Going Digital
Your Path to a Paperless Practice
About the Author
Dayna Johnson is the founder of Rae Dental Management and one of the Pacific Northwest’s most trusted practice management consultants. She is passionate about creating efficient, consistent, and secure paperless office systems. Dayna has more than 20 years of experience in the dental industry, and she has helped dental offices around the country go paperless and increase profitability.
Table of Contents
Starting on the Paperless Path
...4
Section 1: Efficiency
For the Patient
No paper, no scans, faster check-in ...5
More frequent communication ...6
Easier payment and scheduling ...6
For the Entire Practice
For the Administration Team
More time in your day ...7
Less time on the phone ...7
Lower overhead costs ...7
For the Clinical Team
Easier health history updates...8
Less typing, faster charting ...8
Voice-activated perio notes ...8
Section 2: Consistency
No more lost data ...9
Greater accuracy ...10
Section 3: Security
Protected views ...11
Password-protected data ...11
Backup and disaster recovery ...11
For More Information
...12
Starting on the Paperless Path
Efficiency, consistency and security
“The paperless practice” or “going digital” are often misunderstood in the dental industry. Both phrases mean essentially the same thing: replacing paper-based forms, charts and records with electronic documents. My goal in this eBook is to give you some guidance on:
• Making a successful transition to a paperless environment • Maintaining team efficiency
• Complying with data privacy regulations
As you start down the path to paperless, keep these two principles in mind:
1. You will likely never eliminate paper from your practice altogether. The goal is to not keep any paper. 2. The paperless practice is a journey, not a destination. Start with good practice management software
as a foundation and keep moving in a digital direction.
Unlike the medical industry which had its paperless protocols mandated by Medicare, the dental industry has no such protocols. There’s no federal guidebook to walk your practice smoothly down the paperless path, but reading this eBook is a great start.
In my 20+ years of experience helping dentists transition from paper to digital, I’ve found three key elements that can ensure success in the process: efficiency, consistency and security.
Using the three elements of success as a guide, we’ll start our path-to-paperless discussion with efficiency. Let’s explore how a dental practice transitions from paper to digital with Dentrix, the leading practice management software.
YOUR PATH TO A PAPERLESS PRACTICE | 5
Section 1: Efficiency
Track information faster than using paper
Dentrix includes features to improve
office and clinical efficiency so your
transition to paperless will be successful.
The biggest roadblock on the path to paperless is the complaint (or fear) that “using the computer will slow us down.” You can overcome this objection with the facts. Fact 1: Using practice management software lets youtrack and update patient records, appointments, accounts receivable and insurance information faster than using paper.
Fact 2: Going digital replaces many time-consuming manual tasks with computer automation. Fact 3: The computer helps your team:
• Stay on schedule.
• Complete clinical notes on the day of service. • Access patient information quickly.
Going digital can improve efficiency in all areas of your practice. Dentrix provides tools for the patient, the admin-istration team and the clinical team to be more efficient.
For the Patient
In a paperless practice, your patients can: • Complete forms electronically to reduce
appointment delays.
• Review and update information on file rather than having to complete paper forms from scratch over and over.
• Communicate with your practice and confirm appointments using methods they prefer via mobile phones, tablets and computers.
• Review their account balance and pay their bills online, even after office hours when it's more convenient for them.
Coaches Corner
Don’t let a large population of senior patients slow down your transition to computer-based dentistry.
Many Americans over the age of 65 are already enjoying high technology. • 53 percent use the Internet or
email. Of this group, 70 percent use it on a daily basis.
• 70 percent have a mobile phone (up 57 percent from 2010).
• Between April 2009 and May 2011,
social networking among Americans
over age 65 grew 150 percent. Chances are, your older patients will welcome the new technology in your practice.
(Source: Pew Research Group, April 2012)
Efficiency
(continued)
No paper, no scans, faster check-in
No paper, no scans, faster check-in
With the eCentral Website Manager in Dentrix, you can customize electronic patient forms and give patients an efficient way to fill out forms online.
Using your website, patients can fill out electronic forms from home or in your office. They can also use the
eCentral Kiosk feature on an iPad in your reception area.
More frequent communication
The eCentral Communication Manager in Dentrix allows your office to communicate via email, text messages and postcards about upcoming appointments. The intelligent system communicates based on predetermined preferences and the availability of email address and mobile phone numbers to ensure complete coverage without over communication.
Easier payment and scheduling
eCentral for Dentrix provides these convenient and secure online features for patients:
• Bill paying that automatically posts into your Dentrix Ledger
• Requests for appointments that provide your office with the patient's preferred appointment times • Electronic forms that automatically download into
your Dentrix Questionnaire Module • Referral submission
For the Entire Practice
In a paperless practice, you can use interoffice instant messaging to securely and professionally communicate with your team. No more yelling down the hall or leaving your chair to find the person you need.
Dentrix Dentalink lets you send messages to one team member or to the entire practice. This saves time and greatly improves interoffice communication and efficiency.
Coaches Corner
Your patients can't always take time out of their busy day to contact your office during normal business hours. eCentral allows them to interact with your practice when it's convenient for them.
Here are some online benefits that Dentrix lets you offer your patients: • Make a payment
• Schedule an appointment • Update personal information • Fill out forms prior to
appointments
• Look up family appointments • Read their treatment plan Your patients will appreciate the convenience and efficiency of your paperless office.
YOUR PATH TO A PAPERLESS PRACTICE | 7
Efficiency
(continued)
No more yelling down the hall
For the Administration Team
In a paperless practice, your administration team can: • Send insurance claims and supporting documentation
electronically instead of through the mail. • Eliminate the manual printing and mailing of
appointment and recare reminder cards.
• Get insurance eligibility and benefit information automatically, prior to a patient’s appointment. • Send billing statements with the click of a button
instead of the printing, sorting, folding, stamping and mailing.
• Spend less time on the phone with insurance companies, specialists and patients.
• Reduce office expenses by about 80 percent. Here are some ways Dentrix can improve efficiency for your administration team.
More time in your day
By automating messages, the eCentral Communication Manager can save your team hours of work. With eCentral, you can send your patients customized email messages, text messages and postcards. No more generating mailing lists or printing address labels.
Less time on the phone
The eCentral Insurance Eligibility Update service automatically checks insurance eligibility before a patient’s appointment. It gives your team accurate, real-time insurance information without a phone call.
Lower overhead costs
Dentrix allows you to send patient billings statements. It also allows your team to focus their time on more important tasks, such as reactivating patients or collecting overdue balances. Dentrix QuickBill can reduce your office expenses in statement supplies, paper, envelopes, postage, printer ink and storage space.
Coaches Corner
Insurance management is one of the most time-consuming tasks your administrative team does on a daily basis.
Here are some ways Dentrix can make insurance management more efficient: • If you are contracted with PPO
dental plans, enter your fee schedules for accurate estimates and improved collections.
• Use automated insurance eligibility with Dentrix Insurance Manager. • Send claims electronically with
Dentrix eClaims.
• Track claim status electronically using Dentrix Insurance Manager. • Easily link attachments with
Dentrix eClaims for improved claim approval.
• Archive eClaims reports with Dentrix Insurance Manager instead of printing them.
For the Clinical Team
In a paperless practice, your clinical team can: • Easily and securely keep patient health histories • Finish their clinical notes on the day of service • You may want to make this third bullet (on updating
histories) the second bullet so it follows the first bullet which is also about histories
• Protect electronic data with a digital signature • Chart faster, reducing delays in the schedule • Use voice-activated perio notes instead of an
assistant, reducing hygiene overhead
Here are some ways Dentrix can improve efficiency for your clinical team.
Easier health history updates
The Dentrix Questionnaire Module meets all the requirements for documenting the patient’s current health and more. An auto-fill feature helps you finish your notes during the visit. You can customize the forms for your office needs, and lock patient forms with a digital signature.
Less typing, faster charting
Keyboard touches slow down your clinical team and require more glove changes. Save time by using Dentrix templates for clinical notes, diagnosis documentation, health history and referral letters.
The Procedure Note box in Dentrix lets you create tem-plates. For less typing, attach multi-codes to the procedure buttons. Dentrix Quick Letters can generate custom letters for patients. Also, when you use this feature, you can save a copy in the Dentrix Document Center and it will automatically make a note in the patient’s Office Journal.
Voice-activated perio notes
The Dentrix Voice Pro voice-activated perio charting gives your hygienist a virtual assistant. It can document probing depths, bleeding points, bone loss and more without having another person in the room.
Efficiency
(continued)
Make real-time history updates
Coaches Corner
When your practice goes paperless, be aware of certain issues your clinical team may be concerned about. For example:
• Running late into lunch or after work to get the documentation completed
• Communicating with specialists about patient care
• Sending digital diagnostics that are safe and secure
• Communicating with the team when you don’t have a paper chart • Engaging the patient with
the computer
Help your clinical team embrace the computer and learn ways to use mouse-driven templates instead of the keyboard.
YOUR PATH TO A PAPERLESS PRACTICE | 9
Coaches Corner
For every page of your paper chart, there is a digital alternative.
Use your paper chart as a guide to organize patient information in your practice management software. Here are some tips to going digital without losing any information • Agree as a team on the location of
each page from the paper chart. • Make a group decision. Team
members can’t make up their own way to organize the data.
• There may be several locations within your software to document the same information. As a team, pick the one place that works for you and stick with it.
• Create an information map as a reference sheet for the team to use during the transition from paper to digital.
Section 2: Consistency
Consistency is key to reducing uncertainty
Dentrix includes features to improve
data consistency so your transition to
paperless will be successful.
Dentrix includes features to improve data consistency so your transition to paperless will be successful.
Changing from paper charts to digital causes some uncertainty about where to find certain pieces of information on the computer. Consistency is the key to reducing this uncertainty when a practice goes digital. Dentrix provides many ways to keep patient data consistent and improve charting accuracy during the transition to paperless.
No more lost data
In a paper chart, each form is labeled so you can tell what information belongs on that page. Some practices color-code their paper charts to organize the information. In a digital chart, Dentrix offers you options to organize patient data so it can be found easily by your team. Here are some examples of key pieces of the patient record and how you can organize them consistently in Dentrix.
• Personal notes: items of interest about the patient or family. Put them in the Patient Note in the Family File. These notes will print on the Route Slip so you can easily create conversation.
• Financial notes: this sensitive information shouldn’t be in the clinical record. Put financial notes in the Guarantor Note on the Ledger.
• Insurance notes: plan coverage and deductibles information. Put notes about plan coverage in the Coverage Table. Put notes about the specific patient maximum and deductible in Deductibles.
• Followup notes: documented phone conversations with patients. Put these notes in the Office Journal. • Team notes: to-do lists and other communication with
team members. Put these notes in the Appointment Note area of your Appointment Book.
Coaches Corner
The clinical patient record is a legal document, so make sure to have protocols in place to maintain the integrity of all patient data.
Check your state laws so you know what levels of data security are required. • Is a signature required for your
health history updates?
• Is an electronic signature sufficient? • Do you have checks and balances
for the accuracy of your digital patient charts?
• Who besides the doctor has rights to alter the patient record on the computer?
If you are unsure of your state laws, call your malpractice insurance attorney to answer your questions about data integrity.
Consistency
(continued)
Make sure you have protocols in place
Greater accuracy
Poor handwriting or hasty scrawling in a paper chart can cause confusion. A paperless practice can benefit from legible notes in the clinical record, including:
• Diagnosis, clinical justification notes • Materials used
• Treatment recommendations • Health history updates • Post-op follow-up notes • Medications dispensed
Dentrix helps eliminate inaccuracies in clinical notes and other areas of the patient record by replacing handwriting with keyboarding.
Two places in the Dentrix Patient Chart are also protected by data security, the Clinical Note and the Procedure Note.
YOUR PATH TO A PAPERLESS PRACTICE | 11
Coaches Corner
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) has been evolving for many years. Here is a brief history:
• 1996: HIPAA is enacted, forcing dental practices to write their own
Notice of Privacy Practice.
• 2001: The HIPAA Privacy Rule takes effect.
• 2005: The HIPAA Security Rule is applied to new technology.
• 2007: The ADA forms the Electronic
Health Record Workgroup.
• 2013: The Omnibus Rule updates the Notice of Privacy Rule and creates tighter rules for business associates.
Though HIPAA is a federal mandate, many state governments have created stricter rules and stronger penalties. Make sure you understand the data privacy and security regulations in your state.
Dentrix includes features to improve
security and HIPAA compliance so your
transition to paperless will be successful.
Practice management software can make it easier to comply with HIPAA privacy and security regulations. Just remember that humans—not computers—are responsible for ensuring that patient data is secure. The HIPAA Security Rule of 2005 added these three requirements to dental practices:• Confidentiality. You are responsible for reasonable safeguards to protect patient information.
• Integrity. Patient information must be retrievable and secure from unauthorized alterations.
• Accessibility. Patient’s information must be
accessible and made available in a reasonable time. Here are some ways Dentrix can help your practice comply with HIPAA rules.
Protected views
Dentrix can create HIPAA-compliant views for any computer monitors within patient view in your practice. Removing protected information such as phone numbers, Social Security numbers and diagnosis notes is a reasonable measure as stated in the HIPAA Security Rule.
Password-protected data
Setting up passwords inside your Dentrix software is a reasonable and easy way to safeguard your patient data. Also, passwords allow team members to access only the patient data needed for their role in the practice.
Backup and disaster recovery
In a paperless practice, the entire patient record resides in the computer. Daily backups are critical to HIPAA’s accessibility requirement. Dentrix eBackUp is a simple, automated way to create safety and security for your patient record.
Section 3: Security
For More Information
Keep up with the evolving regulations
Now that you have an overview of the path to a paperless practice, you’re better prepared for the journey. If you strive for efficiency, consistency and security, I’m confident you’ll succeed.
And, as your practice goes paperless, these resources will help you keep up with the evolving regulations: • Frequently asked questions about HIPAA
• Questions about Electronic Health Records (EHR)
• Meaningful Use eligibility
Why do I recommend Dentrix practice management software as the foundation of your paperless practice? It’s the most comprehensive program with the largest network of technology partners and compatible products on the market. Plus, dentists have been going digital with Dentrix for 25 years. They know what they’re doing. Learn more at www.Dentrix.com.
Lastly, I hope you’ll take the opportunity to learn about some very successful Dentrix dentists.
• Dr. Eva Hanna, Dr. Todd Snyder and other Dentrix dentists share their experiences on video here. • Dr. Jacobsen and Dr. Shaw talk about their practice’s transition to paperless here.
YOUR PATH TO A PAPERLESS PRACTICE | 13
Dentrix provides software solutions for greater productivity and profitability in your practice. That’s why more than 35,000 dental practices rely on Dentrix today.
• For greater practice productivity, Dentrix includes full-featured scheduling, charting, digital imaging integration, treatment planning, billing, reporting, integrated eServices, and other tools for a paperless practice.
• For greater business profitability, Dentrix includes financial analytics, accounting and billing tools, marketing and communications eServices, training seminars, user conferences, profitability coaching, mobile access tools and more.
• For continued growth and innovation, Dentrix Connected partners offer the latest in dental products and services – all tested and certified to run smoothly with your Dentrix system.
For 25 years, Dentrix has been helping dentists improve patient care, increase team productivity and grow their practices. Only Dentrix offers hundreds of compatible solutions from our dental technology partners. And, Dentrix is backed by Henry Schein, the most respected solution provider to office-based healthcare practitioners worldwide.
