Many years ago in the BC era (Before Computers) when office data was on paper, work flow meant; where does the chart go and who does what task.
Once a dental office develops a paperless system digital data can be accessed anywhere there is a computer, in the back, at the front or somewhere in the cloud.
This new pattern of doing things has been called Front Desklessness.
Does that mean there is no actual desk? No, Front Desklessness is not about tossing out a piece of furniture or eliminating a staff person. It is all about workflow, doing the non clinical business functions in a different way because technology allows us to handle data in a much more efficient manner.
For example, why make all the appointments at the front desk? If you use an electronic schedule with treatment room based computers why not schedule from the treatment room? Who better to make the appointment than the chairside assistant? She has just heard the dentist and the patient discussing the treatment. She knows exactly what needs to be done next. She knows if the patient is a gagger who needs extra time. She knows if there is lab work involved or any of the other clinical considerations, which would affect the appointment time. Just make the appointment.
Often work flow tasks with digital data do not need a person of any kind. For example making reminder calls, reactivating non compliant patients, sending bills or insurance claims are done in the cloud (online) with e-services, no human involved.
Implementing new technology involves more than buying and installing a product – it also requires change. People resist change for a variety of reasons and overcoming that resistance, from both doctors and staff, is often more of a challenge than actually using the technology.
One of the fastest growing trends in dentistry is the move toward paperless records. There are tremendous advantages to paperless records including ease of access, improved patient care and lower costs. On the other hand we seem to be emotionally attached to our charts. Like old copies of National Geographic, we just can’t bring ourselves to part with them.
Are you having trouble going paperless or figuring out the complex data safety issues and HIPAA. You are not alone. If you want some one on one help contact me directly at
Almost certainly you have everything you need to “go paperless” right now. The only thing holding you back is that you are afraid to STOP MAKING PAPER.
A problem I see over and over again with high tech and dentistry is Stuff vs. Solutions. The most visible element of digital technology is the thing; that is the computer, the sensor the big monitor or even the web page. Because these things are so obvious the tendency is to think of technology in terms of these things, in other words “stuff”. If you have the stuff you are high tech.
As you appease your guilty conscience with resolutions for self-improvement in the coming year here are six dental high tech resolutions to consider.
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The expectation from any patient getting a filling, whether it is an indigent getting it free at a Medicaid clinic, a middle class salesman getting it at a typical office paid for by insurance or a well-to-do matron paying top dollar, in cash, at a Beverly Hills boutique practice, all those patients expect a perfect, defect free, functional filling.
Year end is fast approaching. Computers and digital technology has become just as important to a dental office as telephones and cotton rolls. It is good business practice to budget for the coming year. The following is a rough estimate of a fully computerized general dental office with four treatment rooms.