Tablet PC use with Paperless Technologies Dental
Click here to enlarge imageAnother possibility is to use the Internet so patients can receive and complete forms online. Some software has this feature as an option - Eaglesoft, for example, has a module called Fast CheckIn. Offices that do not have this possibility can utilize their own Web sites. There are some interesting products in the marketplace that can help with this paper trail. Some are Web-based, some can be installed in your office, and others do both. The simplest setup is to have the office’s blank forms online. These can be downloaded and printed as a PDF file. The patient can complete this form and bring it to the office. More sophisticated sites allow the patient to complete the file online via a format similar to online ordering or a special “fillable” PDF file.
Some Web designers allow you to customize forms while others do this by having the office send copies of the forms currently in use. Patients can complete these at their leisure and bring them to an appointment.
If you do not have a Web site or one without download capability, some stand-alone products are available. The Wisconsin Dental Association has compiled a set of registration forms that have been used by offices around the country for years (dentalrecord.com). The WDA recently made these forms available on its Web site. Another example of an online service is submitpatientforms.com. When a patient calls an office, he or she is given an option to complete a form online, or print, complete, and bring one to the office. A link is sent to the patient’s e-mail address. If the patient completes the form and submits it online, the office is notified that a new form is waiting. The dentist’s office can log on to its personal manager page and retrieve the information by printing it. Once this is done, the office can delete the online information from its page.
Paperless Technologies Dental (gopaperlessnow.com) and Dentforms (medictalk.com) take this a step further. While a patient can complete forms online, both systems also have an option for an in-office electronic “form.” This system can be either a tablet PC or a desktop computer. The tablet allows the feel of paper as there is a “pen” to write, as well as check off boxes on forms. If the patient fills out the forms online, he or she can use the electronic pen either on the tablet - or an inexpensive signature pad - when he or she comes to the office to edit or sign the forms. Paperless Technologies Dental also allows patients to record a fingerprint for instant document retrieval and updating. Dentforms, by the way, has an arrangement with dentalrecord.com. A new company, Advanced Document Center (go-paperless.net) has specifically targeted the Dentrix document center, but also works as a stand-alone document-handling program.
Paperless Technologies Dental has expanded its services beyond these forms into a complete system to handle all documents in an office flow. Any document that can be scanned can be handled with this program. If you do not have one of these programs, you will find that most of the practice-management systems permit scanned documents to be linked to patient files - either directly or indirectly. So, if you designate a patient’s name, there will be a button or icon that will bring up associated documents. You must know where these are stored in your computer to ensure proper backups. Documents can include correspondence between other practitioners, insurance companies, or from patients.