Practiceworks

Practiceworks
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Practiceworks is one of a handful of dental software management programs that has gained nationwide acceptance.

Practiceworks has been around since the 1980s, in various forms and configurations. Its progenitor, Practicebyte, was invented by the renowned Dr. Peter Dawson, who adapted it for his office. Through several mergers and acquisitions, it is now owned by Kodak.

Practiceworks was one of the first programs to use an electronic scheduling page as it opens. This format has been so successful that virtually every major software company has used this approach. Practiceworks has always been a top-notch product due to its intuitive nature; it basically mimics the day-to-day activities of a dentist in its format and layout.

Practiceworks' main claim to fame has been its business side—managing the office receivables and manipulating the other strategic aspects of an office. There are complete protocols for insurance management (including electronic submissions), recall management, and treatment plan management.

If used to its fullest extent on the management side, there are very few “cracks” where a patient might get lost in the shuffle. With its use of so-called “experts,” Practiceworks can do excellent tracking of patients who need to come in, who owe money, and who have insurance issues. By regularly using these experts, one can truly stay on top of the monitoring side of dentistry.

Practiceworks, however, has evolved over the years into a much more comprehensive tool. It has electronic charting capabilities, electronic records keeping, and integration of imaging to contain both intra-oral and digital x-ray images. In short, almost any digital aspect of dentistry can be contained within the framework of Practiceworks. This, of course, is Kodak’s emerging strong suit.

Another excellent feature of Practiceworks is its modular construction. One can start with the main, administrative module and then add charting and imaging down the road, or never add them at all. It is thus both compact and potentially expandable to a “paperless” office.

As part of the monitoring sequence, there is a series of pre-formatted reports than can be selectively printed depending on the needs and analytical abilities of the office. There is also a free-form report module that one can program to produce customized reports.

However, it is in the customization that Practiceworks falls particularly short. In the many years that I have had Practiceworks, I have never been able to master the custom function. It almost requires a computer language background to master it—this should not be the case for a vital dental tool.

Practiceworks, because of its complexity, requires a maintenance agreement to really keep it functional. It runs around $1,000 per year. The cost of the system depends on how many computers are networked and how many modules are added on. Like any comprehensive dental computer program, it does require a relatively steep learning curve to be fully functional in all its elements.

To its credit, Kodak provides not only customized training, but also a series of user support group seminars through the year in various regions around the country. There is also a spin-off group of former Practiceworks employees who teach the full power of the system.

Review Synopsis

Product
Practiceworks
The Good

A powerful, comprehensive tool that will keep an office on top of its game with a full range of reporting and auditing functions.

The Bad

Not flexible—those who like to see their own customized reports might do better to go elsewhere.

The Bottom Line

A well-tuned, excellent management program that’s comprehensive and well thought out.

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