If you’re thinking about going paperless or improving how paperless your practice is, this post is for you. Open Dental offers a variety of options that will save you both time and space. Going paperless can increase your productivity, improve patient experience, and make finding information easier than ever. In this post, we’ll discuss the features in Open Dental that will help you reach your paperless goals.

Web Forms / eClipboard

Get ready to throw out those clipboards! Once you’ve tailored sheets to your practice needs, you can upload them to your website, send the link in an email, or have patients use the eClipboard app to fill out forms.

Web Forms allow you to send New Patient packets, Registration Forms, Financial Agreements, and more to patients in a HIPAA-compliant way. Patients follow a link on your website (or one you’ve emailed or texted them) to fill out the forms at home or on the go using their mobile devices. Office staff import form data directly into the patient’s chart, avoiding tedious data entry. Web Forms save the office time and money and provide a better patient experience. Best of all, it’s free for customers on support.

The eClipboard app can be used on your practice’s tablet or the patient’s own mobile device. Patients check in for their appointment, fill out patient forms, take a selfie, and even snap a photo of their insurance card, all from the app. Practice staff can then present treatment options, present payment plan agreements and allow the patient to sign digitally, and have patients view their statement and make a payment for their patient portion due before they leave the office.

Charting

Charting has never been easier now that you can chart all procedures, appointments, notes, and medical information in one convenient spot. The easy-to-navigate Chart Module allows you to move away from paper charting and stay organized while focusing on the patient.
For tips that will power up your charting, check out our Feature Highlight: Speedy Charting.

e-Prescribing with eRx

For offices in many states, e-prescribing isn’t an option, it’s a mandate. There are two integrated eRx options in Open Dental to choose from, and we’re happy to help you determine which is right for your office – the chart below may help as well. If you need to be able to prescribe from your phone, you would want to sign up with Open Dental Mobile and use DoseSpot. If you need your front office staff to be able to send prescriptions, NewCrop is for you. Give us a call to learn more.

Treatment Planning

Order and prioritize treatment from the Treatment Plan module. Treatment planning keeps offices efficient and profitable by:

• Sending preauthorizations electronically to ensure a quick answer for estimates and benefits.
• Saving different treatment options to easily present different options for treatment.
• Using reports to follow up on patients who need treatment done.
• Keeping the schedule full by utilizing planned appointments.

Imaging Module

Are you moving away from paper charts and patient forms? Use the Imaging Module to scan in all relevant information. This keeps all paper documents in one location for easy access, just in case! Our Imaging Module has had loads of new features added recently. See all the details in this post: New Features Highlight: Imaging Module – Part 2.

The Open Dental Wiki

The wiki is a catch-all for office information. Wiki pages can be edited and organized to fit the needs of each office. Here are just a few ways the wiki can help you go paperless:

• Post employee and office policies. This allows staff to have a go-to place for questions or help.
• Share troubleshooting information. Did support help you fix an issue or share a workflow that helped prevent missed steps or errors? Document it in the wiki for future reference.
• Publish routine roles and responsibilities. Is a member of your team out today? Easily see what responsibilities need to be covered in their absence.
• Create checklists. Can’t remember what else you needed to do today? The wiki can help you out.
• Store important information. Keep emergency contacts, vendor information, and more in one convenient place. Wiki Lists can be a great place for things like this.

The wiki helps you keep valuable information centralized, eliminating the need for large binders or scavenger hunts through the office for information.

Task Lists

Task lists allow in-office communication between staff members to set reminders, create to-do lists, and quickly share information. They replace the need for sticky notes which can easily be overlooked or lost. Each member of your team can have their own task inbox to manage and maintain. Create group task lists to share announcements with your staff.

Learn more about how to set up and use task lists by watching our quick tips on YouTube.

e-Claims & e-Attachments

Mailing claims and attachments can be a slow and lengthy process. Improve productivity by sending claims electronically. If you’re using ClaimConnect by DentalXChange, their attachments service is now fully integrated into Open Dental for even more convenience.

e-Billing

Electronic billing allows statements to be sent electronically to a third-party billing service. This can take the hassle out of printing and mailing statements so you have more time to focus on the things that matter most. See more in the Electronic Billing section on the Billing Defaults page in our online manual.

When it comes to going paperless, whether your goal is to save time and space or improve efficiency, Open Dental is ready to help make that happen. Give our support team a call if you need any help with these or any other features in Open Dental.