1. Cloud Data Storage
Security and HIPAA compliance should be at the top of the priority list when choosing cloud-based dental practice software. Who is storing your data and where is your data being stored? You’ll want to make sure that the host of your data is reliable and is HIPAA compliant. Consider discussing the history of data storage and whether the host has experienced any outages causing clients downtime. Microsoft Azure Cloud is the most secure with data stored and protected on Microsoft servers.
2. Pricing
Pricing can be incredibly complicated when you’re dealing with anything that is technology related for your office and cloud dental software is no exception. Most cloud-based dental practice software subscriptions require a monthly fee. Make sure to ask the software representative if there is any start up, conversion or additional costs beyond the monthly fee and find out what is included in the monthly cost. Lastly, it’s a good idea to find out the history of inflation for the dental software.
3. Features
The majority of dental software programs have an appointment book and a suite to administer billing from, but not all programs are created equally! When considering new software for your office or clinic, write down a checklist of priority features that are important to you and your practice. Get your staff involved, the more feedback you have, the more you have to focus on!
Often overlooked features that can help the flow of your office and communication within it include operatory announcements, customized reporting, login rights, management notifications and eSignatures. In particular, most dentists value eReminders which allow your office to auto-send email and texts to remind, confirm, and reactivate overdue recall. Once a patient confirms their appointment via text message or email, the software optimally should automatically show that it has been confirmed. An auto-confirm feature saves your staff time in manually confirming an appointment.
In a recent survey by Clinicians Report, MOGO Cloud was rated the best dental software with the highest satisfaction rate among those surveyed in part because of its comprehensive and advanced suite of features. This particular software has been honed over 30 years being one of the first to come on the market back in 1983.
4. Imaging
Choosing a dental practice software and pairing it with fully compatible imaging is the ideal sequence of events, but sometimes that won’t be the case because you already have a system in place. In the event you have a digital imaging system, it is important to ask the right questions so you have a thorough understanding of the imaging process.
Do you capture the X-ray images in the native imaging software or the dental software? Where are the X-ray images stored? How do you access the X-ray images? You’ll want your staff to have the most seamless process when taking images and full compatibility within your dental software will help you achieve just that. If your software offers direct interfaces that will allow you to capture, store and edit X-rays directly in the software, you won’ have to worry about third party imaging or paying anything additional for imaging software.
5. Training
New dental software is exciting and there are many new things to learn for everyone in the office, once it is implemented. What resources are available to you for training? Are there costs associated with additional training? What is the best way to implement and learn your new dental software?
You’ll want to make sure that the product you choose provides help and training videos to help with the transition. It’s often helpful to have staff review training videos prior to installation, to help get their feet wet before using the program full time. Training and help videos should be readily available to you and your staff within your dental practice management software. In addition, videos on the screen within the product itself can be extremely helpful in the transition. And of course, a competent and available technical support team is crucial for any software program.
Purchasing a new dental system is a big decision. But choosing the right dental software for your needs will truly make a big difference for your practice.