Like just about every other aspect of life, a dental practice’s technology helps streamline everyday procedures. However, like all technology, it’s important that your system is updated with the latest software. Outdated technology can affect patient services, billing processes, patient treatment, and even staff management.
Updating dental technology doesn’t necessarily have to be disruptive. With the help of experts, integrating and updating the right technology for your practice can be a fast and effective way to save time and money, as well as offer security and confidentiality to your staff and patients.
Here are a few signs that you may be getting to the point where you should consider modernizing your dental practice’s computer technology.
Signing in Is a Hassle
Answering questionnaires manually has been a standard part of the process to start receiving care at health clinics. Dutiful staff filing the paperwork or patiently entering all the information into a patient management system is part of the process. While the system has worked well, an upgrade to your software can make that process less time-consuming. Here are a few reasons why upgrading might be beneficial:
- Modernized electronic filing system
- Web-based sign in portal
- Streamlined COVID-19 status verification
- Easily accessible billing and insurance information
- Organized patient education
- Cost and time savings
You can even add extra security measures, like two-factor authentication, to keep your patient data safe and secure.
Billing Takes Forever
With the right technology, getting an electronic bill to your customers could take less than 24 hours. Many dental practices, however, continue to use the print-by-batch approach and send invoices out at the end of a billing cycle. That can mean some customers may not get billed for several weeks.
New billing technology can automate your computer hard drives and make it easier to update invoices, deliver them to customers, track payments, and manage outstanding accounts. Automation can also streamline the insurance processes, and ensure customers receive an invoice before the end of the day.
Your Daily Operations Are a Study in Chaos
If you and your staff move quickly from one patient to another and frequently seem confused about what work needs to be completed next, you might want to modernize your system or may have outgrown your IT team. If your employees occasionally lose a patient, your need for an upgrade is critical. A new scheduling system and an upgraded patient management system are likely due.
Outdated management systems result in chaos, which can lead to annoyed patients, and tasks like taking x-rays fall through the cracks. Introducing a new management system that can help keep internal schedules, track where patients are in the office, and map out employee tasks encourages efficiency and client happiness.
You Are Not Using Laser Technology
From tasks like mapping a mouth to implementing a procedure, laser technology has revolutionized dental care. If you modernize your system with a 3D printer, you may never have to leave the office to provide your patients with world-class care. With lasers, you can offer your patients seemingly painless dental care without anesthesia.
This simple change will make your job easier and reduce the anxiety many patients suffer regarding a dental visit or having a dental procedure completed. It also makes diagnosis to treatment processes much quicker as there is often no need to send patient samples to labs for analysis and production. X-rays are also quicker to take and develop with laser technology.
For many patients, laser technology makes it more likely they visit a dentist because the fear factor gets removed.
Your Treatment Centers Are Piecemeal
Appropriately constructed treatment centers put everything a patient needs at the fingertips of a dentist or dental technician. Designing the perfect treatment center lineup has been a decades-long process that constantly evolves and comprises multiple, separate pieces of equipment and tools. It is time to bring all of that together into a comprehensive workstation.
The optimal treatment center has a patient-friendly chair, tools, container and supplies cart, computer screen, and lighting that are part of one system. A one-stop treatment center makes the coordination of each of the components seamless. You can even invest in chairs that can be programmed for a patient’s preferred positioning.
Modernizing your technology, from your hardware to your computer software, will make your office more comprehensive and comfortable for patients.
Your Patient Information Is Not Online
Cloud storage and network optimization of medical data have altered the landscape of patient treatment efficacy. What once required a systemic and often lengthy updating process that limited access because of hard drive capacity and software limitations suddenly was able to be stored, accessed, and managed online, from anywhere.
Many practices, however, are not using online management systems or using them sparingly. Optimizing those systems to allow instant access to patient records from anywhere hands you and your technicians the information needed to make informed decisions. It also helps speed up completing procedures.
Best of all, collaboration with a patient is quicker and easier, making for a more comprehensive treatment regimen.
Your Website Is Not Mobile Friendly
For most dental practice staff, moving to an entirely virtual, PC-driven dental management system is worthwhile. However, many dental offices are still only PC or laptop friendly. In an age where everyone has a smartphone, that approach is outdated and can send the wrong message to your customers. To see how that works, ask yourself this question.
What type of business would you work with: A practice that requires you to manually login from a computer to access your patient data and see and schedule appointments? Or would you prefer to work with one that lets you do it all from the front seat of your vehicle on your smartphone?
The answer for most people is that the easier you make it for a customer to see what they want, the more likely potential patients will convert to your practice. Ensuring you have a mobile-friendly site attracts customers, improves client communication, and sends a message to potential and existing patients that you are professional, organized, and competent.
Want to Update Your Dental Office Technology?
There is no question that upgrading technology is a big step. However, the additional expense can make your practice more customer friendly and responsive, organize your staff and help them work more efficiently, and support repetitive tasks. Ultimately, you, your staff, and your patients have a better functioning practice, which should always be your goal. If you’re ready to update your dental office’s technology, contact Erickson Dental Technologies today to speak with one of our experts.
