What is your definition of a “paperless practice?”
I’ve actually never been a huge fan of the term “paperless practice” as I think it’s extremely difficult, especially for an existing practice, to completely eliminate all paper. Whether it’s insurance forms, walkout statements, patient education brochures, or other documents, removing all paper is very tough. What I do think is achievable, though, and what we’ve done for many practices, is to be completely chartless. This means there is no longer a need for any physical chart or cabinets for those charts. All patient information, charting, documentation, and images can be electronic, so there really is no need to have a chart that can get lost or destroyed.
2. What would be the logical first step for a dentist to go paperless?
In my lectures, I often suggest a Six Step Plan for going paperless. The steps, in order, are to evaluate 1) practice-management software, 2) image software, 3) operatory design, 4) computers, 5) digital technologies, and finally, 6) data protection. The practice-management software is really the glue that holds everything together, and many of the decisions such as digital x-rays, computers, and data backup will be based on which practice-management software is in place. While there’s no perfect software package out there, there are tons of third-party add-on programs that can help the practice go paperless.
3. How long would it take, in your estimation, for an office to go paperless?
That depends on where the practice currently is with its technology system, and the comfort level the dentist and staff have with new technologies. In my experience, it’s usually a 12- to 18-month process from the moment a practice decides to go chartless until it achieves that goal. Some practices have done it much quicker, and some we’ve worked with are three years into the process and still on the first step. The key factor here is that you should do things in stages. Choose one system that you want to add, get comfortable with that, and once everyone is at that level of comfort, move on to the next step. There’s no magic bullet … it has to be thought out in advance, almost like a treatment plan.
4. What kind of budget should be set aside for going paperless?
As with the previous question, it depends on where the practice is. Many offices look at the costs of the high-tech items such as digital x-rays without realizing that the cost to upgrade their infrastructure is significantly more. For example, most offices spend around $15,000 for digital x-rays, but upgrading the computers and network when all is said and done can be double that amount. If an office already has the infrastructure in place, then the cost to go paperless isn’t all that great since it’s mostly just software programs that are needed. The largest “hidden” cost in all of this is training, as the practice will need multiple days of training as it undergoes the process. Of course, some offices will qualify for Federal Funding if they meet the Meaningful Use criteria.
5. Is there an ROI for going paperless? If so, how long would it take for it to be realized?
I absolutely feel there is a positive ROI, although there doesn’t seem to be any published articles that can really quantify that. Not having to purchase and store paper charts, increased efficiency, greater case acceptance, increased new patient flow, all of these will improve the ROI … but it’s hard to put exact numbers on that.
6. What’s the one message you want readers to understand about going paperless?
Overall, there are a few key themes here. First, plan it out properly; nobody wants to make a $50,000 mistake. If you want, work with a technology consultant like myself who can help you walk through the steps, but you can certainly get good info online if you want to do it yourself. Secondly, take the time to get the entire team on board and go at a pace that’s comfortable for everyone. Finally, there’s no time like the present to get started.
