Making Life Easier

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.