Step into Dr. Amelia Smith’s family dental practice, where they have stood the test of time, providing dedicated care for generations. Despite the warm smiles and familiar faces, the practice faces a common struggle amongst established dental practices: managing an overwhelming amount of paper-based patient forms, check-ins, and treatment plans.
Dr. Smith and her team start each morning wading through mountains of paperwork, from patient histories to consent forms, all filled out in hurried handwriting. The quaint charm of the office is overshadowed by the inefficiencies of outdated practices and illegible writing, leading to longer waiting times, misplaced documents, and growing frustration among patients and staff alike.
To improve patient care and enhance office efficiency, dental practices like Dr. Smith’s are increasingly shifting from traditional paperwork to paperless patient forms.
Join us as we delve into the top 5 reasons it is ESSENTIAL for dental offices to go paperless. You’ll also learn how PatientEnroll Pro, the tablet application for patient forms and check-in integrated with Practice-Web dental software, fuels these advantages.
Increased Office Efficiency: Streamline Check-Ins
Upon arriving at a dental office that still utilizes paper forms, patients are typically handed a stack of paperwork containing personal information, medical history, insurance details, and consent forms. This process can be repetitive and time-consuming for patients. Furthermore, staff members must manually input this information into the office system, creating the potential for errors and additional time consumption.
However, by implementing paperless patient forms and streamlined check-in processes with PatientEnroll Pro, dental offices can see a 35% increase in administrative efficiency. This increased efficiency enables staff to devote more time to what truly matters: providing an exceptional patient experience.
Exceptional Patient Experience: Leave a Lasting Impression
Creating an exceptional patient experience begins with recognizing that the first impression is often the last impression. The first experience a patient has with an office is typically filling out forms, and according to a recent survey, 83% of people prefer to fill out online forms before arriving at a practice rather than using paper forms. With this knowledge, it is imperative that practices offer digital intake forms to meet the expectations of nearly all of their patients. Digital intake forms like PatientEnroll Pro also reduce patient wait time by 80%, saving around 20 minutes per patient!
PatientEnroll Pro enables patients to check in, complete, sign, and submit forms, consent forms, and saved treatment plans on a tablet in the waiting room. Patients can also conveniently fill out forms at their leisure before the appointment using their own device, reducing waiting times and making the check-in process smoother and faster. Considering all the benefits provided, it’s no wonder that 81% of all patients prefer a more modern, paperless office.
Improved Data Security: Keep Your Practice and Patients Safe
It is extremely important to note that storing files outside of a secure system is a violation of HIPAA. Violating HIPAA regulations can result in serious consequences, including civil and criminal penalties. Additionally, healthcare professionals may face disciplinary actions by their licensing boards and damage to their professional reputation. For the affected patients, the stolen information could result in identity theft, financial fraud, and potential harm to their privacy and security. Therefore, it becomes pivotal that a practice implements more modern security measures to protect against the potential consequences of non-compliance.
PatientEnroll Pro utilizes digitally secure connections to patient databases and provides password protection to ensure that data is accessed only by authorized individuals. Additionally, digital signatures captured in the application are encrypted and legally binding, ensuring patient data remains secure and compliant with regulations.
Considering the risks of a non-paperless system alongside the advantages of a paperless system, it’s crucial to question the value of maintaining a non-paperless system.
Save Time and Money by Reducing the Paperwork
Ensuring long-term financial stability is at the forefront of every dental practice owner, manager, and staff member. Transitioning to a paperless office can significantly reduce overhead costs associated with paper, ink, printer maintenance, and physical storage. Moreover, digital recordkeeping enables staff to quickly locate and access patient information, saving time and reducing the need for additional administrative support.The combination of savings on office supplies, coupled with a 35% increase in administrative staff efficiency, leads to annual savings of approximately $60,000 for a practice attending to around 20 patients daily!
These substantial savings harnessed through the use of the PatientEnroll Pro application can be redirected towards upgrading equipment and technology, investing in staff training and development, enhancing patient amenities, boosting marketing efforts, or even expanding services offered – all playing vital roles in the overall growth and success of the practice.
Environmentally Friendly: Be a Part of The Solution
An often-overlooked problem in the dental industry is the issue of environmental impact. Every year, a single dental practice uses an average of 10,000 sheets of paper. This leads to more than 200,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually across offices in the United States and the United Kingdom. By eliminating the need for paper documents and physical storage, dental offices that go paperless contribute to environmental sustainability. PatientEnroll Pro supports this effort by enabling patients to complete, sign, and submit forms digitally, reducing the environmental impact of paper waste and promoting a greener dental practice.
The bottom line is that going paperless offers numerous benefits for dental offices, from increased efficiency to enhanced patient experiences and cost savings. The integration of the PatientEnroll Pro feature with Practice-Web dental office software empowers dental practices to capitalize on these benefits and establish a contemporary, eco-friendly patient experience. Embrace the future of dental care and discover the transformation that PatientEnroll Pro can bring to your practice.
Interested in going paperless?
Interested in going paperless? Contact us at 800.845.9379 or [email protected] to sign up for a free 30-day trial of PatientEnrollPro.
Also, watch the short explainer video below to see PatientEnrollPro in action!
Not using Practice-Web yet? We’d love to show you around. Click here for a complimentary demo.