Jenny Allen is a certified Patterson Technology Advisor and has been an Eaglesoft trainer for more than eight years. She conducts onsite training and has been lecturing to dental groups and speaking at state dental shows for the past several years.

Jenny Allen

	We live in a world surrounded by technology and, more often than not, it has made our work and personal lives more efficient and organized. Knowing this, I recommend that dental professionals chose to integrate a patient education system into their practices, especially one that operates as a cloud-based system. If you haven’t upgraded your patient education system to the cloud, below are five reasons why you should.

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	Cloud-based patient education videos can be watched at any time and in any place. Before the Cloud, patient education videos were limited to just the dental office on a single monitor. Now dental staff are able to show patients videos via tablets and mobile devices throughout the office, or email patients after their visit so they can discuss recommended options with others in the convenience of their home. Some systems also allow dentists to post videos to their websites, giving patients one easy location to watch the videos they are most interested in. Using a cloud-based system gives patients more freedom to educate themselves outside of the office walls and allows them to make decisions at their own pace.

	Practices can access new features, including interactive 3D animations that function like a digital flip chart and 3D models used to educate patients with 360-degree visuals. Available as a separate resource, users can now use animations within the educational videos to further explain a procedure, bringing more clarity to consultations. This new animation feature allows a clinician to control the speed of the animation with the click of a mouse, giving the presenter the power to pause and provide greater emphasis on certain areas of the animation.

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, there is no need to worry about losing information. If something were to happen, such as a natural disaster or a server crash, it is a reassuring to know that your selected system will be safe and will allow you to access it from anywhere.

	Communicating through a patient education system allows your dental office to be consistent with your messaging, which can lead to a greater case acceptance rate. The educational videos put dental terms into easy-to-understand phrases, allowing patients to better understand a recommended procedure. When a patient has a better knowledge base, they are more likely to follow through with a recommendation and, at times, select a supplementary procedure as well.

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	Building patient trust through better communication:

	The move to a cloud-based system can help open the doors of communication with patients. For example, if a patient has a specific question, a hygienist can provide an answer by showing the patient an image, video or animation, rather than verbally explaining in somewhat difficult terms. This can help a patient feel more comfortable and prompt them to ask additional questions they may not have thought to ask before. I have seen firsthand that this can create better relationships between the dental staff and patients.

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	A patient education system, especially a cloud-based system, can make a practice more efficient and allow for better connections with patients. When researching different patient education systems it’s important to make note of the system’s ease of use and the support and number of training programs offered by the software company. I recommend CAESY Cloud by Patterson Dental because it encompasses all of these items: a great support team, an easy to use system and a number of training videos that put dental lingo into simple terms that patients understand.

Articles

e live in a world surrounded by technology and, more often than not, it has made our
work and personal lives more efficient and organized.

5 reasons to upgrade your technology to the  cloud

You work hard to build your practice’s image. Simply by giving patients your best at each appointment, you are establishing yourself as an ally in their health care.  

But in today’s hyper-wired world, there is more to your image than just great clinical care - there is also the relationship you cultivate with patients and how well you communicate with them. Are you doing everything you can to connect with patients, both in the chair and out?

First, let’s consider what happens when the patient is in the chair. If restorative work is needed, chances are you’ve done the procedure hundreds of times before.

This is obviously a good thing in terms of your ability to perform great work, but it may be a bad thing when it comes to explaining the procedure to patients. If you’re tired of explaining how and why a crown is placed, it will probably show in your interaction with the patient.  A worn-out explanation will only hinder the relationship you are aiming to build.

Many practices find that using a video-based patient education system is a good way of avoiding the fatigue of repetitively explaining procedures. Not only does this give you a few minutes of your time back, but it also does a reliable and consistent job of educating patients. The video lays the groundwork for them to ask you follow-up questions from a more informed perspective.

Additionally, the third-party validation provided by a good patient education system can contribute to greater case acceptance. When patients see their condition and treatment illustrated, and are then shown their own X-ray or intraoral photo, it helps them mentally connect the dots and understand the importance of addressing the problem.

Delivering great patient education is an important way of maximizing your time with patients when they visit the office and helps them feel truly connected to the care you provide.

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Patients can also feel connected to the practice when they are outside of the office, provided you have the tools to reach them in a way they find convenient and engaging. If you’re already worried about stressing out your office manager, fear not. A good patient communication software suite can do much of the work on its own.

With automated software, tasks like appointment reminders and recall notices can be accomplished with next to no effort. Software can also facilitate online appointment scheduling and bill payment for patients.

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A system like this not only gives patients a way to connect with your office 24/7, but gives your office easy and unobtrusive tools to stay in touch with patients. Whether it’s by automating birthday cards, marketing campaigns, or post-op instructions, you can easily add a few simple connection points to help keep your practice in the patient’s mind.

In addition, some patient education systems allow for patients to access instructional and educational videos outside of your office. Your office manager can email links to presentations or animations that can be viewed on a patient’s personal device. This allows for constant contact with your patients, both in and out of the office. By keeping up the communications, you’ll be demonstrating to patients that yours is a 21

 century practice that is committed to accessibility and convenience.

When you hear the word “automated” you may think “impersonal,” but the truth is that automating select aspects of your patient education and communication can actually be a great help in deepening your relationship. Your patients will be better educated and better able to get in touch with you, and your practice staff will have more time to engage with them in truly personal ways.

Learning opportunity:Steps on how to choose and implement EHR software

Note: This article is sponsored by Patterson Dental as part of the 

 Partner Voice Program, which provides a way for leading dental manufacturers to share quality content with our audience. 

Patterson Dental offers a wide range of dental products including 

RevenueWell marketing communications suite

, which are backed by the renowned support and customer service team at the 

. With multiple support options and more than 125 years experience in the dental industry, Patterson has the resources and expertise to help customers and practices reach their greatest potential.

Simple tips to deepen connections with your dental patients

There’s no question that Electronic Health Records (EHRs) will soon be a necessity for dental practices. If you’re still waffling about converting to an EHR system, let me explain three benefits that should put your mind at ease.

Think about how much time per day it takes your staff to locate paper charts and rifle through them to find what they need. When you multiply that time spent over the course of a year, it adds up to countless wasted hours dedicated to simply locating charts. That is precious time that could have been spent with patients, or on other more important office duties.

With a certified EHR system, your patient charts are available at the click of a button. You can access them from around the office and many systems even allow access from home, giving you much needed time back into your day.

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 Practices that adopt a certified EHR system and show they are demonstrating meaningful use of EHR technology can qualify for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

In addition to the direct monetary benefits, an EHR system cuts down on the cost of paper and space needed to house physical charts. The increased efficiency an EHR system provides can also allow you to see more patients and complete charts in a much more organized and efficient manner.

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Take a minute to think about what would happen if your office were hit by a fire or natural disaster â what would happen to your paper charts? Years of patient data could be lost in a flash. With an EHR system, all of your data is digitally stored, and additional software can ensure your information is backed up daily and saved in a place where you can always access it. You data is also secured, so you don’t have to worry about privacy issues or data breaches. Having this piece of mind is reason alone to switch to an EHR system.

The process of adopting an EHR system and going digital can be difficult to swallow at first, but the benefits above only scratch the surface of what you’ll see by making the switch. Remember to select a certified EHR system that offers plenty of technical support and can act as a partner to help you through the process. When all is said and done, your practice will be set up to run more efficiently and economically, and allow for continued success and growth in the future.

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3 benefits Electronic Health Records (EHRs) will provide for your dental practice

In many dental offices, nudging profits upward doesn’t require a huge new investment in equipment or a major operations overhaul. There are many small steps that you and your team can take to encourage patient retention, treatment acceptance and ultimately, profitability. Think about steps like these to increase your bottom line:

 This may seem counterintuitive if you’re looking to maximize efficiency, but experienced dentists know that providing a personal touch is a great tool for patient retention and trust. If you are able to spend a few minutes at each appointment simply talking with patients (and not with your hands in their mouth), you can learn a lot about their dental habits and wishes, and also simply build a rapport. Many times, personal relationships are what keep patients from jumping ship to another office. Remember, retaining patients is an easier road than gaining new ones.

 It’s not that patients don’t trust the recommendations that come from you and your team members, but there’s something very powerful about having third-party validation of those recommendations. After you’ve made a diagnosis and recommended a treatment plan, showing the patient a short video about the condition and the treatment procedure can be an excellent way to increase case acceptance. Patients get the message from an outside source and recognize that it echoes what you’ve already told them. If you combine this technique with showing the patient their own intra-oral photos or x-rays that illustrate the problem, they can mentally “co-diagnose” and take real ownership of the issue.

Check to see what tools your practice management software offers to help you maximize profits. For instance, some software systems can automatically pull reports to find lists of patients who have been presented with treatment plans, but haven’t scheduled them. A list like this gives your front office staff a clear path for follow-up. By staying in touch with these patients, you also emphasize the importance of the recommended treatment.

In today’s health care landscape, new patients want to know that your practice has been vetted and approved by others. So it’s important to encourage your existing patients to share their opinions about the practice online. There are several ways to do this. You can ask patients yourself during that aforementioned quality time. You might put a note about it on your mailed statements and promotional materials. But, since you want to reach patients when they’re online, an e-blast is a great way to accomplish this. If your front office isn’t regularly connecting with patients online and soliciting reviews, look into online practice marketing and revenue-building services that can help with this. User-friendly services are available to help maximize your office’s online presence, and the good ones don’t require a tech expert to run.

Increasing profits doesn’t have to mean changing your whole practice. These steps can give you a simple yet valuable jumping-off point.