Migrating to cloud practice management software makes growth easy for major Mid-Atlantic dental group

“It just really lined up,” The dental group Director said about their first tab32 migration. “We were opening a new office, so we decided to pilot it there before we started to bring other locations in.” Tab tested everything about their migration process at this first office, from importing patient and insurance records to deploying software, training employees, and adapting to new workflows.”

And when the dental group was ready to migrate other offices, the Director felt the pilot process was nicely tuned. “We could focus on one team and office and work out any new issues. The migration plan just made it a little more efficient and a little more seamless.”

tab32 migrated all of dental group’s eight remaining offices through the first half of 2023. Once the Director of Operations and the rest of the leadership team were satisfied with operations at each office they merged everything globally in December 2023. Finally, the dental group had a unified enterprise PMS across their entire organization.

Challenges always arise during complex projects. What matters is how you deal with them. The dental group felt tab32’s team was well-prepared for the hiccups in their PMS deployment. “Because of the way some patient records migrated, we needed to do additional scrubbing when we went global [connecting all offices with single sign-on]. We had to collaborate with Tab to accomplish that, but that was a good partnership.”

The dental group already planned to expand to a tenth location during the migration. Now, with tab32, that process will be far simpler. “With the old PMS, I would have had to buy a server and set up a new patient database from scratch. And with the legacy PMS, we needed to import all of our insurance carriers and plans. And you can imagine what that entails for an organization of our size. It gives me anxiety just thinking about it.”

tab32 makes setting up a new office much simpler for the dental group’s team. Patient and insurance data is already in place since all their records are centralized in the secure cloud. “When we’re ready to set up the new office, we just add a location and set up the schedule. Boom, done.”

tab32's data warehousing capability, bolstered by its powerful Power BI tool, is a game-changer for dental practices seeking to optimize their operations and financial health. This advanced analytical tool empowers providers to delve deep into their practice's data, identifying and tracking Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that are crucial for measuring success. With the ability to forecast income, practices can plan more effectively for the future, ensuring financial stability and growth.

tab32's data warehousing platform also helps identify patients who require follow-up services, enabling practices to recall them to the office for additional care. This not only enhances patient outcomes by ensuring they receive timely and necessary treatments but also improves the practice's revenue by maximizing service opportunities.

As the dental group was looking to expand, they decided to use more than just tab32’s practice management software. They took advantage of the tab32 imaging platform. They were in the process of switching to a new intraoral camera setup. Operating the camera and uploading images proved cumbersome under their existing PMS infrastructure. The implementation team from tab32 stepped in to assist.

“Tab did the research to help us select the best camera and then supported us through its setup and testing,” the Director explained. “We rolled it out in one office, worked out all the hiccups, and then took it to the other offices.” Tab’s team supported the initial camera setup for them and offered ongoing support to all the offices using the tab32 imaging platform. “As we rolled it out, they were there. tab32 helped in each of those locations. Communication is huge, but they were great partners to support that process.”

Another initiative tab32 assisted with was helping the dental group use an offshore call center in Egypt to manage customer communication. Initially, they were simply looking to supplement its existing local call center. “In our area, dealing with the supply and demand of the workforce has been a little challenging. And so we've been excited to be able to bring in a great team.” However, as they used the offshore team, more and more advantages became clear.

“When we started, it was simply because we couldn't find enough people locally,” the Director said. Their customer base was growing, but “our guests still have the same demands.” Pick up the phone on the first call. Answer my question. Don't transfer me to anybody.

“But then we discovered, hey, there's a time difference here. So we can extend our call center hours with a live person who still has access to our schedule since it’s securely available in Tab.” The Director could also give her local staff a full lunch hour and still have customer service available. And for holidays, too. “We're closed on July 4th. But guess what? They're not.”

By partnering with tab32 and embracing a cloud PMS, the dental group resolved many of the operational hurdles they struggled with using various on-premises solutions and significantly enhanced their capability to grow and adapt to changing business needs. This strategic shift enabled them to streamline operations, improve patient experience and position itself for future growth.

Their story shows how dental practices can leverage cloud technology, like tab32’s practice management and other solutions, to overcome growth-related business challenges and enhance dental care delivery. “We’re looking to partner with Tab on their planned PMS enhancements. It just gets better and better,” Traingle’s Director of Operations said. “Out in the field, we’re looking forward to what's next. We've come a long way with Tab.”