b.15 Paperless Schedule.pdf

50 www.rdhmag.com

50

April 2010

by Jana Berghoff, RDH

The Paperless ScheduleHow the computerized system benefi ts time management

During my time as a practicing hygienist, I was fortunate to

experience the many rewards offered by the hygiene fi eld.

However, I also experienced many of the challenges that

come with the profession, and this helped me gain insight into the

needs of todays hygienists. One of the main challenges I experienced

in practice was working with a paper schedule, and this remains a frus-

tration for many hygienists. Paper schedules can lead to ineffi cient

communication in the offi ce and lead to a number of bigger problems.

While there are many advantages to adopting a computerized system

in the dental offi ce, improved scheduling is one of the main benefi ts of

making the switch. Additionally, because scheduling is the platform for

so much of the offi ce workfl ow, a smooth running scheduling system

can positively impact many other areas of the practice.

Communication with the front desk

With paper scheduling, there are many opportunities for miscom-

munication or ineffi ciency in the offi ce. If the front desk person adds

a new patient to the hygienists schedule but forgets to add it to the

hygienists paper schedule, the hygienist has no way of knowing that

the patient is there. In another scenario, if a patient calls to inform the

offi ce that he or she is running late, it

is often diffi cult for the front desk to

effi ciently alert the hygienist. In many

instances, a hygienist appreciates and

can make good use of extra time with

his or her patients, but if the hygienist

doesnt know theres extra time in the

schedule, these valuable opportunities

may be wasted.

In terms of time management, the

ability to see scheduling changes live

from the treatment room, such as with

the OnSchedule feature from Pat-

terson EagleSoft Practice Manage-

ment Software, is vital for the hygien-

ist. Computerized scheduling makes

it easy to maintain a short call list of

patients who would like to be treated

sooner than their scheduled appoint-

ments. For hygienists who are paid

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52 www.rdhmag.com April 2010

Feature I Berghoff

their patients well can properly adjust their schedules to ac-

commodate them better and allow for breaks between chal-

lenging patients. I have also noticed that hygienists who can

schedule their own time are more apt to schedule additional

services, such as nutritional counseling and patient educa-

tion, that the front desk may not be aware of.

With practice management software, hygienists feel em-

powered to take more control of their own schedules and

production. An easy-to-use reporting feature, such as the

Reports feature from EagleSoft, lets staff members cre-

ate reports about their patients, and allows hygienists to

search for patients and follow up or contact them as neces-

sary. For instance, if a patient has completed only one step

in a multistep treatment, the hygienist can contact the pa-

tient to check on his or her progress. Also, the records of

family members can be easily linked together. This allows

the hygienist to note, for example, when a mothers children

are due for appointments, during the mothers appointment.

She can then ask the mother if she would like to schedule

any appointments for her children.

The ability to easily view a patients record can help hy-

gienists concentrate their practice-building efforts where

they are most useful. Many hygienists like to suggest op-

tional services such as whitening, but may do this without

realizing a patient has outstanding bills with the practice.

Practice management software enables the hygienist to see

factors such as these and suggest only appropriate services.

In addition to proactively contacting patients, hygienists

based on their production or held to a certain level of pro-

duction, effi ciently running a short call list can make an ap-

preciable difference. Without a computer, normally only the

front desk person can manage this list, but computerized

scheduling also allows hygienists to access this information.

Also, a computerized schedule can automatically remove a

patient from the list once he or she gets a new appointment,

and there is often confusion regarding rescheduled appoint-

ments with paper scheduling.

The changing hygiene treatment options can also cause

communication issues when scheduling is left to the front

desk. There are now insurance codes based not on a whole

quadrant of teeth but on more specifi c numbers and areas

of teeth, and the reception team may not schedule correctly

for these time consuming treatments. Allowing hygienists

to quickly view their schedules and make their own appoint-

ments helps ensure these treatments are accurately planned,

or that any miscalculation by the front desk is quickly cor-

rected.

Building your personal production

The ability to schedule their own appointments gives hy-

gienists much needed control and fl exibility. For example,

hygienists who know that certain patients appointments of-

ten run long can allow extra time in the schedule, or avoid

booking one of these patients right next to the other. As we

know, time can vary in even the most basic services, because

not all prophies are created equal. Hygienists who know Software can be used to fi nd patients on short notice.

Software is used to e-mail patients about recall appointments.

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Feature I Berghoff

can work on building their personal patient base at the end

of every appointment. With the ability to schedule a patients

next appointment from the treatment room, a hygienist can

personally make sure that the patient is scheduled to see

him or her again. Furthermore, many hygienists fi nd that

patients are more likely to book a future appointment when

they are asked by the dental team in the treatment room

rather than by the receptionist at the front desk.

Helping the practice run smoothly

The improved interoffi ce communication that comes with

scheduling software can help the offi ce run better in many

ways. For instance, EagleSoft has a feature that allows users

to view only the doctors schedule and their own, which can

greatly simplify the scheduling screen. Users can then quickly

revert back to a view that shows the entire offi ces schedules,

which is useful for further coordination. For instance, if a par-

ent visits the offi ce with a number of children and wants them

all to be seen at the same time, a hygienist can quickly view

the entire staffs availability. Or, if one hygienist is running

late with a patient, he or she she can easily send an instant

message via the computer to ask another staff member to be-

gin the next appointment by taking X-rays.

An additional feature available with this software is the

ideal day template, which allows a hygienist to communi-

cate preferences and scheduling needs with the front desk.

Some hygienists prefer to perform scaling and root plan-

ing early in the day, or want to make sure that time is set

aside each day for a certain type of appointment. Scheduling

software enables each staff member to create a customized

schedule unique to each team member.

Practice management software allows the schedule to

serve as the starting point for access to any other neces-

sary information. Hygienists can easily click into patients

records to locate their history and notes, rather than tak-

ing more time to consult a paper chart. The computerized

schedule can also display the date of a patients last X-rays

directly in the appointment box, putting this important in-

formation where it can be easily seen. Additionally, schedul-

ing software can help hygienists mask patient information

from the screen, allowing them to display their schedules in

continued on page 75

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75www.rdhmag.comApril 2010

ber of individual members of IFDH,

and allow dental hygienists across the

globe an opportunity to play an active

role in the IFDH. (To become an in-

dividual member, go to: www.ifdh.org/

dt/ifdhapplication1.pdf.)

On behalf of the entire EC, I wel-

come comments, questions, and sug-

gestions, and invite you to join us in

Glasgow. The world is becoming

smaller. Before too long, we will have a

world without borders!

program, including a randomized,

controlled study by the Department

of Dental Public Health Sciences

(DPHS) at the University of Wash-

ington. The effectiveness of the final

exhibit will be evaluated to determine

if childrens attitudes, knowledge,

and motivation will change their oral

health behaviors.

continued from page 16The rationale for creating SIGs is

varied. SIGs will provide networks of

IFDH members who share common

interests a vehicle and a venue to

share professional issues or concerns. If

members belong to a SIG whose topic

is exciting and relevant to them (such

as hospital dental hygiene, education,

continued from page 22parents reported their childrens lack

of motivation to brush was their big-

gest problem.

Parents reported trying numerous

research, or starting a dental hygiene

program in a third-world country),

they may be more active within the

profession.

The ECs intent is that past and cur-

rent HOD members will be eligible to

become SIG members. In addition, we

would like to open up membership to

individual members who have a special

interest in a given topic. This needs to

be approved by the HOD, as well as the

entire Guidelines document. SIGs

could potentially increase the num-

fear, punishment, and reward tactics,

but said these attempts to improve be-

havior were ineffective. New electric

toothbrushes, colored rinses, and vari-

ous other gimmicks motivated children

initially but only for short periods of

time.

Evaluation of the new interactive

game includes an extensive research

C I Intl Dental Hygiene

C I Periodontal Therapy

continued from page 15difference in the health and future of our nation.

In its fi nal step, the Dental Impact program will then hit

the street and go into the community in Orlando to spread

the message to the community. You will go home with a de-

tailed workbook and materials necessary to make an impact

in your community by organize a community health project.

I hope you will join us in this day of learning and giving.

Noel Brandon Kelsch, RDHAP, is a syndicated columnist, writer, speaker,

and cartoonist. She is a member of the Organization for Safety and Asepsis

Procedures and has received many national awardsand owns her dental

hygiene practice that focuses on access to care for all. She has devoted much

of her 35 years in dentistry to educating people about the devastating effects

of methamphetamine and druguse. She is immediate past president of the

California Dental Hygienists Association, on the board of directors for the Simi

Valley Free Clinic.

F I Kelsch

F I Berghoff

continued from page 54the treatment room while maintaining confi dentiality.

Dental hygienists are an important infl uence in the dental

offi ce regarding technology and effi ciency. While switching

to a computerized schedule or a paperless offi ce may seem

daunting for some offi ces, the benefi ts in effi ciency, produc-

tion, and communication are too great to ignore. Even of-

fi ces that are currently using scheduling software may fi nd

there are features they are not taking full advantage of, so

it is worth exploring all the capabilities of any existing sys-

tem. Being proactive about scheduling can be a big help for

hygienists in improving patient relationships and advancing

their careers.

Jana Berghoff, RDH, is a Patterson Technology representative with more than

30 years of experience in the dental profession. Initially trained as a dental

hygienist at Northwestern University School of Dentistry in Chicago, she

spent time in the clinical setting learning the ropes of patient care. She soon

found herself moving into offi ce/staff management positions. As an offi ce

administrator, she worked with and was trained on several different dental

software programs and found she liked working with computers. She refo-

cused her career and started working with Patterson Dental.

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