As many dentists are well aware, there are numerous integrated technology systems that are part of the modern dental practice. Few will argue that the Practice Management Software (PMS) is the most important component, as it ties many of these different systems together. PMS systems continue to improve themselves, but as most dentists know, those … Read more
What is your definition of a “paperless practice?” I’ve actually never been a huge fan of the term “paperless practice” as I think it’s extremely difficult, especially for an existing practice, to completely eliminate all paper. Whether it’s insurance forms, walkout statements, patient education brochures, or other documents, removing all paper is very tough. What … Read more
Seven Deadly Sins? Many offices are now moving towards a chartless or even paperless environment. Practice management data, images, accounting data, documents, almost all of the critical data for the office is in an electronic format. The challenge for many practices is to make sure they properly secure and protect this critical data. New … Read more
In recent OHJ posts, we evaluated the different systems of digital radiography available to the modern dental practice. We have looked at the differences between the sensors and phosphor plate systems, focusing on the raw data and suitability of both for different practice settings. Now that dentists have the tools to choose the best system, … Read more
For offices that are using practice management software and digital imaging, the need to have a proper backup protocol in place is absolutely critical. Few offices would be able to easily recover from the loss of their most important data, so making sure that your data is safe should be the highest priority for every … Read more
So, you’re the owner of a dental practice and you are trying to figure out the best steps to get on to Facebook to drive new patients. It can be a daunting task and with little extra time in the day, how can you be expected to spend time promoting your business on Facebook? I … Read more
As many dentists are well aware, there are numerous integrated technology systems that are part of the modern dental practice. Few will argue that the Practice Management Software (PMS) is the most important component, as it ties many of these different systems together. PMS systems continue to improve themselves, but as most dentists know, those … Read more
Over the past few columns of this blog, we have examined many of the factors that go into upgrading the practice towards a chartless system. While many of these concepts are important in the planning stages, it is apparent that the push towards digital radiography is the driving force at this time. While surveys show … Read more
Most dental practices have come to realize how quickly technology has become part of everyday life in the practice. Nowhere is this more evident than with practices that are trying to become completely paperless.The challenge for most offices is to develop the best plan on how to evaluate their current and future purchases to ensure … Read more
As anyone who has to use technology daily knows (and that applies to everyone reading this article!), technology is a quickly moving target. Technologies that seemed so fresh and new just a few short years ago now seem passé and outdated as newer technologies are emerging. One technology that has emerged recently, which is likely … Read more
Is Your Website Really Working? The world of websites and online marketing can be confusing. Dentists and their staff often feel like their website could be doing more for them, but aren’t quite sure how to determine this or what to do about it. The goal of this article is to provide some clear, easy … Read more
In my last blog post, we explored the features of a server and how to choose one for a dental office. When it comes to the operatory, in recent years, many companies are recommending laptops as an alternative to the typical operatory computer, touting both the increased mobility and smaller space required as the primary benefits. In … Read more
Close to 50% of all dentists in North America are using digital x-rays, either hard sensors or phosphor plate systems. While we tend to spend a lot of time agonizing over the choice of which systems to get, many dentists fail to recognize the importance of making sure they have the proper infrastructure in place first…and that … Read more
I’ve forgotten how many times an entry has asked for clarity, transparency, openness from the members of the committee appointed by the RCDSO to address this issue, however, the GUIDELINES are out and in all candour, frankfurterness, I haven’t a clue where to begin………..They have Internet for Dummies, I’ll gladly pay for Encryption for Dummies … Read more
It’s coming……….begin the process……….know what to expect, contact your PMS vendor and ask what they are doing in anticipation of the forth or fifthcoming RCDSO mandate in Ontario and the inevitability of the requirements for all dental offices in Canada to switch their systems and incorporate encryption, going paperless, et al. Double click on image … Read more
From Larry Emmott’s newsletter Feb 2012 and other resources………time to start making inquiries…… Who owns the digital records you keep; who owns the data. I bring this up because EHR is “here” in Canada, paperless is no longer just a name and encryption of records is to be mandated in Ontario…..no one from the committee … Read more
How many times as a doctor do you ask the same questions over and over again as part of the routine process of taking a history from your patient? And how often as a patient do you have to answer those same questions each time you see a new doctor? How long does this take, given that doctors and patients both complain that there … Read more
By Katherine Hobson, Health Blog – Washington Post – extrapolate this to dentistry, stand on one foot, spin around a half a dozen times and then say “boondoggle”…… What’s standing in the way of the wider spread of health IT? Plenty of things, according to a new report from the Bipartisan Policy Center. The report says boosting use … Read more
It will be cool to digitize health records and encrypt correspondence, as it will invariably lead to a safer office environment and hopefully make it easier to create a dental educational Internet; however, I remain insistent that mandating it before the process is explained and understood is simply a cart before the horse mentality for … Read more
Not sure why, but I tend to avoid banner ads……mistake in this case – http://www.servdentist.com/products_overview.en.html Banner at the top of the OHJ website – reviewed on the fly, but once the site came up – WOW!!! We are blessed here in Canada – CONSULT PRO is rocking worlds with it’s multi-platform educational material particularly since … Read more