Going paperless has become a hot topic among dental practices in Western countries in recent years, as the technology has become more widespread and affordable. Many dentists and their office managers can recite at ease the pros and cons of moving to a paperless office.
That might not sound like a big deal, but actually results in tremendous efficiency and improved patient care.
But dental patients might not be aware of the benefits of going to a paperless office. Here’s some reasons why you should ask if your dental office is paperless — or at least working toward it.
Patient records
As you might imagine, tracking and updating patient records is much, much easier in an entirely paperless office, which directly affects patient care. If your dentist or dental hygienist can easily and quickly access your records, they can more effectively monitor your dental health.
Oftentimes with dental health, practitioners want to monitor a specific tooth or region of your gum line to see if it gets worse from appointment to appointment. This kind of monitoring relies on a dental practice keeping good patient records.
A paperless dental office is going to be much more likely to properly monitor a tooth that’s bothering you over a long period of time.
Appointments
It’s no surprise to anyone who has had to schedule a doctor’s appointment of any kind recently that the process can be, well, a pain. With the general upheaval in the world, appointments get changed, rescheduled, cancelled at the drop of a hat.
A dental office that is paperless — that is, handles its scheduling digitally — is going to be much more prepared for these mid-stream interruptions than one that is entirely paper based.
And that’s going to make your life as a patient that much easier if your dental office can quickly call up a digital calendar and reschedule you with just a few clicks of a mouse.
One Bradford dentist, River Edge Dental, was able to streamline its appointment process after going paperless, making life easier for both its patients and staff.
Insurance and payments
Like any medical service, the pricing around dental care is complex and mind-numbingly complicated. Does your insurance approve of this procedure or that? How much will it cover?
These questions are vital to getting the best dental care you can — and you’d much prefer to work with a dental office that can call up the answers quickly on the computer, rather than have to call a call center and wait on hold for an answer.
Ditto for when it’s time to pay your share of the bill, or when there’s questions about your dental bill. You want to work with a dental office that can quickly look up the answers and find out exactly how much you really owe.
If you’ve recently moved to the Ontario area, consider a paperless dental office. This seemingly small change in business practices results in a thoroughly modern dental office that offers a seamless customer experience.
