You are a busy practice, so doing things efficiently is key. This post will cover five types of tools you can start using today to boost the efficiency of ongoing processes in your practice.
1. Recall
Recall is at the heart of your practice and a process you must continually work at to keep your patients and your practice finances healthy. Here are two ways you can make the process much more efficient (and automated):
- Send automated recall reminders: Patients call you to schedule
This option automatically sends emails (or texts, if you’re signed up for Integrated Texting) to remind patients they are due for a cleaning. Patients then call your office to schedule their appointment.
See the Send Automatic Text or Email Recall Reminders section on our manual page to get this set up. - Send automated recall reminders: Patients schedule their own appointment online!
Fully automate Recall with the Web Sched Recall feature. Recall reminders are automatically emailed or texted to patients with a link they can use to schedule their own appointment online!
First, you’ll need to sign up for Web Sched Recall using the Signup Portal. There is a monthly cost for this optional eService. If you have the eServices Bundle, this is already available for you to use. Next, follow the steps on the Web Sched Recall manual page to define the options that affect available time slots, review your recall settings, and set automated messaging options. Once set up, patients will receive automatic recall reminders with a link they can use to schedule their appointments online. No more running the recall list, sending out reminders, or scheduling patient appointments over the phone.
See the following Appointments section to learn how to use the Make Recall tool for more efficient scheduling when your patient is ready.
2. Charting Procedures
Appt Procs Quick Adds
Quickly chart groups of commonly performed procedures and add them to your appointment using Appt Procs Quick Add definitions. These show up in the Edit Appointment window when you create an appointment.
Customize this list Setup, Definitions, Appt Procs Quick Add.
Auto Codes
Auto Codes are a list of procedure codes set up with conditions to help make sure that the correct procedures are charted. For example, an Auto Code can be created that updates a procedure code based on the selected tooth type (e.g., molar vs premolar). Several Auto Codes are already set up by default for common procedures like fillings, root canals, and more. If the wrong code is selected for a condition (e.g., the three-surface code is selected for a two-surface filling), you’ll be prompted to correct it.
If you want an Auto Code to verify the procedure code when charting, leave “Do not check codes in the procedure edit window” disabled. Otherwise, Auto Codes are checked only when using Procedure Buttons. Continue reading for more information on these.
Procedure Buttons
Procedure buttons allow you to quickly chart common procedures with a single click. They are located in the Chart Module in the Enter Treatment tab.
There are two types of Procedure Buttons:
Quick Buttons are designed to quickly chart fillings and sealants on teeth. Each quick button can be associated with one procedure, and if applicable, tooth surfaces.
Other Procedure Buttons can be associated with multiple procedure codes and Auto Codes, making it simple to chart treatment that requires multiple procedures (e.g., bridges, implants, etc.)
Combining procedure buttons with Auto Codes helps prevent coding errors because the system checks the selected procedure code against the conditions of the Auto Code. You’ll then be prompted to charge the correct procedure code.
Watch the Procedure Buttons webinar to learn more, and find setup steps on our manual page.
Quick Procs
If you need to bill out products, like electric toothbrushes, you can use the Quick Procs tool from the Account Module to quickly chart the associated procedure code as complete, no need to treatment plan from the Chart Module and set complete. Before you use Quick Procs, just make sure to add your products to the Procedure Codes List. Once you’ve done this, you can quickly chart the procedure code by clicking the Quick Procs button in the Account and typing the code. Additionally, if you have commonly-used codes that you want to be able to chart from the Account, without memorizing them, add the procedure codes to Definitions, Quick Procs.
3. Appointments
Make Recall and Appointment Search Tools
Once provider schedules are set up, use the Make Recall and Appointment Search tools – these buttons make scheduling recalls and finding specific available openings quick and easy.
Use the Make Recall feature to quickly create a recall appointment (or even appointments for all family members). When using the button, an appointment is created with any recall procedures that the patient is due for and the appointment search moves the calendar to the patient’s due date and search results show availability.
You can access this tool from a few places: The Make Recall button (click the dropdown for Make Family Recall) in the Appointments Module toolbar, the Schedule Recall (or Entire Family) button in the Patient Appointment window, and the Sched Patient (or Sched Family) button in the Recall List.
To use the Appointment Search tool, create your appointment and put it on the Pinboard.
Then, use the Appointment Search button to find openings in your schedule that fit into your patient’s busy schedule.
Planned Appointments
Eliminate the conflict between the back office and the front office. With planned appointments, back office staff can set up and prioritize appointments without the need to put them on the schedule. This way, front office staff can copy the appointment to the pinboard and quickly get it scheduled with the patient.
TECH TIP: Use the Appointment Search to find an opening that fits your patient’s schedule.
Appointment Types
Appointment Types are a powerful tool that makes manual appointment scheduling a breeze!
Using Appointment Types, the appointment can:
- Have a custom appointment length (when an appointment length is specified, it overrides the usual appointment time calculation based on procedures attached to an appointment).
- Automatically attach or require procedures: You can set procedures that are automatically added to an appointment or set a list of required procedures that require a user to attach one or all of the required procedures.
- Be color-coded: If you want to be able to quickly see what kind of appointment is on the schedule, you can set a color override for an appointment type.
- Be Restricted to Specific Blockouts: If your office uses Block Scheduling [post], you can ensure that an appointment type is only scheduled on the correct available blockout (e.g., an Ortho appointment type can only be scheduled over an Ortho blockout type).
TECH TIP: When you set up Appointment Types, be sure to check “New appointments prompt for appointment type.” This will prompt the person making the appointment to select an appointment type from the list you’ve created.
4. Automation
Automation can be used to perform actions when a specific trigger occurs and a condition is met. Automation can give you a heads-up of action that needs to be taken, automatically generate items, like issuing a letter so that doesn’t get missed, or restrict scheduling for a patient who may be in collection status.
Here are some things Automation can do:
- Pop up a warning when a patient’s insurance plan effective date ends.
- Pop up a warning when a patient has a specific allergy or condition.
- Generate patient instructions when a specific procedure is completed (e.g. extraction).
- Automatically generate a letter when a patient misses their appointment.
- Automatically generate a letter to a referral source when a new patient schedules their first appointment.
- Restrict appointment scheduling when a patient has a specific billing type (e.g. collections).
See the Automation manual page for more details on setting this up for your practice.
5. Claim Payment Processing
If you are a high-volume practice, managing claim payments can be very time-consuming. Using ERAs (Electronic Remittance Advice) can greatly enhance the efficiency of claim payment processing and all but eliminate data entry errors, saving you valuable time.
There are two dental Clearinghouses integrated with Open Dental that will automatically download ERAs for you: ClaimConnect and EDS (Electronic Dental Service). For medical claims, Change Healthcare) is integrated to automatically download ERAs. If you’re using another clearinghouse, check with your clearinghouse to see if they offer ERAs. These can be manually downloaded into Open Dental.
See our post, ERAs and What They Can Do For Your Practice to learn more about how this could benefit your organization.
Sometimes just doing the setup to boost efficiency can feel daunting, especially when you already have a slew of tasks you’re juggling. That’s where we come in! Our Support Technicians are here to help answer any questions you may have and help get things set up so you can start working even smarter right away. Reach out today, and let’s get going.