Having worked with T2 Consulting, Inc in the past, Kari Kraemer welcomed the chance to implement the company’s new CloudPrep platform into the 2-location, 6-doctor dental practice where she has worked as the practice administrator for more than 25 years.
I reached out to Kari a few months ago to inform her of the introduction of CloudPrep and what it had to offer practices. CloudPrep is a website designed to assist dental practices preparing for the cloud. She described her experience with CloudPrep and how it helped her discover $39K through CloudPrep cost-control spreadsheets.
“We worked with Ted several years ago when we decided to add computers to the operatories. His attention to detail and knowledge saved us a lot of time, money, and frustrations,” says Kraemer, a licensed dental assistant with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. “Ted reached out to me about CloudPrep, and his timing was great [because] I was in the process of starting to look at comparing what we are currently paying for computer, IT [information technology], and patient communication subscription costs to other options. His very detailed plan allowed me to think about things I had not considered prior to seeing them laid out like he has.”
Kraemer, who works at Lakes Dental Care in Baxter, Minnesota, says using T2 Consulting’s shopping list spreadsheet allowed her to take a good inventory of everything the practices are currently using and what it is costing, in addition to offering ideas of items they might want to look into adding.
“From there I was able to take that information and use his bid spreadsheet and have such an organized way to look at the individual vendor bids, the financial impact on the practice, and ultimately be able to make a clear and educated decision on the best decision for the practice,” she says. “With his spreadsheets showing how much those expenses cost over the course of 5 years, it was eye-opening to have it all in one spot and see that actual cost to the practice and then the potential savings with making some changes.”
CloudPrep Benefits
“The first benefit was being able to see the practices’ expenses—for all the various items—in one spot”, Kraemer says. “The second was being able to get bids from vendors and confidently be able to compare apples to apples. A third benefit was having very detailed, well-designed spreadsheets already created at her fingertips to utilize.”
Using CloudPrep has increased efficiency and improved workflows at Lakes Dental Care.
“Patient communication has really changed over the years. As systems became available, nobody seemed to be able to do everything you needed in one system,” Kraemer explains. “You would need one vendor for texting patients, another for emailing, one for recall, etc. All of these subscriptions are not only very expensive but also a lot to keep track of.”
Now companies are really becoming more comprehensive with all they offer, according to Kraemer. Because the prep work was completed with CloudPrep, she was able to look at all the costs and the combined total in one spot. Also, she likes being able to compare features and prices with others to make a more educated decision on what to do.
“Knowledge is priceless! Using the 6-step process can really give you the knowledge needed to make good decisions in areas that are so critical to the efficiency of the practice,” Kraemer adds. “Technology is ever changing and is a big investment and ongoing expense to the practice. Utilizing the years of experience and expertise that Ted brings will not only save you a lot of time and headaches, but also money.”
The Final Word
It took a little time and patience but the software consolidation strategy paid off. Paying multiple software vendors for many of the same features is similar to paying for multiple cable services only to watch the same movies. After contacting each vendor, she was able to resolve which software was needed and which wasn’t. The cost-control reduction totals are highlighted in yellow below.
In this case, Kari focused on patient communication software only. Review recurring monthly expenses each year for changes to price and features. The crazy thing is that $650 monthly can go under the radar and doesn’t create the sense of urgency that $39K does. And it doesn’t stop there. Next up, an office remodel and full cloud PM software. This will affect IT services, computer hardware and software costs. All said and done, my guess is that the $39K cost reduction will end up to be a lot more.
