Your patients always come first. So, how do you optimize your processes to eliminate confusing billing and slow scheduling processes that compromise your relationship? An all-in-one dental practice management system is your answer because it helps improve workflows and patient experience.
Are you looking to get a dental practice management system or an upgrade for your practice? Discover the parts of an ideal system and the benefits of using one at your dental practice. But first, what is a dental practice management system?
What Is a Dental Practice Management System?
A dental practice management system is a class of software tools. These software tools help dentists to oversee their daily business operations including scheduling patients, managing finances, and keeping patient records. It also includes tracking insurance claims, charting dental history, and imaging.
Typical Parts of a Dental Practice Management System
Although every dental management system has differences, they provide many similar features.
Patient Scheduling
Most dental practice management systems include features that allow you to create and track patient visits. Some can create schedules for different providers and differentiate them with color codes. The color codes indicate their available appointment times, duration of the appointment, and sets of patients. This provides a quick and easy way for staff to schedule a patient and prepare for their visit.
Billing
One major task that takes up valuable time is managing complex billing systems. Your staff can easily process and distribute billing statements with practice management software. This way, they’ll spend less time on administration duties and more time attending to patients.
Claims
Dental practice management systems also track electronic insurance claims for patients once submitted. Whether it's through a claims clearinghouse or directly to the insurance payer, it's easy to track. For claims that require the patient to pay a balance, the software can generate and send statements with the balance due directly to the patient.
Charting
Maintaining accurate and streamlined records of a patient’s visit is one of the most important aspects of a dental practice. Maintaining your patients’ records helps you build a foundation of trust throughout their treatment and care.
User-friendly charting saves your staff time and increases accuracy. This allows your staff to focus more on maintaining patient relationships and listening to them rather than battling the software.
5 Benefits of Practice Management Systems for Patients
Dental practice management systems don’t just benefit dental practitioners. They also help enhance patient experience by enabling them to carry out some processes easily.
1. Verify Insurance Eligibility and Coverage
Sometimes, patients are unsure what their insurance covers and doesn’t. An effective practice management software can make this information available. It will also help them prepare to pay their balance for the current visit and know what is due on their next visit.
2. Find Their Balance and Pay Their Bills
Practice management systems can help notify your patients of their outstanding payments. It also comes with easy payment options they can choose from. With this tool, you’ll help them avoid confusion and pay bills easily.
3. Receive Reminders for Upcoming Appointments
When patients forget that they have an upcoming dental appointment. This contributes to the number of no-shows at a dental practice and a loss of revenue. By sending them reminders via text message, email, or phone, you take the pressure off of them to remember when their next visit is scheduled. You would also reduce the number of no-shows that impact your bottom line. An effective dental management system can automate this process.
4. Schedule Appointments
An effective dental management system improves your scheduling process. It lets your patients view available times on your scheduling tool and choose which works best for them. What’s more, your appointment schedule will be updated in real-time. You also get to fill in last-minute cancellations.
5. Contact the Dental Practice Through a HIPAA-Compliant Portal
Your dental management system should be HIPAA-compliant. So you can assure your patients that they’ll be interacting with you through a secure platform. So, no matter how private their questions or concerns are, they'll have no reason to worry.
Need Help Figuring Out Which Dental Practice
System to Get?
Traditional dental practice systems are server-based, which means you must buy and manage servers. Over the past several years, more and more practices have switched to cloud-based solutions like Curve Dental.
Over 50,000 dental professionals use Curve Hero. This tool can help you to enhance patient care and engagement and increase treatment acceptance. It also helps to improve the efficiency of your practice. All you need to use this tool is just a browser and internet connection.
Want to see Curve Hero is action? Schedule a demo today!
