Andy Jensen
Relying upon his turbulent upbringing as a migrant worker during the Great Depression, Eric Hoffer wrote, "In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists."
Are we in times of change?
Of course! It would be foolish of us to think that times are never changing. Take a quick look around your practice. You will probably find one or two examples of tools or materials you use daily that did not exist even five years ago. We are engulfed in a constant flux of change. And, certainly, technology is often the source of change.
So change is constant. So what?
Mr. Hoffer's premise is that those who learn from change, or those who embrace and adapt to change, are first to benefit from change. And those who stay focused only on the present will remain masters of what is no longer efficient.
The cloud is not the future
I've written before that I'm frustrated by doctors and other luminaries who pat me on the back and tell me Curve is headed in the right direction. "The cloud is definitely the future," they say. With all due respect, they're completely wrong.
The cloud is not the future. The cloud is the current technology standard. And, to follow Mr. Hoffman's argument, those doctors who adapt-those who change-will be the first to benefit and get a leg up on the competition.
A long list of cloudy benefits
The benefits of the cloud are many and can't be duplicated easily by traditional client-server software. Accessibility, as an example, is perhaps the crowning benefit of managing your practice on the cloud. Your patient data, on the cloud, becomes instantly available from any location with nearly any device connected to the Internet-without any additional software or configuration. Accessibility is a natural advantage of the cloud, whereas with client-server software, extending accessibility is more like wearing a prosthesis.
Better data security, much simpler maintenance, reduced hardware costs, reduced IT costs, and worry-free data backup are additional advantages of the cloud. These advantages result in improved efficiencies and savings in time and money.
Wild predictions and gut feelings
Within the health-care segment, dentistry seems to be slow in recognizing the advantages of the cloud. But change is in the air. In 2015, I feel the profession has seen the start of a great migration from client-server software to the cloud. At least one formal study supports my gut feeling-and you're welcome to contact me to get a copy. Dental professionals have been using the cloud to accomplish everyday tasks outside of the practice for quite some time. More and more have connected the dots and look to bring greater accessibility and convenience into the practice with cloud-based applications.
The smooth path versus the bumpy path
A handful of companies are prepared to accept a growing number of migrant doctors, Curve Dental certainly being one of them. Identifying the cream of the crop is pretty simple. Experience-specifically cloud computing experience-is paramount. It is a sure predictor of dependable service and reliability. Every company that provides cloud-based software will endure a long, bumpy road. Each bump makes the system that much more durable (or at least the developer should be learning from each hiccup and altering the system so it's not repeated). Choosing a company with less experience means you'll endure more bumps than a company with more cloud computing experience. You can learn more about what to look for in cloud-based dental software at www.curvedental.com/bumps.
As I see it, your practice can choose the bumpy path, the smooth path, or no path at all. I feel the tipping point is quite near and the majority of practices are taking up their walking sticks. It's an exciting time for dental software.
Andy Jensen has more than 20 years of dental software experience. When not waxing philosophical and making wild predictions about the profession, he can be found directing marketing activities at Curve Dental, a developer of cloud-based dental software.
