Technology Focus 2017: Building a Technology Platform by Dr. Gerald Bittner Jr., DDS

For dentists, technology should be more than just the newest CAD/CAM machine or practice management software. It affects every part of your office, but too often it’s undervalued or given short shrift while the practice focuses on “other things”—not realizing that those very things could be improved with the right technological touches.

In this series, Dentaltown and Henry Schein Dentrix will examine how changing your approach to technology could make a big difference in the success of your practice. Our first installment, which ran in June, examined what’s at stake and how most dentists ended up where they are today. Upcoming articles will examine in greater detail how to reconsider your relationship with technology—and the possible rewards for doing so.

Dentists might not think of themselves this way, but they are the chief technology officers of their practices. You don’t need to be an expert on every single technical element involved with integrating technologies that improve efficiencies, or the patient experience, but you do need to have a vision and to understand what the right technology platform can do for your practice.

In the article “Technology: The Foundation of Your Practice,” which ran in the March 2017 issue of Dentaltown, I detailed why a good technology platform is critical to your practice’s success and how it relates to the four layers of your practice: your technology; your clinical and business processes; your staff; and your patients. These layers operate simultaneously, yet have their own sets of issues and requirements. Each layer also depends on the layer below it, and they all work together to help keep your practice running smoothly. They’re much more powerful together than they are on their own—and the same can be said for the products and equipment that make up your practice’s technology platform.

What is a technology platform, really?
What exactly is a “technology platform,” and why does it matter so much for your practice? It’s how you group the basic technology that makes it possible for you to practice dentistry the way you’ve envisioned.

Because of that caveat at the end of the previous sentence, not every dentist’s technology platform will look the same. Even so, every solid technology platform should automate business and clinical processes, giving your practice efficiencies it otherwise would not have. That, in turn, will reduce staff stress and enhance the overall patient experience. The more your technologies can work together and communicate with each other, the more successful your practice will be. Your practice management system sits at the center of your technology platform.

The key point is this: Technology is the starting point of everything you do to serve your patients and to better your practice. That’s why focusing on technology and implementing the right platform with the right practice management system at its core is vital to your success as a dentist.

Where do I start?
For most dentists, the thought of implementing technology into their practice can be overwhelming. Where should they begin? What’s absolutely critical?

Every dentist who’s ever opened a practice knows there’s a short list of technology and equipment they must purchase before they can start diagnosing and treating patients. Investing in technologies that cover imaging, X-rays, charting, billing, insurance and scheduling is a great place to start, but focusing on just the pieces of equipment and the individual products you need isn’t enough. You need to find a way to bring all those technologies together so they work cohesively. That’s exactly what a technology platform does.

Think about your technology platform as the fabric that ties your entire dental office together. “Great,” you say, “but where do I start?” I like to start with what’s most important in my practice: my patients. Where is their information stored? How do I handle it?

If your patient records live in your practice management software, which is the case in most practices, that software will serve as the hub for everything else in your office—and is where you need to start building your technology foundation and, ultimately, your platform.

All the technology decisions you make now should be informed by how and what your practice management software can or cannot do. That’s why it’s important to invest in robust practice management software that not only can talk to a lot of other systems in your practice but also is agile and has a heavy focus on connectivity. This means connectivity across all parts of your practice—between the front office and the back office, as well as outside the practice to contacts like dental labs and insurance companies. This level of connectivity makes it easier to communicate with team members in your office throughout the day, as well as to exchange important information with other dentists and doctors also involved with a patient’s care.

How will I know what technology choices will work best for my practice?
Think about what criteria will help you make informed technology decisions as you build your solid technology platform. This is the time to really focus on interoperability—making sure the systems you invest in, such as digital X-ray systems and intraoral cameras, can work together or communicate. Your practice management system should talk to every part of your practice so your team members don’t have to. This improves efficiencies and frees up your team members to focus on providing exceptional customer service and a patient experience that’s unique to your practice—and that keep patients wanting to come back.

The basic concept behind achieving this in your practice is simple enough: Choose solutions that work together. Everybody already knows that’s the goal; it’s the execution that can trip practices up. The tricky part is, every vendor has its own solutions, and each solution is built in its own way. Sometimes systems are built with interoperability in mind and sometimes they aren’t. The ones that don’t feature interoperability will only hold your practice back and make it more difficult to streamline processes. Interoperability gives you the flexibility you need to get the most out of the technologies you purchase.

I encourage you to look at your technology like you look at your staff: You may have the very best in every field working for you—world-class hygienists, office managers and dental assistants—but if these highly trained, talented dental professionals all spoke different languages (or didn’t speak at all), how successful would your practice be? It would be difficult to communicate, costing you time and leading to extra stress, both of which could negatively affect patient care. The best, most high-tech gadgets and equipment won’t be worth as much to you in the long run if they can’t communicate with your practice management system.

Just like your team members, your software needs to speak the same language as the rest of your technology. That basically means you need software with an API that talks to other systems. If you have no idea what that means, don’t worry. There’s really no need to get into the nitty-gritty of how this all works from a technical standpoint; that’s what your IT department and technology vendors are for. But if you really want to ensure your technology and your practice management software can communicate and enhance practice efficiencies, invest in software that is backed by a company that offers a robust partner program.

If the practice management vendor you choose has a variety of partners, such as dental companies that specialize in 3-D imaging systems and digital intraoral X-ray systems, you know those technologies will be able to communicate with your software. You can purchase those technologies with confidence. On the other hand, if the vendor doesn’t have a large community of technology vendors it works with, there’s a good chance you’ll struggle to find high-tech products that seamlessly integrate with the software. The technologies then often become more of a burden than a way to make your practice more efficient, and usually end up in the corner of the office or on a shelf somewhere collecting dust.

Is your staff up to speed?
Of course, when you implement additional technologies into your practice, it requires training for your team members. Many dentists want to skip this step, but offering proper training will help ensure team members are proficient at using any new products or equipment. The key is not to overload your staff with so much training and so many products that they feel unqualified to perform half the tasks you ask them to complete each day. Your goal should be to automate as many processes in your practice as possible, and that starts with your software.

That automation—whether it’s confirming patient appointments or uploading digital images to the patient file once they’re taken—is what your practice management software is for. Really get to know your software and take advantage of all the different opportunities you have to automate processes. The more you can automate, the more you can free up your team members to focus on other tasks and to enhance the patient experience. Spend time training team members on any duties they must actually perform themselves so they’re confident in their skills, and let automation do the rest.

Always remember: Technology is the foundation of your practice and patients are the pinnacle. Building a strong technology platform also will help improve the patient experience, which should be every dentist’s goal. When patients have positive experiences, they’re more likely to stay loyal to your practice. They’re also more likely to refer. Patients want to know that you care about their well-being and have the necessary expertise to provide them with high-quality care. They notice more than you realize and are impressed when they can tell you’ve invested in high-tech equipment that improves their experience and makes the practice more efficient.

What now?
By now you should have a pretty good idea of how to start building or rebuilding your practice’s technology platform. You might be thinking, “What good will it do to have my systems all humming to the same tune? Maybe a faster system? Less data entry?” I encourage you to think bigger.

Technology can be an enabler to help your staff do more, and to do it better. Having a vision for the technology in your office is critical to its contributing to your success. If you know which processes you want to automate or eliminate to free up your team members, or you know what kind of experience you want to provide your patients, you already have the beginnings of a technology implementation plan.

Every plan and every step you make for your practice should have technology at its core. Technology should never be an afterthought or looked at as a liability; it should be the starting point for all you do to serve your patients and practice dentistry. Create a vision for what your products will enable you to do for your patients, day in and day out, and you’ll start to experience great success.

Technology isn’t dead weight. It’s either going to impede your progress as a practice or enable you to reach your goals, whatever they may be. Do you want your technology to create problems for your practice because you don’t have a plan, or do you want to use technology to make your practice more streamlined because you planned ahead and automated processes? Technology is an active player in how successful, efficient and productive a practice truly is, which is why developing a solid technology platform, with a robust practice management system at its core, is so essential.

You don’t need to be a technology expert to do this. As a busy dentist with patients to treat and a business to run, you simply don’t have time for that. You do, however, need to embrace your role as practice chief technology officer and to help both your team members and your IT vendors see your vision for an integrated platform. Once you have that technology platform in place, it will drive practice growth and success for years to come.

Part I of this series is online—catch up now!
It’s easy to read every installment of the Technology Focus series: We’ve collected them at dentaltown.com/tech-focus.