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Growing a dental practice has its share of challenges. Duplicating practice management efforts – and, in turn, eroding profitability – doesn’t have to be one of them. “A main reason to grow a practice to multiple sites is to increase efficiency and profitability by creating economies of scale,” says Nate Nelson, product manager, Henry Schein Practice Solutions. “One way to achieve economies of scale is by centralizing administrative functions, such as billing and scheduling, which increases efficiency and reduces costs as an organization grows.”
When dental offices within a group practice run disparate practice management systems or databases, they risk duplicating efforts and eroding profitability, Nelson continues. “In many cases, failure to centralize data can mean they actually spend more money on each practice as they grow.
The most efficient way to centralize administrative functions is to implement a single patient record for all offices within a group practice, Nelson explains. “And, a single patient record is not possible if a large group practice does not use the same software system across all of its locations,” he says. “If an organization uses many different software systems, staff is required to log into each one separately to perform each task. In addition, standardizing workflow is not possible since workflow can vary widely from system to system.”
When billing and scheduling for all locations take place in one location, “the centralized staff can specialize in a particular task and increase its efficiency in that task,” Nelson points out. “Staff in the individual offices can focus on activities that increase profitability, such as treatment plan acceptance.
“The key to taking advantage of a practice management software system for a large group practice is in centralizing the patient record to centralize administrative tasks,” Nelson continues. “And, strong reporting capabilities are essential to track the performance of each location, as well as the organization as a whole.”
Dentrix Ascend and Dentrix Enterprise
A comprehensive practice management solution typically includes clinical, scheduling, accounting and billing functionality and centralized data management according to Nate Nelson, product manager, Henry Schein Practice Solutions. For complete practice management, Henry Schein offers Dentrix Ascend and Dentrix Enterprise. Designed to integrate a dental practice’s business and front-office tools with its clinical tools, these group practice management solutions provide a single solution for improving patient care and practice profitability across multiple locations. The systems offer a path to a completely paperless office, including such features as:
- Clinical efficiency, including periodontal measurements and 3D clinical charting.
- Business management, including business operations and monthly goals.
- Billing, collections, reimbursement and claims management.
- Centralized control.
- Training and education.
- Technical support.
