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Professional Courtesy: Project Paperless: What is Your Score? Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, Editorial Director, Dentaltown Magazine

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Happy Practices Practice Happiness
– by Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, Editorial Director, Dentaltown Magazine
Are you Paperless?
When a dentist describes his or her office as paperless, you cannot take the term too literally because this is a term with a continuum of definitions. You might use a computer to do scheduling and billing, but paper charts for treatment plans and progress notes. You might have progress notes in the computer but still process paper checks from insurance companies or have patients complete a paper form when they come to your office for their initial visit. No matter where you are on the spectrum of paperless, this month I have devised a quiz to test your progress and generate your “to-do” list.

In my practice we use Dentrix version G4 (G5 is shipping now), so some of the terms I use will be specific to Dentrix. However, no matter what your practice management software platform, you should have the tools available to make this transition.

The Test
The items in this list are presented in the positive. Simply check the boxes if the item is true in your practice. Each item checked is worth two points. Check your score at the end of the article. Unchecked items become your “to-do” list.

My practice utilizes a digital camera or intra-oral camera for patient photographs.

If you have not embraced digital technology, this is your first baby step. On the other hand, if you are using this technology, you already appreciate the benefits of digital vs. analog, which is at the core of going paperless.

My practice utilizes a dental practice management software.

At a minimum, we use it for scheduling patient appointments and billing/ insurance. So many items on our list rely on this piece of the puzzle, so choose carefully if you don’t yet have a software program. For most of you, this is a reminder that it is time to get some additional training on your software so you can discover features you are not currently using.

My practice has a computer in every operatory.

This is a major step, as the majority of efficiencies cannot be realized until you have access to a computer in every treatment area.

My practice has an Internet connection.

This is important for checking patient benefits, managing your social media pages and practice Web site and surfing Dentaltown.

My practice has a digital X-ray system.

This includes intra-oral, as well as panorex images. If you are looking for suggestions, check out Dentaltown.com. You will find great suggestions in the Townie Choice Awards as well as on our message boards. I also suggest that you speak to your practice management software representatives and give strong consideration to their preferred system, as it will often integrate best. No matter what equipment you select, find another dentist using the same practice management software and hardware you are considering. Find out what issues your colleague is having with the system, and compare it to at least one other contender.

My patient clinical charting and progress notes are completed in my practice management software.

This is one area where you will derive a tremendous advantage with a bit of effort. You should have an option to create standard templates for your notes based on the procedure completed. Not only will this save you a tremendous amount of time, you will always be able to read the notes of every provider in the practice. Additionally, charting patient restorations and periodontal probing allows for automated tracking of patient conditions and treatment history. No more colored pencils, wrinkled chart pages and illegible notes.

My practice files more than 90 percent of our claims electronically.

When you have many of the items mentioned, you will have the ability to generate the claim form, attach images, X-rays and periodontal charting and send the claim, all electronically. Many systems will check your claims for errors when they are submitted and alert you to missing items. This results in significantly faster claims processing. The cost is in line with postage and processing of paper claims.

My practice captures patient demographic information, as well as medical and dental history electronically.

Last year we implemented the questionnaire module in Dentrix, which allows us to generate an electronic form for our new patients to complete at their first visit or for our existing patients to complete when they are due to update their medical history. The information collected in this form is automatically imported into the appropriate modules within Dentrix. This eliminates some of the double work that is done when an office has the patient complete a paper form and then a staff member must type all the information into the computer.

My practice utilizes an electronic signature capture pad so patients can sign treatment plans, consent forms, HIPAA forms and their patient registration form.

We have a basic model in our office with a stylus and signature box (Interlink ePad). The frustration with this model is the fact that patients cannot see their signature unless they can see the computer screen at the same time. I would recommend that you consider the more expensive model with a display that allows you to see your signature. Two vendors that sell this type of device: Interlink and Topaz.

My practice has a system to digitize incoming letters from specialists, as well as dental records from other practices.

This step requires two different kinds of scanners. Paper can be handled by just about any scanner on the market. I strongly recommend you invest in a sheet-fed scanner where a stack of paper can be processed at one time. Two good examples: Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500, Xerox DocuMate 150. Occasionally, you will have new patients from an analog practice and they will send film-based X-rays. These can be scanned on a flatbed scanner with a transparency adapter. One example: Epson Perfection V700. There are also scanners designed specifically for digitizing dental X-rays. If you have a large collection of X-rays in your practice, you may consider one of these: Microtek Medi-1200, Microtek Medi- 2200 plus, VIDAR Dental X-ray Film Digitizer.

My practice is generating referrals “on demand” rather than filling out forms from a pad by hand.

In my office, we use the Quick Letters in Dentrix, which allow us to generate a letter to any one of our specialists in the computer. I have customized the letter with check boxes for the various specific requests of a specialist. The letter already contains all the contact information and address of the specialist as well as patient information the specialist might need.

My practice utilizes an automated system for confirming appointments and communicating with patients.

There are many of these services available as this is a category that has exploded in the last three years. The list of players is a mile long. Talk to your software provider first and then spend some time on Dentaltown.com. Similar to X-ray hardware, I like to find someone who uses the same combination of software in his or her practice especially if you are going to use a third-party vendor.

In my practice, we print patient prescriptions from the computer.

The days of handwriting prescriptions are long gone. Similar to clinical notes, once you have entered your most frequent prescribed medications, you can generate a prescription with a few clicks of your mouse.

Where Should You Start?
You must draw a line in the sand and stop generating more analog information. Pick a date and make a commitment to implement the items on this list that you did not check. Don’t try to do everything at once; implement items in stages. Start with some of the easier tasks and build accordingly. Next, you should consider how you want to convert your patients’ old records. For example, you might only want to scan the most recent copy of X-rays and store the others. The chances of needing the older ones again are slim. With a good sheet-fed scanner, as described above, you can scan all the paper documents in an old chart fairly quickly. When we eliminated paper charts four years ago, we simply scanned the charts of the patients coming in each day. In our case, we had used the computer for everything except the patient welcome form and signed treatment plans, so scanning was minimal. After six to eight months of scanning, the remaining charts were inactive patients. We placed those charts in separate storage boxes and scanned them when patients were reactivated.

If your team is frightened by the prospect of this daunting project, fear not, summer is coming and there are always teenagers looking for a summer job. Your comments, questions and compliments are always welcome: tom@dentaltown.com.
Dentaltown Magazine
September 2025
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