tab32 Blog

Have you seen a fake iPhone? Imitation iPhones look real until you use it and find its function is nowhere near a real iPhone. 

Why bring this up? Over the years, many legacy dental practice management vendors have started hosting their existing antiquated software using legacy products like Citrix, and tricking customers that they are receiving a "cloud solution". Like the fake iPhone, these antiquated cloud-hosted practice management systems fall short in user experience and accessibility compared to true cloud based systems.

What cell phone are you using now? While there may be a few of us clinging to the simplicity of flip phones, most have moved on from that dated technology. Are you using the flip phone of dental office software?

Running your practice is no different. You need the right tools (and people) to ensure each task is completed efficiently. When you have the right tools at your disposal, your practice is productive and profitable.

When it comes to marketing and patient acquisition, finding out the costs associated and value of each patient is key to each practice. You'll need to drill down in your numbers to find out what each patient is bringing in and how much it cost to get them in the door. The tab32 dashboard makes it easy to access these numbers, but if you haven't started your practice yet, or you're brand new, it's impossible to grasp this data.

What we know, after years of building our cloud-based dental software and working with dentists is that the worth of your patient loyalty (and the effort you needs to put into building that loyalty) cannot be overstated, or underestimated. It is only to your detriment to ignore these key pieces of information. 

We know you have a lot of questions when it comes to investing in technology for your practice:

• Is this the right solution for us?
• How much will this cost in the long run?
• Will this make us more productive and profitable?
• Does technology make *that* much of a difference?
• What will the staff think?

What does it take for a practice to be ready for cloud-based software? Let's review list of pre-requisites for getting on a cloud dental software. We will review internet requirements, scheduling and clinical documentation needs, insurance and claims, patient and online reputation management.

According to a 2014 survey by HIMSS Analytics, 86% of healthcare organizations say they’re already using cloud services, and 67% say they’re using cloud-based applications.

The report indicates the three most common uses of cloud technology are:

• Hosting of clinical applications and data
• Backup and data recovery
• Health information exchange

How does this translate to dental? And what can you anticipate if you're shopping around for software for your new practice? There's a lot to know about cloud-based dental software, and the difference it can make as you launch your new practice.

Let's face it, as much as x-rays have moved past films and physical copies into the digital world, they are still a headache for most practices. You can't live without them, but you still have to figure out how to take them, format them, use them, and store them. And though that doesn't involve file cabinets full of manilla folders anymore, it can still mean servers and IT hassles. 

While you know you have to spend both money and time getting the word out about your practice—but if your basics are in place, what's next? We've covered referrals and reviews, you (hopefully) know the basics about SEO and being found online, plus social media and other basic marketing tactics. Once you've got some systems in place for all of those, you need some ideas for taking your marketing to the next level. Well, we've got a few to share with you. Let's take a look:

You absolutely cannot overlook the importance of reviews in growing your practice. Average attrition in dental practices is right around 20%—the highest in healthcare. You need to do anything and everything you can to not only keep that attrition number low but to constantly bring new patients into the office.

One of the best ways to do that in this digital world is to seek out and leverage patient reviews. However, you can't control the reviews, and you definitely want them to be positive. So the key is to get the right reviews anywhere they're displayed: Yelp, Google, Facebook, and even your website.