Dental software offers a broad feature-set allowing practices to run smoothly and assist growth. This usually means integrating multiple software applications to work as one. The focus of this article is to understand how these applications work together as a complete solution and what questions to ask before you sign. Some software providers offer a limited third-party solution that needs integration, others take the all-in-one approach. With multiple vendors per category selling their brand plus, cloud vs. server, it becomes abundantly clear that this is confusing. Here are the categories:
- Dental software all-in-one
- Practice management software (charting, analytics, reporting)
- Imaging software
- Patient communication software
- Cloud-based and server-based traditional software
The intersection of age trends, technology and dental software couldn’t come at a better time. American demographics have shifted. Now, over half of Americans are now under the age of 40. Of these, 85% are savvy smartphone users with high expectations. In 2011, this number was just 35%.
So, what has changed? Dental software integration. For example, dental PM software brings online payment processing and financial solutions together. These are independent software applications that integrate within the PM software. Through mobile devices and the internet, patient communication software brings patient and practice time-saving features that keep your patients connected and chairs filled.
TECHNICALLY SPEAKING
Decades ago, clinical computers were introduced in treatment rooms. Bridging software allowed imaging equipment to communicate with the software. TWAIN drivers are used today to capture digital images into imaging software that may lose functionality in the process. Similar pain points felt then still exist today.
API (Application Programming Interface) allows multiple applications to communicate. Each application is either the sender or receiver. The receiver (PM software) and the sender (patient communication software) must work hand in hand. The intersection of these result in either functionality loss or gain depending on the API.
BRIDGE THE GAP BY ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
Let’s face it, we don’t live in a world where people only communicate by phone. We’re all getting texts, emails, searching for info, and interacting on social media platforms. Dental patient communication software packages offer a terrific feature set:
- Online appointments, confirmations, reminders, task lists, 2-way texting
- E-forms and patient registration
- Social media
- Email marketing
- Integrated VOIP phone systems
- Tele-dentistry
- Website integration
One bit of advice is to take a multi-step approach before signing up. First, ask yourself these questions:
- What is your big picture strategy for practice growth?
- How will patient communication software fit into your growth strategy?
- Is an all-in-one system or third-party software the best solution?
A lot to consider. Recently, after participating in demos with six vendors (Revenue Well, Lighthouse, Weave, Dental Intel, Curve, Oryx), one thing stood out. Ideally, one would think that all third-party products work seamlessly with all PM software, right? The reality is that some are stepping-stones that move your practice forward in baby steps. The good news is there are different solutions that work for most practices, but don’t jump in without knowing if it fits your growth strategy. Know your end goal and work backwards from there.
Some software platforms only work with server-based systems and traditional PM software, while others with the cloud. Last but not least, there are all-in-one systems that fully integrate into a single platform offered by a single provider. Yes, this gets confusing.
Here are a few questions related to patient communication software data:
- Do you own the data (reminders, 2-way text, email campaigns, etc.)?
- Will the software provider release this data if you decide to switch?
- How will this data integrate if you switch providers?
- Is the patient communication data stored in the same location as your PM software?
- What functionality is lost with third party API’s?
Lastly, don’t assume that all patient communication software products are the same. Features may be similar but the integration is not. Some only work with traditional server-based PM software, others only work with the cloud, and some don’t integrate at all due to business constraints. Here is the big question:
- Given your current status, what’s the best path forward for your practice?
What has the potential to become a hot mess, doesn’t need to be by pre-planning and asking the right questions before you sign.
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