By Ryan S. Brown, DDS
Throw out your progress notes, x-ray film and the other systems that you have used for years and try going into work the next day with an all new paperless system that you and your staff have neither seen nor used – and did I mention that your day is packed full of patients? This kind of nightmare would make any dental team anxious and would prove a recipe for disaster. Fortunately, offices that want to go paperless don’t have to do it all at once, but can take it one step at a time. Let me suggest three initial steps to going paperless: (1) create treatment plans from within your software, (2) go digital with your x-rays, and (3) use some type of digital document software.
Use Your Software to Create Treatment Plans
- Computerized perio measurements means instant access to patients’ perio charts from any office computer.
Many offices still use paper to record patient treatment plans. They may feel that the computer is too slow, be adverse to change, or see no real value to creating treatment plans on the computer. The truth is, with today’s practice management systems like DentiMax, Dentrix, Eaglesoft and others, treatment planning from the computer within your operatory is always faster. But beyond increasing your treatment plan recording speed, electronically captured information is easier to access and will lend itself to a better office workflow.
How Dental Software Can Help
The right dental software can help. Going paperless is easy then. You can print things as you need them, not just because you have to.
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