Sometimes keeping your practice secure means knowing which users are taking specific actions in Open Dental. Or maybe, you just want to know when something changed for a patient. Enter the Audit Trail. This security feature tracks a wide variety of actions taken in the program, giving you the who, what, when, and which patient.
Security Users: The Who
For the Audit Trail to truly do its job, each person using Open Dental needs a login, otherwise known as a security user. This not only ensures that users don’t have access to things they shouldn’t, but also allows the Audit Trail to track the who: which user in Open Dental took the action.
Audit Trail Permissions: The What
There is a long list of actions taken that the Audit Trail tracks. Luckily, it’s broken up into different permissions so you can easily filter to what you are looking for. This can be helpful if you are investigating fraud, trying to dig up a specific change for a patient, or want to identify where certain employees need more training.
More Audit Trail Options
In addition to the main Audit Trail tool, many windows in Open Dental have their own Audit Trail so you can see specific items related to that window.
Appointments
View important changes for an appointment, such as when the appointment was rescheduled, confirmed, or edited.
Insurance Plans
View patient-level changes to see when specific benefits were changed and by whom.
Procedure Codes
View fee changes for procedure codes to track which users are modifying fee schedules.
Ortho Chart
Review changes to the Ortho chart to view historical data.
Additional Features
- Chart Module Audit Mode: Display deleted procedures, sheets, and procedure note history in the Progress Notes.
- eServices Activity Log: Track actions completed in various eServices such as when patients log into Patient Portal or view the Web Sched interface.
The audit trail is a powerful tool that can be used to track changes across the whole program. Whether you need help tracking down certain actions in the feature, or simply want to learn how to use it, don’t hesitate to give our team a call.