How Cloud-Based Dental Software Can Streamline Operation

Kiltesh Patel
June 10, 2019 | 4 min read

There’s a lot to juggle when you’re running a dental practice. Not only do you have to deliver the best-in-class patient experience but also manage a multitude of administrative tasks to ensure that your practice is run cost-efficiently.helloquence-61189-unsplash

The key to minimizing administrative cost and improving productivity is to centralize your service and patient data storage with a cloud dental management software platform.

For large group offices with multiple practitioners and locations, having all the patient information in one place where it can be updated in real-time and accessed from anywhere helps improve efficiency and reduce errors.

Meanwhile, smaller practices can better leverage outsourcing services if all the patient data can be accessed by a third-party provider in real-time from a centralized platform.

Here are the top 3 benefits of centralizing your practice with cloud-based dental management software for your group office, solo practice, or dental service organization (DSO) and increase cost-efficiencies:

1. Reduce IT Cost

When you use a cloud dental software application, you don’t have to purchase or maintain any hardware in your office. You don’t need to worry about renting additional space for housing the servers or the high energy cost needed for cooling the server room.

There’s little to no upfront investment to get up and running when you use a cloud-based software -- you simply need a computer and an Internet connection to get started. In addition, all the setup is done on the cloud platform, so the cost of installing and configuring the software is minimal.

Since all the software maintenance and upgrades are included in the subscription fee, you don’t need to hire a large IT team to ensure that your dental management software is up-to-date and running properly.

You don’t have to worry about staying compliant with fast-evolving security standards (e.g., HIPAA) since reputable providers will have a dedicated team of experts to ensure that their platforms are compliant with the latest regulatory requirements and that your patient information is secure.

In addition, a reputable cloud provider has the scale to offer a comprehensive backup and recovery plan that safeguards your sensitive patient information and helps minimize service interruption (e.g., in the event of a power outage.)

2. Improve Operational Efficiencies

A large group office can improve cost-efficiency by centralizing call center function while smaller practices can outsource tele-booking to reduce the workload of front-office staff and lower the administrative cost.

Outsourcing or centralizing your call center function helps handle overflow and after-hour calls efficiently, reduce operating costs, improve call quality and patient experience during peak hours, handle calls in a timely manner to reduce call abandonment, increase service level, and provide round-the-clock patient support for a fraction of the cost.

In addition, by managing appointment booking on a centralized platform, you can coordinate workflow across multiple locations and leverage call center services to streamline appointment scheduling. This will help increase productivity without impacting the patient experience.

A cloud-based dental practice management software also allows you to send automated appointment confirmations and reminders via text or email, so your staff doesn’t have to call individual patients to confirm appointments while reducing the cost and lost revenue associated with no-shows.

3. Optimize Billing Process and Improve Cash Flow

A cloud dental management software helps centralize the billing processes, so you can submit claims or send out invoices sooner and get paid faster.

By having all the patient billing information accessible from one central location and in real-time, you can effectively outsource invoicing to specialized services since they can access the most up-to-date information as soon as a treatment is complete.

In addition, a dental practice management software reduces the need to re-key treatment information manually, thereby minimizing errors that could delay the billing, claim submission, and reimbursement process.

Outsourcing invoicing and claim processing not only allows you to shorten the billing cycle and improve cash flow, but it can also help you:

  • Reduce administrative and operating costs and increase productivity because your staff doesn’t have to manually re-key information, prepare claims for submission, or generate invoices.  
  • Leverage resources and expertise of billing services, e.g., automated insurance coverage verification, to increase efficiency and reduce errors.
  • Improve patient satisfaction by freeing up your staff to deliver a better patient experience and higher quality care.
  • Process claims faster so you get reimbursed sooner.
  • Reduce billing and coding errors to minimize delays in the claim submission and reimbursement process.

Summary

Whether you run a large dental practice group, a DSO, or solo practice, using a cloud-based dental practice management software will allow you to centralize administrative tasks and patient data. This helps streamline workflow, reduce operating costs, increase cost-efficiency, augment the patient experience, and improve cash flow.

When selecting a cloud dental software provider, make sure that it offers the essential features to meet your unique business needs. You can then centralize as many operational tasks onto one platform as possible and manage your practice via one integrated dashboard from anywhere and any device to maximize your ROI. 

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