Courtesy of Bryan Currier, President of Advantage Tech

When purchasing or selling a practice, one of the areas you can easily overlook is the computer and network technology within. Proper utilization of practice management software, imaging technologies, and the core computer system can make a world of difference in your transition. Each of these is very important to the operational efficiency of any practice. Today, let’s look at practice management software.

1. Run with the group
Most practices run one of the following practice management systems (for GP): Dentrix, SoftDent, EagleSoft, or PracticeWorks. There are some outliers, but for the most part these are the systems you see in the vast majority of practices. This is actually great for dentistry. The money that goes into research and development on software is quite substantial, and the software is constantly coming out with new improvements.

Contrast that to older pieces of software (such as Computer Age Dentist, QSI UNIX, etc.), and you’ll find they are way behind. Items such as paperless patient entry, registration at home, even simple things like procedure codes, can be outdated on older systems. If you’re not using an industry-leading software, this would be an excellent time to think about making a move. As a seller, this is an important piece of the practice that a prospective buyer is going to look at, so make it easy for them. As a buyer, carefully consider the cost (particularly in staff time and frustration) of trying to change practice management systems at the same time as having a change in leadership.

2. Stay current
There are plenty of practices that have an industry-leading practice management software but are running a version that is three or four years old. If you’re not running the latest version, you’re missing out on bug fixes, stability enhancements, and new features that enhance the productivity that is continually built into these packages. Stay current and stay on support with your software provider. It’s well worth the minor investment in your practice.

3. Get a second opinion
When looking at a practice and trying to determine the status of the I.T. system, don’t go it alone. There are qualified and trained I.T. people who know dental and can help. Your transitions consultant at ADS can recommend a local dental I.T. partner who is qualified to help you in this process. Ask them. They are there to help.

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Bryan Currier is president of Advantage Tech, an I.T. company dedicated to serving dental practices. Bryan has 13 years in the industry, and has assisted nearly 1,000 practices with various I.T. needs throughout his career. He has spoken at various events, including the Carestream Users Group and Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, and has been published in various trade journals. He resides in Florida with his wife and four children. Bryan can be reached at 877.723.8832.