience with technology. Some have used computers for years, some have never touched a computer in a dental office, and others are somewhere in the middle. We wanted a software that spoke to everyone, which Dentrix Ascend does.
Changing practice management software is one of the most disruptive things that you can do in a dental practice, but because it’s so intuitive, we find it’s easy to get staff buy-in. This is key, because if team members aren’t on board, it makes the transition much more difficult.
The training process
Before converting our practices to Dentrix Ascend, I survey each office and assess their current software situation—what they use now and how moving to the cloud will change their current workflow. After that, there is quite a bit of preparation and planning before training begins. When training/transitioning a larger office, we have the benefit of having Ascend trainers support us onsite. When training/transitioning a smaller office our operations team provides hands on training with the support of an Ascend trainer online or via phone.
We also conduct follow-up training after the initial session, and would recommend that to any practice making the switch to a cloud-based solution. This software is different from what most dental teams are used to, so while it’s pretty intuitive, there’s always a bit of a transition period. It takes them a while to appreciate the software and what it can do for their practice and their efficiency, but they usually tell me right away how easy it is to use. We’ve received a lot of positive feedback about the software from all of our offices.
5 things you can only do when your practice management software is cloud based
Cloud-based practice management software gives group practices another alternative to in-office systems, and makes it possible for clinicians to do things they could never do before, including:
- Access patient information, prescriptions, x-rays—anything included in your practice management software—from any computer, whether it’s a PC, a Mac, a desktop, a laptop or even an iPad.
- Access patient information from home or anywhere you choose—24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Move to different office locations without worrying about maintaining separate practice management systems or replicating patient files.
- Backup your data automatically without worrying if the backup method you used actually worked.
- Collaborate with other team members as they look at and enter information into the same files, all from a separate workstation and in real-time.
We put in every ounce of energy we can to help our offices understand the software. During the training process we do a lot of mock trials and use the software as if it were live. We do that repetitively so there’s no real challenge when we do go live.
Once they’re truly comfortable navigating the software, we conduct the follow-up training. During this more in-depth training team members learn things like how to send statements and how to process unresolved claims. After about a month to six weeks they truly know the software. Of course training is ongoing, and I know I can reach out to the team at Henry Schein if practices ever have questions I can’t answer.
A true partnership
I’m in our offices quite often, and have a lot of face-to-face time with team members. When something’s not going well I hear about it. I know the Dentrix Ascend software inside and out, and I know what improvements my offices would like to see. That’s why we wanted to find a company we could build a partnership with and grow with as a team—which is exactly how our relationship is with Henry Schein.
We always knew Henry Schein was a name we could trust and that the company had a solid foundation. This was especially important because at the time we were researching cloud-based systems, we were a little bit ahead of the curve. There weren’t a lot of other offices willing to in invest in a cloud-based solution so early in its development.
We took a big risk, and we knew the software wasn’t perfect. There have been frustrations along the way and even times when we considered going back to a server-based system, but that was never really an option for us. Instead, we focused on our plan and worked with the Ascend team to really understand and benefit from the software.
Ascend has come quite a long way since we began using it in 2014. It’s a special type of software that wasn’t just crafted from the Dentrix enterprise. That means the team behind it is very particular about how things are laid out and what gets implemented and what doesn’t. This can be frustrating for users at first, but they’re willing to explain the why behind their decisions to help improve team members understand the software and what it can do.
Feedback is also important to Henry Schein. They want to know what we like and don’t like about the software so they can provide us with the features we need most, enhancing the product. We’re truly growing together, which has been a huge benefit that came with choosing Dentrix Ascend.
My favorite features
Dentrix Ascend offers a low monthly subscription fee, eliminates the hassles that come with server-based systems and ensures all our practices follow the same workflow—making it easier for us to provide the support they need so they can focus on treating patients. I use the software almost every day, whether I’m training a new practice or answering questions, and I’ve found there are quite a few features that make my job easier and that help me provide exceptional support for our practices. Here are some of my favorites:
Line item accounting. Through this feature, we have a centralized ledger that keeps everything fresh and clean, which can be difficult for a dental practice. This is important to somebody like me who wants to be able to quickly tell patients how much they owe when they call.
Insurance. I really like that insurances are set up as one insurance with multiple plans rather than multiple plans and insurance grouped into one.
Custom reporting. This is set up similar to an Excel table, and is something we use quite a bit. Every software should offer reporting like this to allow users to manipulate the data and arrange it in the way they want to see it. Reporting is really important to us, so it’s great that it’s so easy to use.
DEXIS for Dentrix Ascend
While the Spring & Sprout practices aren’t using this feature, Henry Schein recently released DEXIS for Dentrix Ascend. The cloud-based practice management solution now includes DEXIS imaging. The companies worked together to create a custom-made imaging solution that doesn’t require bridges or on premises imaging servers. Dentists can access patient information and take the images they need for diagnosis and treatment planning all from one screen. High-quality images are instantly uploaded to the cloud.
Patient features. The way patients are set up in the software makes it very searchable. It’s also easy to add patients and link them to different people in their family. If a family has siblings with different insurance, for example, it’s easy to attach that. You can’t do that with other software, and it’s a feature all the employees enjoy.
Unresolved claims. The ability to quickly check unresolved insurance claims is also huge for us. Because it’s a centralized system, I don’t have to run multiple reports to see outstanding claims. I can just go in, find them and click through. This is the easiest and most convenient way for busy offices to get claims paid. I can glance and see which insurance companies owe what and then make a few quick phone calls.
Continued growth
When deciding which cloud-based solution we wanted to implement into our practice, cost was a big factor. Dentrix Ascend is affordable and saves us money long-term. We don’t have to worry about the costs associated with maintaining a server-based system and the backups required to keep patient information safe. As long as we have an Internet connection, we’re fine.
We chose a company we knew had a solid foundation and a product that was going somewhere. Yes, we’ve had challenges along the way, but we’ve always had the support of the Ascend team, asking us what they can do to improve the user experience and to enhance the software. They consistently do what they say they’re going to do, and are truly dedicated to this product. The advancements they’ve made in the last year and a half are impressive, and I know there are a lot of great improvements and updates on the roadmap.
Cloud-based practice management software is essential for any multi-site practice, and Ascend not only offers the features you need, but also the support. We’re excited to continue to grow with Dentrix Ascend, and would suggest that any multi-site practice do the same.