Dan Easty is the Regional Technology Advisor with Patterson Dental. He has educated and trained hundreds of offices to become paperless and advises regarding the best way to implement technology into practices.

Dan Easty

	Do you ever wonder how you survived without all of the modern technologies we have today? With smartphones, tablets and laptops, we are able to access any information we want or need at virtually any time. Not only has technology made many of our lives easier on a personal basis, but it has done so in our careers as well. 

	This is especially true in dentistry; it wasn’t too long ago that practices did everything with paper records. As technology evolves in our industry, dental practices now have the ability to be completely paperless.

	Here are five ways technology improves your dental practice:

	Practice management systems can significantly increase the efficiency of a dental practice. One such system, Eaglesoft from Patterson Dental, has the ability to pull customized high-level reports, allowing your practice to see beyond the typical end-of-dayreport and take a more in-depth look into different ways to increase efficiency in your practice.

	One efficiency that can be gained relates to easy scheduling procedures. Integrating a practice management system with marketing software, such as RevenueWell by Patterson Dental, allows patients to schedule an appointment whenever and wherever they are. Italso sends automatic reminders to patients, decreasing your practice’s no-show rate.

	Additionally, some practice management systems allow your patients to enter their medical information into a tablet and/or computer when checking in. The patient’s information is automatically saved and available to the dental staff, saving the front desk from having to manually input the data.

More from the author: 10 things you should be using in Eaglesoft ... but probably aren't

	2. Lowers overhead costs and increases profits

	Instead of calling patients to remind them to make appointments or filling out patient records manually, a good practice management system can streamline everything andtake it all digital. Office supply costs are cut when minimizing or eliminating paper recordsand note taking when everything is done digitally.

Read more tips to dramatically cut your overhead here

	Eaglesoft also encompasses tools such as Money Finder and Revenue Opportunities. Money Finder allows dental practices to find hidden revenue opportunities by electronically searching for patients who are late on recalls or have not completed a recommended procedure. Revenue Opportunities directs dental professionals to reports that help increase revenue. Dental practices can select pre-set options, such as locating overdue recalls, to help generate additional forms of revenue that may have otherwise been overlooked. This tool will provide a list of patients who match the criteria of the presetoption.

	Running a patient analysis within most practice management systems breaks down your patient base into categories such as age, gender, insurance status, and zip codes. This information helps a dental practice target their marketing efforts to a specific section of people who will benefit most from a certain offer or marketing campaign.

	On the other hand, if your office is running a monthly special, you can utilize your already existing patient contact lists to send out a mass email advertising the special. This message will get to patients who may not have otherwise known about the special.

	Patterson Dental also offers Smile Channel, which was created to play in dental practice waiting rooms. The Smile Channel is an educational tool, allowing patients to see what treatments your dental practice can offer. Many times, patients are unaware of the many services a practice offers and, consequently, they will not know to ask for it. Learning about additional services through Smile Channel may prompt your patient to ask for further dental care.

RELATED: How the right software helps this practice rock and roll

	4. Increasing patient acceptance through patient education

	Explaining dental procedures to those not in the dental field can be challenging because every patient has a different style of learning. Patient education systems offer educational videos that puts dental lingo into laymen’s terms allowing patients to better understand procedures. Often times a video will trigger questions patients may not have thought to ask due to a lack of understanding, which helps to form a more complete understanding or the patient.

	Dental professionals are also able to email patients educational videos, allowing them to watch and learn from the comfort of their own homes. Many dental practices see an increase in case acceptance when using a patient education system, because it allows patients to not just hear but actually see the benefits of accepting the recommended treatment.

RELATED: 3 tips to get patients back in the office

	Although some may think the opposite, technology can often times enhancecommunication within dental practices.

	 Many practice management systems offer messaging tools, allowing the front and back of the dental office to communicate quickly and efficiently. Instead of having to leave a patient’s side to check on something with the front office, dental hygienists are able to send a quick message to the front all while continuing to be of assistance to their patient.

	 Patient medical and insurance information is easily accessible through a practice management system, allowing both the front and back office to look up a patient’s benefitsand medical history in the blink of an eye.

	Additionally, a patient education system ensures that a practice is communicating the same message across all mediums. Having consistent messaging across a dental office will allow your patients to have a better understanding of procedures. By offering clear and consistent messaging every time, a dental practice can ensure nothing is left out or overlooked.

	Implementing technology into your practice does not have to be intimidating, especially when you have all of the above benefits to look forward to. When looking at different systems it is important to do your research to find the best fit for you and your staff. Technology can offer your practice many timesaving tools; so talk to your representative to ensure you are utilizing your tools to their maximum potential

Articles

Do you ever wonder how you survived without all of the modern technologies we have
today? With smartphones, tablets and laptops, we are able to access any information we
want or need at virtually any time

5 ways technology improves your dental  practice

 can make a dentist’s job easier and take away many stresses of running a practice. But with so many tools available in the program, it can sometimes be difficult to use each one effectively. Below I’ve listed 10 tools in Eaglesoft that every dental practice should be using:


	Intellicare Reminders gets my vote for the No. 1 thing offices should be using but are not. This program allows an office to set reminders about patients in each patient’s profile when an appointment is scheduled. It’s a great way to remind staff members to notify patients of specific information such as to collect email addresses, alert a patient they are due for a new pan or even have a patient sign an updated 

 form at the time of the appointment. With each reminder tailored to individual patients and easily locatable, this truly is a hidden gem.

Video: How Eaglesoft 17 Practice Management Software can improve your practice


	InContact is an excellent interactive contact manager that makes keeping track of your patient base an easy task. It helps you categorize different groups of patients based on recalls, post op calls and many different types of reports. InContact is great for:

		Notifying patients for recall appointments


	Bulk Insurance Payment allows you to distribute a single payment from an 

 to multiple accounts, which makes entering insurance check payments much easier and more efficient. This tool allows you to submit only one check entry on your deposit slip while permitting you to distribute payments to specific patients. Plus, you are still able to view accounts, update coverage books and apply adjustments.


	Money Finder does exactly what is says: finds hidden money in your practice! With the ability to locate patients that have outstanding treatments you will see how Money Finder can easily increase your cash flow.


	Trends is a practice management feature that allows you to view office totals according to specified criteria. In the application, you’re able to set yearly or monthly benchmarks for several key performance areas such as collections percentage, number of new patients or number of cases referred. It’s an easy way to track a practice’s progress and change any behaviors to help attain your goals.

Related reading: 5 ways Patterson Dental's Eaglesoft 17 can simplify your daily routine

 for the whole office. You can set up this dockable panel to always display so you can view the messages throughout the day. It provides a streamlined way to stay on top of communications and reach anyone in the office.


	When using this feature, your office is able to set due dates for the labs you work with and view an easy-to-read icon that shows the progress of delivery. The icon changes from a half empty beaker to full when lab packages arrive. This is a great way to keep tabs on all of your needed lab materials for upcoming appointments without having to make a number of calls or track the packages yourself.


	Allowing your patients to check-in themselves saves front desk staff an immense amount of time. By using a tablet at the front desk, a patient is able to enter and update contact information, HIPAA forms and medical history. You may also add any custom documents to the check-in process like appointment cancelation forms or financial policies.

Related reading: Eaglesoft 17 offers enhanced practice management tools, patient processing tools and much more

 received from patients. When an office generates statements or obtains new patient records, they can automatically save the materials to each patient’s SmartDoc for easy access. For example, if a patient calls with questions regarding previous statements, the office can easily locate the materials in that patient’s Smartdoc. Each staff member also has their own private and secure SmartDoc file where employee reviews or documents can be saved. SmartDoc files can even be created for labs and referral sources, so all information is conveniently organized by relevant party.


	Snapshot is a useful tool to quickly gauge how a practice is performing against pre-set goals for several categories such as production, new patients and collections. It allows practices to compare averages across different time periods and see how it is improving or view areas that could use a little help. This tool is great for team meetings because it gives visual representations on the health of the practice.

By taking advantage of the above tools, any Eaglesoft user can quickly harness the potential of their practice and truly get the most out of their 

Webinar: Learn to successfully implement new electronic health record software

When leveraged effectively, Eaglesoft can make a dentist’s job easier and take away many stresses of running a practice. But with so many tools available in the program, it can sometimes be difficult to use each one effectively. Below I’ve listed 10 tools in Eaglesoft that every dental practice should be using:

10 things you should be using in Eaglesoft but probably aren’t

Losing data files is every dentist’s nightmare. The time it takes to re-program, re-install, and re-upload patient and practice information is time away from building your customer base and increasing profit. The good news is there are a few very simple things that you can do to avoid this obvious setback and certain loss of income. All it takes is regularly backing up your files and restoring your systems the right way.

First: Backing up your data can only benefit your practice.

 Most back-up systems offered today take no effort on the part of the dental staff as everything is automated and handled electronically. It runs in the background and keeps your patient data safe and protected.

Second: Your information is protected in more ways than one when you back up.

 Saving your files is completely secure â the information is protected and encrypted through the software your office selects. Your data can be housed both in the cloud and in storage units offsite, so there is no need to purchase additional storage space for your office.

Third: Your saved information can be accessed anywhere.

 So even if your server goes down, a good software system will still allow you to access your patient files, meaning you lose very little working time if you experience a crash.

Dr. John Flucke, technology editor for Dental Products Report, talks about the importance of backup

Understand that the peace of mind gained when purchasing back-up software greatly outweighs the upfront investment in the system. Knowing that if a crash does happen your data is protected and your patient files are secured is well worth the investment.

How long can you afford to be down? If your server crashes, are you willing to go eight hours without your data? 24? 48? In many cases, if you do not have a back-up system in place, that number could be much greater as your office staff needs to start from scratch and rebuild the lost data, not to mention rebuild the trust of your patients.

A good recovery solution can take place in a matter of minutes. A time-saving solution is of the utmost importance when your office cannot operate, so research the average amount of time your restoration system takes to get your office back up and running if a server fails.

Look for a system that includes personal support, and one that offers on-site training. Installing the software is the easy part, but understanding it can be a bit more complicated. Having a support team behind your restoration system is a necessity as they can immediately begin walking you through the stressful situation of a server crash.

Learn more about the award-winning DDS Rescue

While no office ever wants to deal with a crash, what’s worse is realizing that the data you work so hard to collect and protect is gone, and that your patient relationships can be in jeopardy. By installing a back-up system you can rely on and knowing that your restoration software will work for you, you will be miles ahead of the competition.

RELATED: Dr. John Flucke talks about the value of portable hard drives

Note: This article is sponsored by Patterson Dental as part of the 

 Partner Voice Program, which provides a way for leading dental manufacturers to share quality content with our audience. 

Patterson Dental offers a wide range of dental products including 

RevenueWell marketing communications suite

, which are backed by the renowned support and customer service team at the 

. With multiple support options and more than 125 years experience in the dental industry, Patterson has the resources and expertise to help customers and practices reach their greatest potential.

How your dental practice will benefit by backing up and restoring the smart way

When you assess the day-to-day activities in your dental office, you soon realize that a lot of time is spent communicating with patients and building relationships between them and your staff. An easy way to add structure and simplicity to this ongoing patient communication is to implement a patient education software system into your every day practice. By streamlining your communication efforts and focusing on educating your patients, you can ultimately help better your practice’s retention rate, profitability and reputation.

Many people put off visiting the dentist for one reason to avoid the anxiety that accompanies the appointment. Patient education software can alleviate much of that anxiety by helping a patient better understand the treatment recommendation. Rather than focusing on an idea the patient conjured about how the treatment might happen, a patient can see exactly what a procedure entails.

Introduce patient education videos in the waiting room to help calm patients’ nerves and show that you have their best interest in mind. This subtly gains their trust before they even sit in the dental chair. By showing these videos early on, you ease the patient into the treatment plan without overwhelming them, all the while showcasing the kinds of procedures that your practice specializes in.

The relationships we build with patients are the absolute key to success. Spend time talking with them, discussing treatment plans, and 

 them exactly what a given procedure will look like. Animations and illustrations in patient education videos help make the complicated and sometimes overwhelming diagnosis much more manageable and easy to understand. Remember that much of communication is non-verbal take advantage of the fact that many people are visual learners and respond better to seeing an image over listening to a one-sided dialogue.

Utilize patient education videos during the hygiene visit to bridge the gap between dental professionals and the patients we rely on for success. Stop thinking about saving time, bringing in revenue, and increasing your retention rate, and you’ll be able to focus on the patient. Once this is accomplished, the rest will fall into place.

After a patient understands a recommended treatment plan, he or she is much more likely to accept it. After viewing the video or presentation, dentists and patients are able to have a more balanced conversation because the visual representation simplifies the explanation process. A patient education software system can act as an opportunity generator in the office, especially when the videos are customized to show what your practice does best. Custom galleries are a unique feature of some patient education software systems that allow the dentists to build videos or image slideshows individual to his or her practice.

The best part is that these videos can be easily accessed anywhere in the office if you select a cloud-base patient education system. These videos help simultaneously connect you with patients, aide your marketing strategy and build your reputation.

The role that patient education software can play should not be ignored. It can increase your retention rate, strengthen existing patient relationships and help build new ones, ultimately leading to better patient satisfaction and an increasing in profit.

 Partner Voice Program, which provides a way for leading dental manufacturers to share quality content with our audience. Patterson Dental offers a wide range of dental products including Eaglesoft Practice Management Software, CAESY Patient Education Systems and the RevenueWell marketing communications suite, which are backed by the renowned support and customer service team at the Patterson Technology Center. With multiple support options and more than 125 years experience in the dental industry, Patterson has the resources and expertise to help customers and practices reach their greatest potential.

The importance of patient education for your dental practice ... when, where, and why

Efficiency is the cornerstone to profitability for the typical dental practice, so it’s always worthwhile to revisit how various policies and systems are serving this goal. Sometimes gains can be made in surprising places. Think through the following points to see if there are simple measures you can take to easily boost your practice’s efficiency:

 Are your staff members spending a significant amount of time giving patients verbal explanations of diagnoses and treatment plans during visits? There are many different ways to educate patients, including showing in-office videos while the patient waits for his or her appointment, emailing videos after a patient visits the practice, and sharing videos on your practice’s website. By using an automated video-based patient education system, you can easily reach a patient in whatever way is most convenient for him or her and increase case acceptance by explaining dental conditions and treatments in a consistent way. Practices can effectively regain valuable minutes by providing patient education tools both during and after visits.

 Like patient education, tapping into an automated system for continuing education can give your staff members more flexibility and free up more time in the practice. Consider asking your practice management software company or supply representatives if they offer webinars or training services that can help your practice and employees become more efficient.

 If your office is still using paper charts it may be time to take stock of where you want to go and how you’re going to get there. Maintaining and organizing paper charts is not only a time- and labor-intensive undertaking, but it makes your office vulnerable to a complete loss of patient data should a disaster ever befall your office.

Implementing a digital system for both practice management and clinical records enables outstanding efficiencies. The front office gains a powerful tool to keep better track of billing, recall reminders, and more, while the clinical side gets an easy-to-read digital record that can show the entire history of a tooth with just a few clicks. There is no longer a need to flip backward through endless papers to develop an understanding of the patient’s history - everything is there at a glance.

Taking full advantage of your practice management system:

 Make sure you’re getting the best mileage out of your practice management system. Like any software, most practice management systems have advanced functions that can be serious time-savers. Challenge your front office staff to think about the tasks that take up most of their time and to see how the software can help automate any of the work. This could be as simple as setting up automated recall reminders via email, or more advanced by delving into proactive marketing efforts. For instance, you might query your patient database to find patients who have expressed an interest in whitening, then send them an offer to entice them to schedule the procedure.

Don’t let inefficiencies eat into more of your practice’s time. Start with some simple changes, and see where your efforts lead you!