Dr. Lorne Lavine Dental Technology Consultants Printer Friendly Version

Choosing New Practice Management Software

With all the latest gadgets and high-tech systems that are the rage in dentistry, many offices lose sight of the fact that the most critical component of a modern practice is the practice management software. This is the “glue” that holds everything together. If yours is one of many offices using outdated programs that are no longer supported, it is time to choose a new one. But how?

Features

The choices that face the dentist are almost overwhelming. Although recent consolidations have reduced the number of major players in this arena, there are still dozens and dozens of programs from smaller companies. Comparing systems reveals how certain features are handled better on one program, while other features work better on different programs. In other words, there is no one perfect program for any particular dentist. I recommend that you review independent studies and comparisons and ask colleagues for their opinions. Here are a few things that I recommend that you keep in mind when you are comparing products:

1. Every program has dozens of bells and whistles, but most dentists end up using only a very small portion of offered features. Focus on certain areas of practice management programs that almost all offices use. These include (but are not limited to) patient registration, scheduling, treatment planning, insurance estimation and processing, recall patient management and reports of practice parameters, such as production, collections, etc. Make a list of what’s important to you and compare every program you evaluate using your list.

2. It is prudent to focus on the main features of the software, but do not discount the ability of the software to add new innovations over time. It has been my experience that the average practice uses about 10% of the features of their software. With proper training, most offices can master the untapped and underutilized features of their software to improve the practice’s profitability and efficiency. To take just one example, Dentrix has a direct link to patient financing built into their software. Rather than spending a considerable amount of time having the patient fill out forms and calling in information, the office now has quick and immediate access to information that will determine if the patient is eligible for financing.

3. You must involve your staff in this decision. With the exception of the reports, it is your staff that will be handling all of the administrative functions of the software. If they find the program difficult to use, it will be disastrous to your practice. Many new dentists are fortunate enough to hire an office manager who has experience with dental software; someone like this can be an invaluable resource for determining the advantages of a particular program.

4. Although most dental software today includes both administrative and clinical features, it is the administrative component that will, in most cases, be the most important part. This does not mean, though, that the clinical functions are not important. The topic of integration of clinical data with practice management systems is outside the scope of this article, but make sure that the software you purchase today is capable of working with the software and hardware of high-tech products.

5. One method that I have found effective is to input either an existing patient or an imaginary patient and see how the software tracks her. In other words, create a patient record, schedule her, create a treatment plan, post treatment to her account, create an insurance form, re-schedule the patient, etc. In this case, you can compare apples to apples when evaluating how software handles this process. Keep in mind to test how well the software can adapt to your preferred methods of seeing and treating patients. Poorly designed software will force you to change how you practice and process patients; you should avoid this at all costs.

Training, Service and Support

It is very unfortunate that the factors that are probably most important when choosing a software package are usually given the least amount of consideration. Most dentists will spend hours evaluating software, choosing features and reviewing the price of a program, but will barely even think about the need for training and ongoing support.

Let’s start with training. There is no better way to ensure that your staff never adapts to a software program than to bypass proper training. Unfortunately, many dentists will try to save money by justifying their decision to not spend money for on-site or classroom-based training. Don’t make this mistake. Training is one of the best investments you can make. Dental management software programs are complex; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Having everyone in the office (and, yes, that includes the doctor) up to speed on the software is crucial to ensuring that it is rapidly integrated into your practice.

Service and support is the other part of this equation. Many dentists make the mistake of looking at the price of the software and do not factor in the costs of ongoing support. I have seen support packages that are as low as a couple of hundred dollars per year to packages that are over $5,000 per year. When choosing a support package, you need to ask a number of questions:

1. Is unlimited telephone support offered as a part of the package or is it charged per minute?
2. What other means of support (i.e. email, web-based, fax, etc.) are offered?
3. What are the hours for customer service and support?
4. Is on-site support offered?
5. Are different levels of support plans offered?
6. How often is the program updated?
7. What are the qualifications of the support staff?

One important question to ask is how soon your call will be answered. Time is money and the sooner your software vendor can get you off the phone with your problem solved the better. Ask to see performance statistics, such as the average on-hold time and average length of call. This information will provide you with an insight into what’s in store for you. As I mentioned earlier, independent surveys that rate customer support for many different systems are available. Also ask your colleagues about their experiences.

Lorne Lavine, DMD is the Founder and President of Dental Technology Consultants. Dr. Lavine holds two prestigious certifications, the A+ Certified Technician designation and the Network+ Certified Professional. These designations demonstrate proficiency in computer repair, operating systems, network design and installation. Dental Technology Consultants provide dentists a full range of services relating to the implementation of technology.

Dr. Lavine can be reached at drlavine@thedentistsnetwork.net.

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