I guess I am on a new kick. In my last post, I shared my enthusiasm for voice recognition software — Dragon Naturally Speaking — based on how much time it saves me every week on administrative tasks like reports, memos, and e-mail communications. Dragon can be installed on Macs or PCs. In this difficult economy, dental practices have to create ways to increase their productivity through efficiency. Simply stated, we need to collect more dollars with the same staffing infra-structure because hiring more people is not an option. Let me share two ideas that I am excited about.

Isolite systems is a high speed suction/isolation/high visibility system that allows the doctor to prepare teeth unassisted. I recently had a Cerec restoration done in this fashion, and I could not believe that my former partner — who used to be as hopelessly dependent as I was on a dental assistant — could do the prep all by himself. And I was amazed at how comfortable this dental experience was for me. The dental assistant was in another treatment room busily taking off temps and getting some other patient ready for a crown and bridge try in. This is efficiency!

Demand Force is a Silicon Valley company that was originally introduced to dentistry for the purpose of automated appointment confirmation sent to an e-mail address or a text message to a cell phone. Obviously this is a big time saver for the front desk and frees them up for other administrative duties. But I am really excited about another feature with this cool technology. Demand Force can automatically generate a brief customer satisfaction survey that can be  sent after a patient appointment. It is easy and intuitive for that patient to write a positive review about their dental experience. These reviews are referenced by Google, and in just a few months your practice is at the top of the local Google business map.

New technologies can be a big help and they are fun– so do not overlook the opportunity and challenge to improve and redefine every single management and clinical system in your practice.

Even though the harder I work the luckier I seem to get, one of my favorite guiding principles for success continues to be “work smarter – not harder.” I recently discovered a life transforming technology that is making my work routine infinitely easier. It is voice recognition software from a company called Dragon Naturally Speaking. This product allows me to speak into a headset attached to my computer, and whatever I say is written into an email or a Word document with 99% accuracy. The cost is about $165 on amazon.com.

After every client meeting, I send a detailed follow up memo by email that would normally take at least 30 minutes to type on my computer. I have been doing this for years – and I can type pretty quickly – but SO many typos to correct. Now with Dragon, I can create the same document in half the time because I can speak much more quickly that I can type, and there are NO typos because spell check is built into the software.

I suggest that in your dental practice there are many daily situations where Dragon could be utilized with significant savings of time and effort. In the paperless practice – and you know this is going to be mandated in the next few years – you can enter chart notes in as much detail as you like. This will eliminate reliance on templates and give you more flexibility. Treatment plans can also be dictated into your computer. For specialists who need to send lots of correspondence to their referring doctors, this is a natural.

Much to my surprise, I have discovered that many dentists have never learned more than rudimentary typing – and for them to send a detailed email is a daunting task given the amount of time it takes to sit down and struggle with a keyboard. With this software, communication rises to a new level. It is truly liberating!

So check this out – and by the way, if you have an I Phone, you can down load it as a free app.