Going Paperless - What You Need to Know

Going Paperless - What You Need to Know

In an ever-changing world where phonebooks and maps have been replaced by Yahoo and Google, dental practitioners are moving increasingly deeper into the realm of the technologically advanced.

Not everyone will arrive at this dynamic destination at the same time. One problem is technology is advancing so rapidly, it is impossible to stay current without purchasing new hardware and software yearly. Another limiting factor is not everyone has the cash flow in his or her practice to go paperless; upon starting a new practice or purchasing an old, depleted practice, the priority may be on getting patients in the door and staff trained, rather than equipping each operatory with a Dental Operatory LCD Monitor and Intraoral Digital Camera.

You can certainly draw pictures of fractured teeth on the backs of paper charts and hand the patient an encounter form with the procedure code and necessary appointments to be made. The patient can then walk out to the front desk and stand in line until a staff member takes the sheet from them and spends a few minutes deciphering your hieroglyphics before walking back to your operatory to ask you if it’s OK to book the patient in the second column. The system of old is still the most prevalent system today, and it does work, but what message does it send?

As time goes on, more and more of these patients will have become accustomed to the daily use of current technology. They will have found your office by performing a Google search on “dentists, pediatric, Smalltown.” If you do not have a website yet, your chances of retaining that patient are slim to none. If you do have a website, your online directions were confirmed on Mapquest and Mom programmed your address into her GPS system. As she drove to your office, the kids watched The Wiggles from the back seat on the hanging monitor and Dad checked his office e-mail on his BlackBerry. You would not dream of this contemporary family walking into your office to be greeted by lava lamps and a shag rug. Nor would you enter the operatory sporting lamb chop sideburns and bellbottoms. Soon, the moment will arrive when the lack of current technology in your office will send a similar message.

The quest to eliminate paper begins with a website and email address. If you are not confident in your ability to do excellent and attractive Dental Web Development, hire someone who can. It will be money well spent. You may use your website to advertise your services, provide important contact information, link with educational sites and your colleagues, and even book appointments. With e-mail, letters to referring doctors, correspondence with insurance companies, and transmission of photos and radiographs is greatly facilitated.

The next step is to utilize Dental Photography Systems and intraoral cameras for ease of communication with your labs, patients, and colleagues. Hardly anybody uses film anymore. Kodak itself has restructured its operations to reflect the massive digital movement. When purchasing a digital camera, keep in mind that you do not need mega megapixels. A 4 or 5 MP camera will be more than sufficient for your purposes—in fact, more megapixels may become a storage problem. Make sure the camera has a good macro function so you can get as close as necessary.

For quicker photographic applications, the intraoral camera is great. You will no longer need to describe a pathologic lesion; just take a picture of it. When the patient comes back for follow-up, pull up the picture with them in the chair and put it beside the picture from that day. You know how simple this is to do, but from the patient’s perspective, they feel incredibly well taken care of. Prior to doing a filling, crown, or surgical procedure, the patient can be educated on their condition without using complicated dental terminology and bad drawings. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Digital radiography is the answer to eliminate a major component of the paper chart. No more unwieldy files with fifteen years of bitewings falling out, and more than one person can view the films at a time. Fewer records get lost, and duplication is also simplified. The pros and cons of digital versus conventional radiography are numerous, but in terms of storage and convenience, there is no question that digital wins.

The final and most significant step in creating a chartless practice is integration of a practice management system. Clinical functions such as charting, treatment planning, and progress notes can be coordinated with practice management functions such as billing, treatment plan tracking, processing of insurance claims, and scheduling. This is best achieved with terminals in each operatory, and one for each member of the office staff. The costs can be upwards of $20,000 to outfit an average-size dental office with this level of hardware and software. The challenges faced by the owner include training the staff on the new technology and ensuring that everything is smoothly integrated and maintained. This often necessitates closing the office for a half-day or even a full day, depending on the magnitude of the project.

The benefits of integration are numerous and include multiple personnel having simultaneous access to a patient’s chart. This allows for improved communication within the office on important matters such as treatment progress and financials. Storage space is freed up by eliminating rows and rows of files. And by employing proper back-up protocols, loss of records is nearly impossible.

There is no question that new and current technologies can help make a practice more efficient and productive. For this endeavor to be successful, considerable time and effort are required of the entire dental team. Once accomplished, incoming patients will be impressed by a current and streamlined practice that meets their dental needs and exceeds their technologic expectations.

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