We are still recovering from the RDH UOR in Chicago! What a great meeting! The hygienists definitely soak up every bit of info they can get and then let loose and have fun! We even got a chance to go to a Cubby game- WOW!!
It was amazing how many offices already were paperless and saw how the Dental R.A.T. could help them out. And those that had just gotten computers and were ready to go paperless definitely saw the value. The Dental R.A.T. obviously also helps with an environmentally friendly green office, since no more paper:), hence the paperless office and “green” office were really the buzz!
Many of the hygienist were also mentioning that their doctor can no longer afford for them to have an assistant with the economy right now, but they don’t want to lower their standard of care by not perio charting. So they definitely saw how the Dental R.A.T. could help them instead and for a lot less money!
As always we got a lot of excitement and are revving up for our next meeting in San Francisco!
Wow! We just got back from the CDA meeting. It was a great meeting! And of course, fun to take the kids to Disneyland!
We have been traveling to a lot of great meetings from Oregon to Minnesota. We sure heard a lot of buzz from everyone loving the Dental R.A.T. but also loving how it helps the offices to stay green and paperless. We heard that it was going to be mandatory by the year 2014 for dental offices to be paperless. So, of course I wanted to do a little research.
In April 2004, the Bush administration set a 10-year goal of creating personal electronic health records for most Americans that could be accessed and added to by physicians and other health practitioners with the patient’s authorization. It is called- The National Health Information Infrastructure (NHII). So by the year 2014 all offices (including dental) will be mandated to have electronic patient records. I guess its time to learn all the ins and outs of the technology available to us!
“By computerizing health records, we can avoid dangerous medical mistakes, reduce costs and improve care”. These words in President George W. Bush’s State of the Union Address from Jan. 20, 2004,1 were the first step in making computerizing the health care system in the United States a widely recognized national priority.
And, of course by being paperless offices we will obviously be “green”. So, no more charts, insurance forms, perio charts, and the Dental R.A.T. even gets rid of that old blue/red pencilJ I say “hurray to that!”
As more and more offices become computerized it all becomes a function of how to utilize the technology we currently have without increasing staff. It is a very expensive and time consuming project on the doctor’s end and it is frustrating for them if after that expense they still need to have additional staff members to run it all. That is how the Dental R.A.T. can pay for itself so fast as it saves that extra staff member.
In starting a new business and looking at all the expense and costs to start an office I’ve grown to really appreciate how you really need to utilize the staff that is there to be the most efficient. To do that often takes more effort on the existing staff members and often some change. I realize change is hard, but it can be fun! We should be able to embrace the change and not resist it and we will be more professional in our business and personal lives. We always think how much money the Dr’s make but if we can help to be a part of the solution we can gain more respect and value to his or her practice that usually will come back to us in some way. :)
