Is 2020 the year your practice goes paperless? There’s a lot to consider on the back end. To that end, here are some points to take into account so you can efficiently integrate technologies into your enterprise.
Practice Management Software
A practice management software can be an ally in the quest to go digital. Offices that want to eschew paper records will need to find a digital alternative to physical charts. It’s important to realize that not all programs can handle all of these functions.
Dentrix Enterprise is designed to make the transition seamless. Harness the power of productivity through paperless dental office software with Dentrix Enterprise, using electronic dental records (EDR) and digital clinical notes, examination forms, medical history and images. Electronically schedule appointments, perform billing and send insurance claims—no paper required. Utilize our powerful search engine to instantly find the data you need from any site.
Operatory Design
The modern office is set up differently than in year’s past, to accommodate technological developments. For instance, most have 2 monitors in the operatory: one for the patient and another for clinical staff. This can pose numerous ergonomic issues. For example, a keyboard and monitor may require the dentist to contort his or her body in an unnatural way. It’s important to design the setup with occupational health in mind.
Data Protection
Digital files only underscore the need to prevent data loss due to negligence or bad actors. Every office, at a minimum, should be using antivirus software to safeguard sensitive information.
Our solution helps protect patient data as part of compliance efforts with a Microsoft SQL server in a self-contained network. To that end, users can assign password protection and user rights, and easily track edits, thanks to a comprehensive audit trail.
Also, every office should have a disaster mitigation plan in place. Cloud computing makes it possible for practice managers to backup data securely offsite and access it later, should a loss occur.
As healthcare becomes more digital and less analog, the time is now for forward-thinking offices to invest in systems to make them competitive and more profitable. Most offices would be best served to replace one system at a time and get comfortable with each one before adding new element. Otherwise it can be a case of too much too soon. The typical practice can take up to 18 months to make the transition. But the effort can be well worth it.