WHAT IS A PRACTICE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM?

First, let’s define what a practice management system is, it is a software system designed to manage the workflow of a dental practice. There are two ways that practitioners will go about acquiring one, to have it custom built by working with a software development firm or buy a pre-designed solution. For pre-designed solutions, there are two kinds, operating system-dependent software or cloud-based dental software.

WHY DO I NEED ONE? HOW DOES IT HELP MY DAY TO DAY PRACTICE?

Practice management systems are used for tasks like appointment scheduling, billing, coding, importing and organizing X-rays, tooth and gum graphics. They also typically provide templates for you to use for common procedures. Patient portals are another major component of these systems that allow patients to update their contact information, send X-rays and other files from home and provide you with other pertinent information. Additionally, most systems provide graphical tooth charting.

All these features help to make your practice run smoother day-to-day by streamlining common procedures. Having most of your standard office procedures integrated into a centralized system helps you run at peak efficiency. This will help you and your practice save time and money in the long run.

WHAT ARE SOME CONSIDERATIONS IN CHOOSING THE BEST OPTION?

When selecting the right system there are a few things to consider. First would be whether you want to have a customized or pre-built solution. A customized solution will allow you to be in control of everything that your system does, while a pre-built solution may allow little to no customization outside of the base software package. If you absolutely want to dictate what your software does or doesn’t do, then a custom solution would be best. Otherwise, you’re better off picking the best pre-built solution you can.

Another consideration is ensuring that whatever solution you choose is HIPAA compliant. If you go with a customized solution, then you’ll need to consider how you are going to secure your network and system. Ditto if you go with a pre-built system that is operating system dependent since chances are you will be hosting and storing your own data in-house. Cloud-based dental software solutions will generally host your data on their servers, so you won’t need to worry about doing it in-house. However, you will still want to make sure that their network and application security meets HIPAA compliance guidelines.

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