Will Web-based Digital Imaging Change Dentistry?

With Curve you can now capture x-rays directly to the cloud.

Newsflash! 

Curve Dental, developers of Web-based dental software, announced the completion of new digital imaging features, which allow doctors and staff to capture x-ray and intraoral images directly to the cloud. The technology developed by Curve Dental, which is the first of its kind in dentistry, provides doctors with a digital imaging solution that is entirely web-based. Using the cloud to capture and store patient images eliminates the need for a server, affords unlimited storage and a proven backup and business continuity solution, and provides the dentist with access to the data from any computer with Internet access at anytime from anywhere.

"Our digital imaging features are revolutionary within the dental profession," said Matt Dorey, Founder and Managing Director of Curve Dental. "With our software a doctor only needs a computer with Internet access and a browser to capture digital images. They don't need a server, powerful and expensive hardware, nor do they need to worry about backups or space limitations. Moreover, our strategy is to allow doctors to connect any digital x-ray sensor, intraoral camera, or digital panoramic imaging system to our software, which is an advantage to the dentist because most dental professionals already have these types of digital devices in their practices. Switching to our software shouldn't require the dentist to invest in new digital devices; that is our goal."

Compatibility with as many different digital devices as possible is Curve Dental's strategy. Currently the software is compatible with the Schick, Suni, Gendex, Eva, and Owandy digital x-ray sensors and will soon be compatible with the Kodak sensor. Additional compatibility will be added as quickly as possible. TWAIN-compatible intraoral cameras and panographs will connect directly with the software now, but may require the dentist to install additional drivers supplied by the manufacturer.

Curve Dental's imaging software is native to its practice management software using a single database and set of code, which provides the doctor and staff with a consistent look and feel throughout the software. Native code also makes the software easier to learn and less demanding on a practice that must train new team members. A stand-alone version of the imaging software will also be available in the near future. "Because our imaging software is 'native' to our practice management software it is more efficient and more stable than an integrated or bridged solution," says Dorey. "'Integrated' or 'bridged' solutions equate to separate databases, separate sources for technical support and two applications that may work and look differently from each other."

Curve Dental recommends a DSL or faster Internet connection. "With digital imaging the user experience is enjoyable on almost any high-speed Internet connection," says Dorey. "We focused our attention on processes and efficiencies to make sure the image could be compressed quickly, without changing or degrading quality, and uploaded to the cloud instantly. We're happy with the results and our customers are finding the experience to be comparable to capturing and saving an image locally."

Like the company's practice management features the imaging features are sold on a subscription basis with an additional setup fee. Introductory pricing is being offered until the end of the year. Interested parties should call for additional information. Although Curve Dental has received FDA approval for US dentists, Health Canada approval is still pending. Canadian dentists are not able to use the imaging features yet.

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Ignorance is Bliss. Or is it?

Serena Oldroyd-Wixom

Power Thought: Advanced Dental Consulting 

Does looking at your practice's profit and loss reports make you queasy? Do you wonder if your expenses are within a healthy percentage range? Are team members asking for raises, but you don't know if the practice can afford it? If so, you are not alone. Questions like these plague many practices, dentists and business owners.

Few things can calm your fears as quickly as getting a grasp on your true overhead costs. This simple step will help you accurately set production goals, identify strengths and weaknesses and determine your practice's true potential for profitability. It is essential to learn what constitutes healthy expense percentages and use them to set benchmarks to achieve a healthy practice.

When determining your overhead there are various expense categories to consider: wages, payroll taxes, dental supplies, lab expenses, loans, leases, any associate expenses and doctor compensation, just to name a few. It takes someone who knows the industry standards to determine good expense percentages for a specific dental practice.

An insurance based practice can be a little tricky to determine the actual production amount. If you have a fee-for-service practice, assessing your overhead is relatively easy.

In an insurance practice, actual production depends on full fee applied to the patient's ledger. Take the total production for a 12-month period then subtract any insurance adjustments made during that time. If the insurance is being billed full-fee to the practice, but the insurance-allowed amount is being charged to the ledger, then take the 12-month total and add or subtract any insurance adjustments. This will give you the actual production number that we will be working with.

In an insurance-based practice, the dentist's full fee for every patient can never be totally collected. Under the PPO contract, the provider is obligated to adjust the full fees to the amount allowed by the insurance, leaving the difference as non-collectible. To determine the collection number, add all the money received during the same 12-month period. To determine the percentage of collection of the practice, divide the collection amount into the actual production number. A healthy collection range is 97% or above. If the collections are in an unhealthy range, use the various reports in your dental software to determine if there is a system that is not being implemented properly. This could stem from outstanding insurance claims, outstanding patient balances, not collecting patient portion at time of service, and many other issues. When you identify discrepancies, write them on an action plan to begin remedying the situation.

To forecast the following year, pull over expenses that will stay the same; look at categories that will change due to new equipment purchases, reduction of loans, continuing education courses and so on. Some of these expenses will be calculated as fixed expenses, while some are considered variable expenses. By analyzing the service categories, we can identify the practice areas that can be improved.

For example, we could look at how many scaling and root planing procedure codes were billed during the 12-month period. If the numbers are low, then we need to look at implementing an effective perio program that would improve patient care. If restorative procedure codes are low, then we need to look at improving case presentations using a relationship based method. Using an action plan to write down what is needed, with deadlines, will help ensure success in improving the numbers in the practice.

Knowing the numbers and improving systems will eliminate fear and create peace of mind. With today's economic pressures, controlling costs and implementing systems to improve the profit and collection margins is increasingly critical. The expense analysis will uncover possible embezzlement or misappropriation of practice funds and resources. Knowing how your practice's expense ratios compare to dental industry norms makes it much easier to perform a break-even and business analysis. Understanding overhead-what it is, where it comes from and how to control it-will empower you to take a stronger leadership role in your practice, and get a good night's sleep.

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