The Dental Software and Electronic Health Records Revolution – Are You Ready?
Next Generation Dental Software including electronic health records (EHR) and integrated imaging are changing the landscape rapidly and dramatically for dental practices with numerous benefits to the economic bottom line, clinical operations, and patient care of practices that embrace the transition. Dental EHRs are giving some practices a distinct edge. However, this new generation of software technology has never been so complex. There have never been so many options in terms of vendors and software offerings. And add to that is the buzz about federal and state mandates, new HIPAA rules, and the push to move everything to the cloud. It’s all so confusing.
This workshop will help clinical and administrative staff evaluate and understand features and benefits of “next
generation” dental software and EHR technology to help prepare them to make informed decisions which will affect the future of their practices. Even if you have an existing software vendor, you would do yourself a disservice by not exploring what alternatives are on the market in these times of changing technology. Some vendors will keep continue to innovate… and others will fall behind.
When it comes to either purchasing new software for your practice or purchasing updated software from your present vendor the fact is that both individual and group dental practices are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to evaluating vendors, negotiating pricing and contracts, assuring successful implementations, and receiving the support they expect… all the elements it takes to make a smooth transition.
This workshop will help practices and take charge of the evaluation, purchase, and implementation process
Mike will teach providers, administrators, and clinicians how to “level the playing field” with dental software vendors and take control of all three aspects of the process from evaluation and selection, to price and contract negotiation, to implementation and training, to managing their vendors, as well as to be prepared for new federal regulations You can keep your head in the sand as the industry passes you by or you can embrace the benefits of the next generation dental software and electronic health records revolution.
Workshop Formats (Full Day and Half Day)
These lively interactive workshops are structured to maximize content retention in an enjoyable and entertaining format. All attendees will receive a workbook full of interactive exercises that simulate what clinicians, administrators, and administrative staff will experience in “real world” situations thus preparing them for success. Learning is accomplished through a number of tools which include case studies and stories, role playing, demonstrations and videos of actual “next generation” software and EHR features, real vendor contracts, and insider tips and recommendations for “getting it right”. Mike encourages questions and interaction for the audience so that they get the information they are looking for.
Topics Covered
The following list of can be covered in the full day format. If an organization is interested in a half day format a subset of these topics which meet the needs of the organization can be selected.
The Economic, Workflow, and Patient Care Benefits of “Next Generation” Dental Software and EHR
There are numerous benefits to the economic bottom line, clinical operations and workflow, and patient care of a practice that embraces EHR. As this exciting new technology evolves and takes hold, we will expect to see innovations inelectronic prescribing, integration with evidence based treatment planning and protocols, electronic referral management, clinical data exchange between practices, workflow and task management, health maintenance alerts for overdue
procedures and exams, and many other innovations that will dramatically improve clinical and administrative efficiencies Learning Objectives:
1) Improving the referral process 2) Reducing practice liability
3) Increasing Cash Flow and Claims Processing, and reducing coding errors 4) Increasing patient satisfaction through web portals
5) Having your patient’s updated medical information at your fingertips 6) Effectively working with electronic Prescribing
7) Having evidence based procedures and protocols available 8) Utilizing real time patient education
9) Managing patient care within the integrated care team
10) Incorporating analytics to measure and improve practice profitability and patient care 11) Sharing patient data between providers. Health Information Exchange & Interoperability
Choosing the Right “Next Generation” Software and EHR for Your Needs
Providers and practice managers typically spend months viewing vendor demos, talking to colleagues, scanning social media and searching the Internet for the magic bullet that will lead them to the right software. What they really want is to reduce the stress and time associated with making the right decision. There are proven methods that will help you choose the right vendor in a timely manner and be successful.
Learning Objectives:
1) Prioritize system features for your practice or group 2) Use a team approach for vendor evaluation
3) Structure a Request for Proposal (RFP) and vendor evaluation 4) Understand differences in technology
5) Evaluate whether Cloud or Web based technology is right for you 6) Arrange effective and time-saving vendor demonstrations
7) Compare vendors side by side
Have it Your Way! - Negotiating Winning Dental Software and EHR Contracts
Whether a practice needs to upgrade to a more advanced practice management system or is integrating next generation electronic health records, chances are that they will be given a one sided contract which protects the vendor’s interests but not those of the practice. So how does a dental practice protect itself, and its considerable financial investment, when dealing with vendors, especially in evaluating and negotiating contracts? How does the practice assure adequate support after implementation? How does it avoid making expensive mistakes? Remember, although dental practice attorneys are familiar with many types of dental practice agreements, dental software and EHR contracts can be a whole different ball game, requiring specific technical knowledge and experience.
Learning Objectives:
1) Understand complicated price proposals 2) Negotiate the best price using win-win strategy 3) Avoid hidden or unnecessary costs and charges 4) Assure solid support, now and in the future 5) Protect yourself from vendor insolvency 6) Maintain control of your patient data 7) Control future costs
8) Get favorable payment terms 9) Get adequate warrantees
10) Hold your vendor accountable for promises made
Take Charge and Manage Your Dental Software Vendor
Are you concerned that you’re software implementation is not going as smoothly as your vendor had promised and the whole process is affecting your daily operations? Have you tried to call your vendor to take care of support issues or just provide a level of service you expect, but haven’t gotten satisfactory response?
Mike shares stories, case studies, and strategies of organizations that have experienced and overcome vendor issues. This is for you if are either about to purchase software, in the middle of an software implementation, or have already gone live and need to:
Learning Objectives. :
1) Be proactive in bringing issues to the forefront 2) Get your vendor to listen
3) Develop a plan and process for issue resolution
4) Include vendor accountability in the contract (for those that haven’t signed contracts) 5) Get vendor accountability (for those that have already signed contracts)
6) Understand how a vendor looks at client issues 7) Use documentation to manage issues
8) Escalate unresolved issues 9) Get the support you need
What's The Meaning of Meaningful Use? The Facts and Myths of Federal EHR Mandates & Incentive
Programs
Every day aggressive dental vendors and consultants are trying to convince practices that they must purchase their software and/or services quickly or risk the chance of either not being in compliance with the Federal EHR mandate or losing federal money they can claim. The Federal Electronic Health Records Incentive program announced by the Office of the National Coordinator has catalyzed and sped up the movement towards dental electronic health records adoption. However, much of the information publicized regarding this program can be misleading, misunderstood, or riddled with misinformation. With potential subsidies of $63,000 per dentist for purchasing EHR technology are these deals too good to be true? Is there a catch? And, as a dental provider, how relevant is all this talk of EHR reimbursement and mandates. By understanding the facts and myths surrounding these EHR funding programs, providers and practice managers should be able to make more informed decisions
Mike teaches:
1) What the Federal Meaningful Use program is and how does works 2) Is there really a federal mandate and does it affect dental providers? 3) Are dental software vendors addressing Meaningful Use?
4) What you need to be eligible for Meaningful Use reimbursement 5) How to Understand vendor Meaningful Use guarantees
6) How certification is evolving.
Look at Clouds from Both Sides Now: Pros & Cons of Web and Cloud Based Dental Software
One of the major barriers to purchase “next generation” dental software has been the daunting task of building an IT infrastructure, purchasing servers and networks, and hiring either IT staff or consultants to build and support it. Practices and larger multi-clinic groups are many times out of their element when attempting such purchases. These concerns can many times be alleviated by either purchasing web based software or outsourcing existing software to an outside hosting Service. However, there are a number of considerations to address before tackling these options.Mike explores the following:
1) Compare a web or cloud based solution to an in house approach. 2) Understand the benefits of a Cloud based solution
3) Select a Cloud software vendor
4) Make sure the vendor lives up to their commitments 5) Address the components of a good Cloud based contract 6) Make sure you are in control of your patient data
HIPAA and The Dental Office – The Rules They are a Changin’
Beginning September 23, 2013 HIPAA compliance became increasingly complex with more accountability and liability from the dental practice. In this new world of electronic records, next generation dental software and associated patient data the onus is on a practice and their business associates more than ever to assure there are no breaches or
inadvertent lapses of patient information security. HIPAA rules and regulations that might have been taken lightly in the past are coming to the forefront in the minds of every office manager, given increased potential liability of $50,000 per occurrence as well as criminal liability. Understanding the rules and associated compliance can be essential to the financial health of a practice
Learning Objectives:
1) How do you assure office to office and office to patient communications are HIPAA compliant 2) What is your responsibility regarding patient information breaches
3) What is the potential liability
4) How are business associate agreements (BAA) structured 5) Patient rights to information
6) What are rules around use of patient data?
7) How do you choose a HIPAA compliant software and/or cloud vendor? 8) What makes a data center HIPAA compliant?
Speaker Profile
Mike Uretz is a 30-year technology veteran and nationally-recognized Electronic
Health Records (EHR) and Healthcare Software expert. Mike is presently the Dental Software Editor for Dental Products Report and also the founder and Executive Director of DentalSoftwareAdvisor.com a trusted, and objective online resource on all matters related to dental software.
As a nationally known speaker and educator Mike has developed next generation dental software and electronic health records workshops and seminars for
Associations, Universities, Dental Group Practices, and various dental companies and organizations. These include California Dental Association, Minnesota Dental
Association, University of California, University of Washington Dental School, Dental
Health Products, QSI, and Marshfield dental clinics among others. A past graduate of the Player’s Workshop of the Second City School of Improvisation in Chicago Mike incorporates interactive, entertaining exercises into his workshops and seminars.
Mike has published numerous dental software focused columns and articles, for a number of dental industry publications and websites including, Dental Products Report, Dentistry Today, ADA Professional Product Review, Dentistry IQ, Dr. Bicuspid, American Academy of Dental Group Practice, Efficiency in Group Practice, Dental Entrepreneur, and Dental Compare among others.
As a healthcare industry software consultant and educator, Mike has helped hundreds of individual clinical practices and multi-clinic groups properly evaluate and select their EHR and Health IT vendors and solutions.
His expertise also includes structuring and negotiating software and services contracts and agreements, ensuring that implementations meet budgets and adhere to timelines, and providing vendor management and oversight...
Mike was a member of the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology EHR vendor certification
workgroup (CCHIT), and has been a member of the working committee for EHR business practices and policy. Over the past three years, Mike has helped a number of states, under the Meaningful Use program, to evaluate and select EHR vendors, structure contracts and agreements, and manage vendor issues. As co-chairman of the Best practices advisory committee for EHR Contracts, Mike has been instrumental in developing standards for structuring vendor contracts and pricing for use by state programs nationwide.
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Testimonials
“High energy, informative and very effective...”
Mike’s EHR expertise and knowledge was evident in this workshop. There were many members present that were eager to learn more. Mike’s presentation was high energy, informative, and very effective.
Mike was very effective in answering questions, giving new insight into product and vendor selection, contract
negotiations, and providing overall support. Our initial member feedback was great and Mike has continued providing ongoing support for our members.
Bridgett Anderson
Regulatory Affairs Coordinator Minnesota Dental Association
“Extremely helpful in educating me and my clients.”
I have worked with Mike Uretz in several complex dental and medical software cases, and he has been extremely helpful in educating me and my clients in understanding what isreasonable within the context of buying, installing, maintaining, using and upgrading dental and medical software.
In the market there seems to be a lot of sincere promises from vendors regarding their software, even from vendors with whom the providers have established relationships. However, such promises seem to be frequently combined with
draconian contracts that greatly reduce the liability of the vendor. I am confident that Mike’s help would be most useful prior to the signing of these contracts.
Frank F. Randolph, Healthcare Attorney
