Savvy Smiles Saves 20+ Hours a Week with Dentrix Ascend’s Automated Tools

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Challenge

The team at Savvy Smiles was happy with Dentrix, but needed more out of their practice management solution (PMS). Specifically, they needed a cloud-based practice management system they could access from anywhere without managing their own server or waiting on manual system updates.

Solution

Because they were already using Dentrix, Dentrix Ascend seemed like a natural progression.

Results

Hours saved with automated eligibility verification

The team relies heavily on Ascend's Eligibility Pro, which saves them hours each week. In fact, where it used to take Schmidt around three hours per each day of the schedule to verify patient eligibility, it now only takes about an hour.

“I love that I can just pull that report up at any time, see what a patient's maximum benefits, coverages, and history. If there are claims that get rejected, I can easily see why, fix the issue, and resubmit it right then. I don't have to wait 15 days anymore to see if a claim was rejected.”

-- Elizabeth Schmidt, Office Manager, Savvy Smiles

Forms designed to meet the team's needs

One of the team's favorite features is Ascend's Forms. There are templates preloaded into the system, but the staff can also customize them with more specific questions. They also like that patients can fill out the forms ahead of their appointments, and the information automatically imports into the system.

“We love that the forms can be filled out ahead of time. That obviously makes the appointment a lot faster, especially for new patients. I just have to review it and approve it.”

-- Elizabeth Schmidt, Office Manager, Savvy Smiles

Scheduling simplified

Schmidt and the front desk team are huge fans of online scheduling. They can set up template blocks that specify what days and times are open for scheduling and which types of services are available for patients to make appointments online for.

“I like that Dentrix Ascend allows me to pick and choose which template blocks I allow for online scheduling. I have my template blocks set up to specify which appointments can be scheduled online and which ones can't. I especially like that emergency exams can be scheduled online because emergencies can happen at 9 pm, when we're not in the office and patients can't call us. They can schedule online, we'll see it the next day, and we can provide care much faster.”

-- Elizabeth Schmidt, Office Manager, Savvy Smiles

Less time on the phone

Automated reminders have also helped the team save time while making it easier for patients to stay on top of their appointments.

“We love the automated reminder feature. It probably saves us at least four hours a day because we're not making as many phone calls or leaving as many messages. More than half of our patients confirm electronically, and for the most part, everyone is confirming that way.”

-- Elizabeth Schmidt, Office Manager, Savvy Smiles

Increased flexibility with the cloud

Moving to the cloud has been a game-changer for the Savvy Smiles team. Clinicians can keep in touch with patients after hours or on the weekends, they've eliminated most of their IT costs, and it's provided so much more flexibility for the entire team.

“Ascend being cloud-based is honestly the best thing ever. Its security features make us feel protected and confident that our patients' information is protected, too. It's convenient to access what you need from anywhere. You don't have to worry about losing patient information if your server dies or making sure someone completes a physical backup every night. It's all taken care of for you. If you want to add another location or move practices, you just log back in. It makes everything super easy.”

-- Elizabeth Schmidt, Office Manager, Savvy Smiles

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