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Management Advisory Practitioners Gets “Everything They Need at Their Fingertips” with ClearDent Cloud 

About MAP

MAP (Management Advisory Practitioners) is an organization that takes on the business and operational responsibilities of practice management for dental practices across Ontario. By advising accounting, risk and compliance, clinical operations, and strategy development, oral health providers enjoy a more satisfying work-life balance as they are free to focus on providing outstanding oral health care.

Meet the Owner

Andrew Moukled is the CEO of Management Advisory Practitioners. A self-described ‘Big Thinker’, he takes a personal approach informed by his diverse experience and education in clinical management, human resources, and financial modelling. His passion for excellence in dentistry runs in the family with his brother Dr. Aziz Moukled who is a general dentist eagerly taking on complex cases. Andrew Moukled understands what goes into building a thriving business and is ready to lend a helping hand.

The Problem

Finding itself with a unique opportunity for rapid growth after onboarding four new practices in the past year, MAP approached ClearDent to explore what new technology could assist their operations. They struggled to meet the demands of managing over a dozen practices spread across a large geographic area. Administrative staff and specialists had historically felt bottlenecked by the need to travel to each location – often after hours – to access reports, tackle scheduling, and take on strategic decisions. Key information gathering could only take place during specific hours of the day so forgetting one task or requiring clarification would cost additional hours in travel with the possibility of interrupting care provider workflows.

While MAP explored third-party options to remotely access multiple locations, the VPN and tunneling software options were unreliable, clunky integrations that required onsite tooling at every practice location. This piecemeal approach had left concerns around the security of all the sensitive information being exchanged. The leadership team were frustrated with their options and knew that sustainable growth would be at risk with their mostly on-prem solution.

The Solution

After seven years working alongside ClearDent, MAP reached out about the potential of ClearDent’s Cloud solution. Recognizing the possibility of readily accessible information, Andrew Moukled, CEO of MAP, was eager to sign up, “We knew [ClearDent] would transition us very seamlessly to the cloud […] It was a no brainer.”

Understanding that there would be a learning curve to the new technology, the team at MAP was impressed by ClearDent’s approach to onboarding and training. With various structured learning options alongside personalized one-on-one training, Andrew was amazed by the integrated approach ClearDent took in enhancing their various practices.

Once ClearDent Cloud was up and running, the value became clear immediately. For starters, they removed the redundancies of third-party remote applications. Specialists and providers are now able to log in from any location and access everything they need to do their job. One administrative employee can now easily run multiple clinics. Best of all, the MAP team is no longer required to visit each clinic, staying out of the way of care providers. Across the board, teams were empowered and more efficient.

“Everything that you need is at your fingertips – not just the scheduling, not just the clinical charting, not just reporting – having access to everything, wherever you’re at.”

Sarah Wakefield, Senior Clinical Team Lead thinks often about how ClearDent Cloud has enabled more sustainable growth for MAP. Cutting down on redundancies and inefficiencies while streamlining through job sharing has prepared them for the next phase of growth. With more accurate information immediately available, management is more confident in their decision making, “If I’m in a meeting and need to pull up a report, I can do that at the click of a finger.”

And if you ask Sarah when the right time to shift to ClearDent Cloud is? “If you’re eager to bring that clinic to the next level, the answer is today”.

“If you’re eager to bring that clinic to the next level, the answer is today”

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Expanding With Cleardent Cloud With Ari Pediatric Dentistry

About

Ari Pediatric Dentistry is a practice that believes the root of great care lies in providing positive patient experiences. Focused on creating a relentlessly caring environment, the staff at Ari Pediatric Dentistry use their extensive experience to build the foundation for a lifetime of healthier smiles through pediatric and orthodontic care. Their three locations across London, Ontario ensure that each patient that comes through their doors leaves embracing their brighter smile.

 

Meet the Owner

Dr. Timucin Ari is passionate about providing the highest level of care possible for infants, children, and patients with special needs. After graduating with Dean’s Honour in Istanbul, he continued his studies in pursuit of a combined PhD and specialty program before moving to London, Ontario in 2010. With over 20 years’ experience in dentistry including prominent roles in the Royal College of Dentists of Canada and International Association for Disability and Oral Health, Dr. Ari advocates continuously for above-and-beyond care when it comes to pediatric dentistry.

 

The Problem

Not long into the pandemic, Dr. Ari saw the opportunity to provide more care to children across southern Ontario. The decision to purchase two additional locations was a simple one, but the complexities of now managing multiple locations with multiple teams meant tripling the work that went into running a single profitable practice. Ari Pediatric Dentistry was already using ClearDent, but one of the new locations still relied on a paper-heavy process for providing care.

Ensuring all three locations were on the same digital page while patients and parents alike received the same confidence-boosting care and attention became the key challenge. In any given day patients could show up to the wrong location or staff could phone in sick at the last minute – all while doctors or specialists may be offsite at a hospital or simply stuck in traffic travelling between locations. Dr. Ari understood that navigating these complexities, including the additional business needs, would require a solution that approached these problems from a new perspective.

 

The Solution

Years earlier, Dr. Ari had made the switch to ClearDent because they could not only meet all of his practice management needs, but because he could quickly access everything related to a patient on a single platform. During the pandemic, he immediately understood the value of making that information more easily accessible in other locations as they began providing virtual consultations. Luckily, ClearDent was on the verge of releasing the Cloud version of their platform, which provided all of the great features Dr. Ari had previously relied on – but available on any device, in or out of the office. “If there’s an emergency call […] I can see everything in front of me from wherever I am.”

Bringing new technology into three offices was a smoother experience than he and his staff had anticipated. Dr. Ari’s offices with existing ClearDent services transitioned quickly, “It was seamless – it was so easy!” For the third location, that was going digital for the first time, ClearDent’s training staff used their experience onboarding trainees by simplifying training sessions and communicating the benefits of the remote approach to practice management.

Once all three Ari Pediatric Dentistry locations were connected via ClearDent Cloud, Dr. Ari found the dashboard to be one of its best features. An up-to-the-minute snapshot of each location’s performance was accessible from any phone, tablet, or computer with internet access. Dr. Ari and his team were able to closely monitor and see production breakdown, growth and trends. He was also able to monitor case acceptance, hygienists’ capacity, recall rates, and more. Easier access to important business analytics also meant that his financial staff, front desk, and office managers could easily understand how each office was performing.

 

“As a practicing dentist, I realize it’s really important for me to see what’s happening in each location.”

 

As each location was busy with a roster full of patients, the benefits of Cloud-based patient records presented surprising benefits. Rather than turn away patients that may prefer the convenience of another location, staff are able to quickly view records from another office. If a specialist or office staff calls in sick, staffing or workloads can be rearranged before the day even begins. His most pleasant discovery came when Dr. Ari found himself in a hospital performing surgery. He was free to work from any available computer without needing to print records ahead of time or go back to the practice to update patient records, could complete his charts immediately after providing care, and no longer searching the hospital for space to complete charts. “It’s an amazing, amazing feature.”

Even though Dr. Ari sees ClearDent Cloud as the ideal solution to multi-location practices, he also believes the solution is one that works across the board for all practice sizes and specialties. Everything from lower IT infrastructure costs, better security and data backups, dashboards, reporting and comprehensive business insights, practice owners get more visibility and oversight to help them optimize their practice. “Even for a solo, single-location practice, I think as a dentist, it is really important for us to be able to see what’s happening in our practice and ClearDent Cloud makes that possible.”

“I think as a dentist, it is really important for us to be able to see what’s happening in our practice and ClearDent Cloud makes that possible.”

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From Paper to Paperless with Centennial Dental

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Few clinics can boast the same history as Centennial Dental in Kamloops British Columbia. When founded by Dr. Takahashi nearly 40 years ago, it was the only place where a resident of Kamloops could receive dental implants. Otherwise focusing on general dentistry with 2 chairs for hygiene and 2 for production, Centennial Dental has served as a reliable staple for excellent oral care in the community.

Back in 2009, it came time to modernize. The team was tasked with bringing technology into the business. Knowing they were no longer the only implant game in town, they focused on improving their processes, asking tough questions about what was working day-to-day, and what needed help.

Their scheduler was the most obvious first step.

“We were still using the paper appointment book back then […] To be able to move appointments around instantly, it just made it simple.”

While software was already in use around the office to handle billing, it lacked an effective scheduler. Using a paper appointment book made sense back when personal computers were a relatively new concept, but it had become a frustrating, tedious exercise while planning up to a year of appointments in advance. For front desk staff, it was an obvious update that was clearly needed. Seeking advice from another practice that had already ditched their paper scheduler for ClearDent, staff became interested in making the leap. Now, over 10 years from when they made the leap, everyone at the front desk still appreciates how streamlined these tasks have become.

As patient records were moved from clipboards, file folders, and binders to local servers connected to computers in the practice, other time savings became instantly apparent. Organizing and retrieving records became a thing of the past once all patients were added to ClearDent’s secure local server. Now they could instantly update charts, and pull all relevant info without leaving their patient’s side.

“You think about having to go into everyone’s chart physically – You save a good five, ten minutes on each chart.”

This also came in hand with a greater sense of confidence. Medical alerts related to history and tracked medication are prominently displayed, removing any second guessing about the best course of action. Collecting everything that went into a patient’s care in one location meant a single source of information – one that could remind the front office about overdue insurance and automatically connect the dots between a thriving business and excellent patient care.

It’s something patients started noticing, too.

Previous billing software was leaving patients confused about what was going on with their insurance with documents that could be difficult to read. It was the choice to move towards an all-in-one software solution that synced statements with patient records that made such a difference. Gone were the days of cross-referencing between billing software and paper files. Now, clear and concise statements, claims, and even COVID questionnaires are being emailed instantly – something about 70% of patients prefer and even find wonderful, despite a sometimes older demographic.

Bringing those enthusiastic patients back in for a recall has gone from a grind in the clinic to automatic recommendations that help the practice better understand the frequency of their patient’s care.

“It has helped to bring patients that haven’t been in for maybe a year and a half.”

As the team looks forward into the future, they’re ready to embrace more digital solutions, especially ones that continue to streamline the processes of the office.

“It has helped to bring patients that haven't been in for maybe a year and a half”

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How Dr. Chris Bryant & Staff Inc. Switched to ClearDent with Minimal Downtime

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When Dr. Bryant from Dr. Chris Bryant & Staff Inc. in Sooke, British Columbia, made the decision of switching his practice management software, he wanted to ensure that he had minimal downtime with all bases covered. After learning more about ClearDent, he chose to take the leap. Excitingly, Dr. Bryant and his staff were delighted by the rapid results ClearDent brought to the clinic, “there was never a day that we didn’t have access to any of the necessary functions required to maintain clinical care, and the end result was dazzling.”

To the staff, the online training videos were extremely helpful and guaranteed a smooth transition from one software to another. The videos were used to refresh the memory of those who were already familiar with ClearDent, and at the same time, introduce the software to those who had never worked with it before. With the staff on board and ClearDent’s support, switching software never felt so simple.

According to Dr. Bryant, ClearDent has greatly benefitted the practice. Through ClearDent’s patient engagement feature – ClearConnect – the number of cancellations and missed appointments were significantly reduced. His staff is proud to say that “an open space in our schedule is pretty much a thing of the past”. With the 2-way texting feature, they have been able to text patients using a messenger-style system, with each conversation saved to the patient’s file. And the results could not get any better, the practice has been receiving consistent feedback on how much people love the electronic reminders. 

Digital charting has also played a key role in Dr. Bryant & Staff Inc.’s success with ClearDent. Being able to display their patient’s history, and future exams all in the same view without having to switch between software increased efficiency when treating patients. This, alongside the simplicity of tracking treatment plans and outstanding treatments with ClearDent’s practice administration feature, has helped the practice thrive in the dental industry.

When asked what surprised them the most about ClearDent, staff claimed intuitiveness, “whenever I think I could use a feature, it’s usually already there and I just need to watch a little video to see how to use it.” This same answer was given from another staff member who does not use ClearDent frequently. She finds the software is “easy to maneuver through” and that reports can be quickly generated and accessed when needed.

With quality support and streamlined tasks, Dr. Bryant & Staff Inc. was able to take the leap to a new all-in-one software with minimal downtime, leading to enhanced patient engagement, reduced cancellations and no more empty schedules.

“An open space in our schedule is pretty much a thing of the past”

[Dr. Chris Bryant]

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How Patient Portal Has Facilitated Patient Communication at Steveston Smiles

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After the release of our new feature – Patient Portal, we talked to multiple practices and industry experts about how Patient Portal has changed their business and improved their COVID outlook. 

Take a look at Steveston Smiles. Nestled in the idyllic Steveston Village in Richmond, British Columbia, they’ve typically served 35-40 patients every day. Before Patient Portal, they used a hodgepodge of solutions that ultimately left their reception and office manager working beyond their limits. Their previous system, offering an iPad to patients to update and review their files or consent forms, was quickly replaced by a simple SMS link texted out before an appointment. The customer opens the link on their own device, completes the forms and documents, and Steveston’s Smiles’ own records are updated in real-time.

Since Patient Portal offers a cloud login for any patient with an email address, links and requests can be sent over SMS texting or email for just about any form or document you can imagine. When a patient updates their medical history from the comfort of their own home on their own device, the information is instantly available to the front office, hygienists, doctors, and office managers alike.

Steveston Smiles previously handled confirmation and information collection in-office. Just like any practice, patients might show up minutes – or seconds – before their appointment. Not being able to collect forms and valuable signatures without methodical sanitizing came at odds for a practice that prefers not to rush their patients through anything. Despite the heavy focus on a thoughtful and considerate approach, screening became the biggest occupier in their day-to-day lives. With social-distancing in effect, they’re limited to checking in three patients at a time in their office, even if their capacity was previously much higher.

Verifying documents, screening patients and any potential medical risks or symptoms all in the space before their appointment lead the practice to a brand new hire, focused exclusively on the task. “There’s a lot of human work in that process.” Dr. Michele Nielsen said.

With Patient Portal, Steveston Smiles makes patients files available for review at any time, and completes their screening process just before they arrive for an appointment. They’re also happier now with the ability to give patients as much time as they need to read over forms, without impacting sanitization time between appointments. Most importantly, the running around to confirm the right document got to the right person and it was properly signed is much less than it once was, “We love that we can just look and see a check for who has and hasn’t completed a consent form”.

“We love that we can just look and see a check for who has and hasn't completed a consent form”

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Why Embrun Smiles Trusts ClearDent to ‘Ease Their Pain’

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When Dr. Konrad Binder decided it was time to open his dental practice, he’d already had plenty of experience serving patients across Ontario. Embrun Smiles opened its doors in December of 2019 with a caring and energetic team of five providing dental care just outside of Ottawa. Having had plenty of experience offering esthetic and routine dental treatments in major cities and rural areas, Dr. Binder knew exactly how to offer great care. Shortly after opening his practice, the initial choice of practice management software left plenty to be desired.

Initially going with a 100% cloud solution, Embrun Smiles learned about the vulnerabilities of an entirely cloud-based software solution. With occasional outages and disruption in local infrastructure the practice management software would be completely unavailable. Staff were routinely frustrated by the sometimes long lag periods between updating a chart, and seeing results first hand. Having worked with ClearDent in a previous practice, Dr. Binder was already considering the switch. When COVID-19 temporarily closed his office, he knew it was the right time.

“I was confident in the software and knew it would better my practice. I thought the training videos were excellent. Any of my staff that watched them on their own time, from the comfort of their home, could become experts and teach others.”

With a mixed cloud/on-prem solution, Embrun Smiles could easily defy the internet outages that once slowed production to a crawl, while shortening the load times that caused so many headaches. Along with the reliability, came increased usability. The patient dashboard is very useful for getting a quick glimpse of his patients. A friendly charting interface meant it was easier to record a chipped tooth while also marking the early signs of tooth decay. “It’s very easy to go back and add specific conditions to teeth and charting.”

It hasn’t just stopped with the dental chair. In-office to-do lists make it easier to outline important office tasks that need attention. With templated emails to patients, Dr. Binder is happy to put a personal touch on his communications. Patients are receiving emails from the clinic’s domain, rather than a service domain, which helps patients trust in the information they’re receiving. In his own words,

“I made the decision to do what’s best for my team. I need management software that eases my pain and doesn’t create problems”.

Several months after reopening, Embrun Smiles is running smoother and Dr. Binder is happier with the increased reliability, and smoother communications ClearDent offers.

“It’s the best practice software that I’ve seen […] I wish we had gone with ClearDent from the beginning.”

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How Patient Portal is “10,000x Valuable” During and Post-COVID

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As this new normal sets in for the foreseeable future, most practices are trying to figure out how to maximize their production without sacrificing their care. It’s a problem that Practice Management Consultant Bianca Dornan from Practices Made Perfect has noticed, and thought a lot about. 

Working with practices across several provinces to build efficient offices, she’s seen firsthand how managing pandemic risk is impacting the bottomline. Witnessing hygienists cut out 10 minutes of appointment time to collect info, she’s able to attest to the confusion and frustration as administrators attempt to shoehorn old solutions into new realities. In her eyes, the top of mind concerns for every practice has been how to handle necessary patient information, when you don’t want that patient to be around longer than necessary. For Bianca, Patient Portal has been the perfect fit for dental practices big and small. 

With so many practices working with a hybrid solution of paper and digital, the reliability of transferring information from a file to a database has been another thorn in the side of office managers and receptionists. “If the patient responds by email, and the receptionist is looking for something related, but the doc doesn’t get uploaded – then it’s time wasted.” 

In Bianca’s eyes, all practices struggling with these logistics are typically seen as two types of practices:  

  1. Practices still reliant on paper, forced to scan screening and consent forms, only to wait for patients to print, sign, scan, and send them back. 
  2. The offices that went digital but became reliant on passing devices out to patients in the waiting room. 

 

For the first group, the benefits are clear cut. With overhead costs directly tied to storage size, and the sometimes-enormous-lag between a request to fill out a doc, and receiving it properly filled out. Bianca still thinks there are some hidden benefits that most practices might gloss over. By bringing all records under a secure, easily-accessible digital chart, both the front and back–office staff are able to access and verify documents and histories as quickly and easily as patients can. 

“Before COVID, the biggest challenge was new patients and patient consults. Changing the time commitment for big updates or changes to medical history means taking the bottleneck out of the front desk.” 

For the second group, the appeal of spending less time in the waiting room is certain to provoke some interest, but the hidden costs of kiosks that Bianca Dornan sees as a result of COVID can’t be ignored. Thousands of dental practices moved to tablets as a way to cut down on paper and speed up how patient records are added to a practice’s database. Those tablets aren’t getting people out of the waiting room any faster, and they’ve become their own hidden challenge, “As soon as you hand it to a patient, you then need to take the time to wipe it down. Over time, it’s going to affect that tablet. Those chemicals are harsh, and if this COVID screening goes on for another two years, you’re going to be replacing a lot of tablets.” 

The appeal for small and medium–sized practices alike is still very obvious to Bianca, and she believes Patient Portal will be “10,000% valuable”, even after the pandemic has ended. She explains how Patient Portal has promoted and enhanced open communication with patients despite the challenges of social distancing. Allowing for a smooth transition when getting them onboard, as well as greater planning and time management capabilities for both, patients and staff. Being able to bring informed consent, proposals, patient histories, and all the other relevant information into one place has helped practices, but she also notices the decline in payment disputes. 

From the moment a course of treatment is offered or recommended, the associated costs are readily available to the patient at any time. Rather than handing over an easily lost piece of paper, or providing a verbal estimate on price, the finalized cost is added as a document to that patient’s accessible files. Taking out the equation of what a patient thought  they heard or saw, you leave a record that removes disputes over care costs. Tied together with treatment plans that can be agreed to with a digital signature and automatically imported back into documents, Patient Portal extends well beyond our COVID-focused minds.

Bianca believes Patient Portal will be “10,000% valuable,” even after the pandemic has ended.

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How Patient Portal Has Offered a Smooth Transition to Digital Tools at Dr. Amarjot Sajan’s Practice

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Depending on the age and size of a practice, making the jump to a digital-only chart may leave you with questions. How will you handle transferring previous records? What should be done with a third-party integration? Will everyone ever really learn to log in? This case study will show you how Patient Portal is designed to provide a smooth transition for both patients and staff! When Dr. Amarjot Sajan Inc.  took the leap in February of 2019 to ditch physical charts, the staff did their best to digitize records and found a process that worked well – until COVID arrived.

They had tested the right integrations, and were happy with how much of their processes were left on paper, and what ended up in the circuit board. Once they returned to work, that quickly changed. “We were trying to figure out how do we get paperwork from us, to patients, back to us, without that physical paper that we were transferring back and forth.” Serving patients across Victoria, British Columbia, they were open to any technology that could streamline their processes, but they also had their doubts. 

Just like anyone that has seen how technology is adopted by different age groups, Dr. Sajan’s team was concerned for their older patients, despite already leveraging tablets in their waiting rooms for intake. “It was a product we knew that we needed…” to ensure all of their practice management software was correctly communicating with each other. But how would it go over with patients that struggled with their smartphone? 

“People in their 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s might need a little hand-holding, but they’re happy to use the portal.” Embracing not just smartphones and tablets, Patient Portal is available on any computer through a web browser, letting patients access their own records at their own speed. Though they can still get stuck along the way, the feature to view the same screen the patient sees in real–time has made the investment a no-brainer for Dr. Sajan. “It reduces so much time of them being physically in the office, that it’s worth it for us to take the time with them on the phone, to make sure it’s getting done.” 

Now that ClearDent’s Patient Portal is slowly replacing all previous communications and records that needed paper, it means simplifying office tasks. Dr. Sajan’s practice is no longer searching out space for a decontamination station, and they’re cutting the 15-20 minutes of intake forms and review that came when they reopened. Patient Portal has helped draw the focus away from logistics, and back to patient care. That’s a common trend that’s developing for practices across the country. 

“It reduces so much time of them being physically in the office, that it’s worth it for us to take the time with them on the phone, to make sure it’s getting done.”

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The Scalability of Cleardent with Dr. Christine Pampolina Oriel General Family Dentistry

An early adopter of ClearDent, Dr. Christine Pampolina Oriel General Family Dentistry has used the software to provide quality care to patients since 2005. Partnering with ClearDent from the very beginning has set up the team up for growth and success, and they’ve never looked back. “We were only the second or third clinic in Alberta to use ClearDent, so it was a bit of a leap of faith for us. But after meeting with Peter, we felt confident enough to go with ClearDent,” said Ramel Oriel, Office Manager.

The need

Back in 2005 when they first opened, the hunt was on for a practice management software that could meet all of their needs. The team wanted software that would enable them to be a cutting-edge dental practice. “As a new clinic, digital x-rays and paperless charting were a must for us,” says Ramel. But beyond that, they also wanted a system that would support the team as they grew. Ramel says, “we were looking for a progressive dental software that would be able to adapt to new technologies and continue to improve.”

The search

The search for the right dental software was straightforward. Dr. Christine was an associate at another clinic that was using ClearDent and had experienced firsthand how easy it was to use. So when it came time to open her own dental clinic, ClearDent was an obvious contender. The team was impressed by what they saw. “I thought ClearDent was forward-thinking and its backend was modern,” said Ramel.

After researching, it came down to Cleardent, Curve, and Dentrix. What ultimately convinced them to go with ClearDent was that the software truly felt like it was built to streamline dental professionals’ lives. The team appreciated the thought and consideration that was put into the software to ensure it was user-friendly. “The interface looked clean and organized. At the time, I thought ClearDent was more modern than Dentrix. I came into the dental industry from an IT background so I was impressed with the software as a great tool for our clinic,” said Ramel.

“I have used Dentrix and Power Practice, and ClearDent is much higher quality than both of these”

“The small demo I was given at PDC showed me so much of what a software should be able to do. I have used Dentrix and Power Practice, and ClearDent is much higher quality than both of these,” says Lindsay Kirkbright, Office Manager at Signature Dental. What ultimately convinced Signature Dental to partner with ClearDent was the automated Explanation of Benefits (EOB) and Coordination of Benefits (COB), the ability to sort regular and endodontic patients, and the ease of transitioning to a paperless practice.

ClearDent in action

Having used ClearDent from the very beginning, the clinic has a seamless workflow. From digital charting and x-ray images to EDI functionality to automated patient recalls, the team has all the tools they need to run the business efficiently.

“It’s our everything. It’s hard for the clinic to function without ClearDent.”

 

Simple patient communication

The team is able to communicate however patients prefer and these days, more and more patients prefer communicating via text. “ClearConnect has been a great tool for us as it saves our admin staff from making tedious calls to patients. And our patients appreciate that with a simple press of a button on their smartphone or computer, they can confirm their appointment instead of receiving a phone call from us,” says Ramel.

Less time spent on admin tasks and more time spent on patient care

Time is a valuable commodity, and automation helps reduce time spent on administrative tasks, giving both dentists and office managers more time to dedicate to patient care. The ability to link family bookings has been super helpful for the team, as well as having all of the patient information instantly available at their fingertips. And for any business, every minute streamlined means reduced costs and increased revenue.

Accurate claims and co-payment management

The team always strives to provide the best dental service to their patients which is why one of their goals is to maximize allocation of available insurance coverage and to minimize confusion. EDI allows the team to pre-authorize transactions and increase billing accuracy. “This is such an important tool for us because we can minimize conflicts with patients on how much they are paying out-of-pocket,” says Ramel.

Easy to use, even faster to learn

One of the reasons that the team was originally drawn to ClearDent was its intuitive interface and that has continued to be a major benefit to the clinic. “The GUI interface and the well-designed layout was a big selling feature. New staff members are able to learn ClearDent right away because it’s organized so intuitively.”

Support every step of the way

Great support ensures minimum disruption to the team and workflow. “There have been a couple times where our server hardware failed us, but because we had recent back-ups, we were up and running very quickly. And every time I’ve called support, our issues have been dealt with promptly during that call,” says Ramel.

Reliable service

Dental software plays a crucial role in practice management, so it’s important for it to work effectively and efficiently. “Everything to do with our patients and our day-to-day processes is embedded in the software so we rely on ClearDent to ensure 100% uptime,” says Ramel.

It’s also invaluable to have access to the latest and greatest software, which is something the team gets with ClearDent’s automatic updates. “I always hold my breath when we have software updates because that is when glitches will often arise but with ClearDent, this has never been a problem,” says Ramel.

Conclusion

Over the years, Dr. Christine Pampolina Oriel General Family Dentistry has seen a significant leap in patient numbers. When they opened in 2005, they had two dentist chairs. “Year over year, we have grown in every facet of our business. In 2007, we bought the practice beside us and expanded to five chairs,” says Ramel. The practice that they bought was still using paper charts so the team took the opportunity to add their newly acquired patient to their digital database. “We kept their old charts in storage and never really had to refer to them, and our new patients were happy to be in a modern clinic,” says Ramel.

In 2014, the clinic expanded yet again, taking over the empty office space adjacent to them and went from five chairs to eight. A growing patient base meant that an easy-to-use and efficient dental software was more important than ever to manage the clinic’s now 10,000 patients. “ClearDent has continued to support our growth without missing a beat!” said Ramel.

“ClearDent has continued to support our growth without missing a beat!”

With streamlined tasks and processes, the team was able to provide patients with better service, which increases loyalty and satisfaction, and ultimately the clinic’s bottom line. “ClearDent provides us with a powerful tool to keep our office organized and efficient,” says Ramel.

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Maximizing Scheduling, Service, and Support with Swift Dentistry

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Based in Kelowna, BC, Swift Dentistry is a general practitioner that has been in business for over 25 years. Because the dental practice handles over 6000 patients with just a lean team of six, it was crucial for their dental software to be able to streamline processes and workflows. However, it became more and more obvious that their current software was not meeting their needs.

The problem

Swift Dentistry was faced with a few challenges that slowed down their day-to-day operations. In particular, there were three areas where their existing dental software was falling short:

  • Scheduling: They found their current scheduling tool convoluted and difficult to use. Swift Dentistry needed something that not only had powerful functionality to help them maximize their scheduling but that was also simple enough to learn and use quickly.
  • Service & support: Any interruptions can cost the practice money, hinder productivity, and in the end, affect patient experiences. To avoid frequent downtime, Swift Dentistry was looking for a practice management software that they could count on to consistently provide reliable service and responsive support. They needed a partner they could count on.
  • Account keeping: With the wrong software, patient billing can be extremely time-consuming, which was the case with Swift Dentistry’s solution. So it was extremely important for the dental software they chose next to have an intuitive patient ledger that allowed them to bill patients and update files accurately and efficiently.

 

The search

Swift Dentistry began their search by browsing dental conventions and asking around for recommendations of a software solution that would fit their needs.

They were soon contacted by the ClearDent team and were blown away by what they saw. Through a product demo, they saw first-hand how truly customizable and easy the software was to use.

From an intuitive dental scheduler to an easy-to-use patient ledger, Swift Dentistry was thrilled that the software checked all the boxes of the technical requirements they wanted. And while Swift Dentistry loved the sheer simplicity of the software and its easy-to-navigate interface, what ultimately helped the team make their decision was the personal approach and hands-on service that ClearDent took. “Peter was very thorough with his presentation and took the time to follow up,” said Barb, Office Manager at Swift Dentistry.

“Every time there is an update, the software improves for the better so we’re very happy with ClearDent”

 

ClearDent in action

1. Smart scheduler
Since switching over, Swift Dentistry now better caters to how more and more of their patients prefer to be contacted. They found that patient engagement increased significantly as patients responded much faster through text messages than via phone calls.

Barb says that “while there will always be some patients that still need to be chased down, there has definitely been a reduction in no-shows and late cancellations” with the help of ClearDent’s effortless patient communication, intuitive appointment management, and automated reminders. And by texting their patients, both individually and in groups, the team is able to instantly fill unexpected gaps in the schedule.

Colour-coding makes viewing appointments super clear, while the drag-and-drop feature means booking or changing appointments was done in mere seconds. Swift Dentistry wanted an easy-to-use dental scheduler but they got so much more with ClearDent. Smart suggestions from the software, such as scheduling family appointments together, making the strategic bookings to maximize high-value treatments and increasing revenue a piece of cake.

2. Reliable service and support
From the initial meeting to onboarding to ongoing support, Swift Dentistry has always felt taken care of. Since switching over, the service they’ve experienced with ClearDent has been consistently dependable and delightful. “The support is top-of-the-line, and in all the years Swift Dentistry has had ClearDent, we’ve never been down and have always been able to continue working without interruption,” remarks Barb.

One support feature that Barb really appreciates the callback function. Instead of spending wasted time wasted on the phone, she is able to limit the disruption to her tasks and continue on with her day.

Swift Dentistry appreciates not only how ClearDent is always looking for new ways to improve dental professionals’ lives, but that they actively use the feedback to iterate on features for the software. “Every time there is an update, the software improves for the better so we’re very happy with ClearDent,” says Barb.

3. Intuitive patient ledger
Their previous dental software had a clunky patient ledger that was complicated and confusing so it was no surprise that Swift Dentistry was searching for a software that had an easy-to-use ledger with an interface that helped them send insurance claims and bill patients faster instead of impeding their workflow or accuracy.

Built with office managers and dentists in mind, the ledger had colour-coded labels and seamless functionality, which made navigating around to sending claims and bill patients no sweat for the team.

Details like an option for contract billing for ongoing treatments and the ability to update the ledger for multiple patients at a time has helped save a lot of time and headaches. Plus with the ledger in the same place as everything else Swift Dentistry needs to run their practice, it makes switching back and forth between tasks a breeze.

Conclusion

In the few years that they’ve been with ClearDent, Swift Dentistry has seen some remarkable results. There has been a direct impact on their bottom line as automation and intuitive features help them work more efficiently, increasing practice production and profit. Plus, the simplified and streamlined processes for patient billing, insurance processing, and scheduling means fewer headaches and less stress for staff.

Upgrading their technical backend freed up valuable time for the team to focus on their patients and to provide the fantastic care and attentive education that their patients have come to expect. As a result, patient satisfaction and engagement have increased significantly. Barb says, “our patients are much happier with the enhanced service that we’ve been able to provide them with the help of ClearDent”.

“Our patients are much happier with the enhanced service that we’ve been able to provide them with the help of ClearDent”

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