Each Open Dental user in your practice should have their own login and password known only to them. Creating accounts for each user facilitates tracking what actions were taken when and by whom, using the various audit trails in Open Dental. In this post, we’ll discuss the various audit trails available in the software, and who can access and use them.
See our Feature Highlight: Security post for more information on setting up security in Open Dental.
The Comprehensive Audit Trail Tool
The comprehensive and powerful Audit Trail Tool allows users with the Audit Trail Permission to view a wide variety of actions taken in the software (see our manual for details). This can be extremely helpful in tracking down when an action was taken and by whom, so any questions about the action can be addressed. It can also help identify where additional training may be needed for a specific user.
In Setup, Security, set the User Group to have the Audit Trail permission. All users assigned to that group will be able to access and use the Audit Trail tool.
The Audit Trail Tool is located in Tools, Audit Trail. In the Audit Trail window, select a date range, permission, user, etc. then click Refresh to update the logs that are displayed. If a patient is selected when the Audit Trail is opened, logs are automatically filtered to only show actions attached to that patient. To find other Audit Trail logs, click Find to select another patient, or click All to show all logs, regardless of patient.
Find a list of the actions in Open Dental that are tracked by the Audit Trail in our manual.
Individual Audit Trails
There are numerous audit trails located in different areas of Open Dental that track the actions of a specific item. These audit trails may be accessible, depending on a user’s permissions.
Appointment Audit Trail
The Audit Trail button in the Edit Appointment window shows the history of changes for that specific appointment. Users with the View Appointment Audit Trail permission can access this audit trail.
Procedure Code Audit Trail
The Audit Trail button in the Edit Procedure Code window (Lists, Procedure Codes, double-click to select the procedure) allows you to see the audit trail log of fee changes for the specific procedure code only, unlike the comprehensive Audit Trail tool that shows changes for all procedure. This audit trail is accessible to users with the Procedure Code Edit permission.
Insurance Plan Subscriber Audit Trail
The Audit Trail button in the green-shaded Patient Information section of the Edit Insurance Plan window (in the Family Module, double-click to open the insurance plan) allows you to see the history of insurance plan changes for that subscriber. This audit trail includes more detail than the comprehensive Audit Trail tool about subscriber changes (e.g., subscriber ID). It is accessible to all users with the Family Module permission.
Insurance Plan Audit Trail
The Audit Trail button in the Edit Insurance Plan window, Plan Info tab, allows you to see the history of changes for that insurance plan. This audit trail has more detail than the comprehensive Audit Trail tool, allowing you to see detailed changes to the plan, like benefits. This is accessible to all users with the Family Module permission.
Ortho Chart Audit Trail
The Audit Trail button in the Ortho Chart lets you see the history of changes to entries in the Ortho Chart. This audit trail is accessible to all users with the Chart Module permission.
Whether you need help auditing actions in the software or learning how to use a feature, we’re here for you. Get simple questions answered right away via chat. If you need help troubleshooting something or need us to remote connect to see what you’re seeing, give our team a call.
Information in this post reflects features available in Open Dental Version 23.3. For the most up-to-date information, please visit our manual.