subject: Which Image Management Software Should I Choose? [print this page] Many practices are considering or are already on their way to becoming a paperless, digital practice. When going paperless in your practice there is a laundry list of items that you need to research before taking the plunge into digital. One concern that comes up amongst dentists looking to go digital is,
"What imaging software will work with my practice management software?"
This is an important question to ask when making the decision to go digital in your practice. One of the many benefits of going to digital x-ray sensors is speed and efficiency. Having image management software that integrates seamlessly with your practice management software will not only maximize efficiency, it"s also going to maximize staff acceptance.
In order to choose the right image management software we have to answer 3 questions:
- What practice management software will I use?
- What sensors do I want to use?
- What image management softwaremeets my needs and works best with the answers to my above questions?
What practice management software will I use?
If you are already using practice management software in your office than I applaud you; you've completed 1/3 of the journey to going all digital in your practice, continue to the next question.
Choosing the right practice management softwarefor your practice is the most important decision of these 3 questions. Aside from the file server in your office, your practice management software is the heart of your practice. To choose the right practice management software you'll want to look at a few things: look and feel of software, is it customizable to your needs, what image management software works with it, are you comfortable with how the treatment planning and charting works, what is the price tag, how much is their annual support?
You'll want practice management software that has a look and feel that makes you comfortable when navigating its many features.
Things to look for:
- big buttons which will make clicking on them faster and easier
- logical grouping of buttons for ease of navigation (i.e. Charting, treatment, appt buttons in a close group)
- are you able to navigate to any module via a button from any module window rather than having to minimize or close modules to get to where you want to go
- does it have an all around "pleasing" look to it
Your practice management software should also be customizable to your needs. Some software, such as Dentrix, has tons of features and modules many of which you'll never use and Dentrix does not allow the removal of unneeded modules. Being able to remove or add only the features that you will use will make the software easier to navigate and use for you and your staff.
Navigating your practice management software easily is the difference between staff frustration and staff acceptance. Having to minimize and/or close modules to get to the module you want can be frustrating and slow. Although this may seem like a minute concern now but once you start using your practice management software every day all day you will quickly understand how frustrating this can be.
What sensors do I want to use?
Choosing the right sensor can seem like a daunting and overwhelming task but it really doesn't have to be this way.
When choosing the right sensor for you there a four things to consider:
- Good Image Quality
- Reliability
- Price
- Functionality
Choosing the right sensor is too much to explain in this article, I advise you to read over HelpingHandInTech"s article series on Digital Intra Oral Sensors.
Once you"ve chosen your practice management software and have gathered a couple of sensors that you feel will be a great investment for your practice it is time to choose your image management software.
What image management software do I want to use?
When choosing image management software you want to ask a few questions:
- Will the software work with any of my chosen sensors?
- Will the software work with any of my chosen intra oral cameras?
- Will the software work with any of my Panorex choices?
- Will the software work with my chosen practice management software?
- Does the image management software company offer database conversion from my previous image software?
- Can I scan existing film images into the software? (Very important when going paperless)
- Can I quickly and easily export a chosen group of images and email them to a colleague, referring dentist, or insurance company?
- How does patient information get entered into the software? Will the image management software automatically import all patient information without me having to manually enter the information?
- If you have satellite offices, does the image management software allow the synchronizing of two different databases at two different offices? What about 3 satellite offices or more?
- How often are updates and upgrades released for the software?
Hands down the most versatile image management software in the dental industry is Apteryx Imaging"s XrayVision software. XrayVision passes all questions and tests when it comes to prioritys in a dental practice. XrayVision will work with nearly every single sensor on the market, except for Dexis, as well as nearly every Panorex unit, any TWAIN flatbed scanner for scanning film, and every intra oral camera on the market (including older analog cameras.)
If you already have an image management software and are considering switching to something better, XrayVision has the capabilities to convert your old database so that you have all of your existing patient information right from the switch.
Scanning existing film x-rays into XrayVision is a snap and can be done from any computer that you have a flatbed film scanner connected to. With XrayVisions ability to integrate with your practice management software you can scan a film xray into a patients file with all of their patient information attached in under 2 minutes!
XrayVision also allows for uber easy exporting of images allowing you to email images to referring doctors or attach them to electronic insurance claims quickly and easily with patient information already attached.
XrayVision is simply the best choice for image management in dental. XV allows for easy integration with your practice management software, works with nearly every sensor on the market, will work with any intra oral camera, and is super simple to use. Add to this Apteryx"s frequent software updates and upgraded version releases and it"s quite clear which image management software you should choose.
Call us for a free demo of Apteryx"s XrayVision imaging software today! I"ll even let you try XrayVision for 30 days for FREE.
by: Jake Scheiterlein
Zaproxy alias impedit expedita quisquam pariatur exercitationem. Nemo rerum eveniet dolores rem quia dignissimos.
