Hey there! Welcome to the final episode of our fall cleanup series, where we’re tackling the often-daunting task of cleaning up old and outdated treatment plans in your Dentrix database. This one’s a biggie for both your clinical and administrative teams, and I’m here to give you some tips to help make this process smoother and more effective.
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Let’s face it: treatment plans are tricky. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to cleaning them up, and it requires more than just pushing a button. It’s not black and white. It’s subjective. One team member might think, “Oh, the patient will eventually get that night guard,” while another might think, “They’re never going to do it; just get rid of it.” That’s where some clear guidelines and systems come into play.
Clinical Team: It’s Your Baby
The clinical team really drives the process of making sure treatment plans are accurate and up to date. After all, you’re the ones diagnosing and discussing treatment options with the patients. The treatment plan is your baby, so it’s essential to stay on top of it.
One of the first things I recommend is making sure that the treatment plan panel is up on your screen whenever you’re working in the Dentrix patient chart. Often, I’ll go into practices and the treatment plan panel is missing from the screen. You’re flying blind if you can’t see everything that’s in there!
On your toolbar, there’s a button that says, “Treatment Planner View.” You don’t need to open the whole treatment planner module, just click on that button, and it will show the treatment plan on the left side of the screen. Why is this important? Because there could be old stuff hanging out in the treatment plan that you wouldn’t notice otherwise—like an occlusal guard that won’t show up in red on the tooth chart. If you don’t see it, you might not realize it’s still there.
My challenge to the clinical team is simple: Look at the treatment plan every single time the patient is in the chair. If something doesn’t belong, like a new patient exam from two years ago that’s still sitting in the plan, get rid of it. However, there’s a key distinction: don’t just delete things when a patient says no. Instead, reject them. Deleting should only be for duplicates or mistakes.
Admin Team: Your Role in Treatment Cleanup
Now, let’s talk about the admin team. You’re playing a crucial role in keeping the treatment plans up to date, especially when you’re working with unscheduled treatment. One of the tools you’ll be using is the Treatment Manager report. Ideally, you should be running this report at least a couple of times a week to follow up with patients.
Here’s a common scenario: You open the Treatment Manager, and there’s this long list of outdated treatment. I know, it can feel overwhelming, and you’re probably thinking, “I don’t even know where to start.” But don’t worry; there’s a process. First, get some clear rules from the doctor. For example, the doctor could say, “If the treatment plan is more than three years old, you can reject it.”
Rejecting old treatment gives you a clean slate to work from when that patient comes in for their next appointment. This way, you’re not dealing with old data, and when the clinical team goes to re-treatment plan, they’re working with accurate, up-to-date information. This also helps make your case acceptance rates more accurate because you’re not cluttered with old, irrelevant data.
The Importance of Teamwork
Here’s the thing: Both the clinical and admin teams are working toward the same goal. You want treatment plans that are current, relevant, and actionable. Whether it’s in the back with the clinical team making sure the treatment is accurate or in the front with the admin team keeping those plans organized, everyone’s efforts contribute to the bigger picture.
Now, if you’re struggling with how to get patients over the finish line when it comes to saying “yes” to treatment, that’s a whole other conversation. It might be about verbal skills, financing options, or patient communication strategies. While I can help with some of that, I’ve had amazing guests like Sophia Dunkley and Katherine Eitel-Belt on my podcast who are experts in this area. So, feel free to check out those episodes if you need some extra help!
Wrapping It Up
So, there you have it—our five-part fall cleanup series wrapped up with a little bow! If you ever need to revisit any of the topics, feel free to check out the episodes again, and if you want to see my face while I’m talking about all this stuff, head over to my YouTube channel.
Remember, cleaning up your Dentrix database isn’t just a once-a-year task. It’s an ongoing process, but with the right systems in place, you can make it much easier on yourself and your team. You’ve got some new projects on your to-do list now, and I know you’re ready to tackle them.
If you’ve been enjoying this series and feel like you’d benefit from diving even deeper into this, I’d love to work with you. You’re already getting tons of value from the free content, but there’s so much more we could explore together to help you become a high-performing dental team.
So, get to cleaning up those treatment plans, and let’s keep your practice running smoothly, efficiently, and accurately. I look forward to hearing about your progress, and hey, if you’re in Colorado, isn’t fall just the best time of year? Cooler mornings, beautiful trees… and now, a cleaner Dentrix database!
High five! Let’s do this!
