Despite technology’s abundance, there are often shreds of the past in the workplace—literally, in the form of a paper trail. As anyone who has tried to go paperless knows, it’s much more involved than downloading shared documents and printing them. A truly paperless practice integrates patient and staff communication, and it takes real processes and commitment to make the transition. If you’re still scanning in paper forms or using a signature pad, it’s time to take a look at how much time and energy those paper-based processes are taking.
If the technology exists and it’s at your disposal, what’s the underlying issue that’s holding your team back from eliminating paper forms? Your hesitation could be a seeming lack of support or the absence of a comprehensive, easy-to-use platform. Maybe paper is your safety net, and if so, that’s understandable. It’s your patient data, after all, and proper management of this information is paramount.
XLDent, a practice management software provider, is a company that seems to understand why dental practices still cling to clipboards and what’s at risk. That’s why they offer an “all-inclusive” suite of solutions to enable a “worry-free” paperless workflow. A key offering is the XLDent Intelligent Document Center that manages and queues forms, like Patient Health History, that require updates on a recurring schedule. XLDent also helps practices digitize any custom form, turning it into an “Ink Form” that can be completed anywhere in the office on a Tablet PC.
With proper support and processes, here are 3 eServices your practice should adopt in order to go paperless once and for all:
1. eCharting — This is your electronic dental records system. It features treatment charts that are suitable for any dental specialty and allows for all information to be displayed on one screen for easy viewing. Combined with a tablet workflow, your staff can be mobile with your entire patient record, bringing it chairside for patient education, into your break room or anywhere in the office.
XLDent’s XLChart allows clinicians to streamline the treatment plan presentation, includes restorative and periodontal exams, ink forms, a medical history 
?review area, and the ability to draw and make notes directly on the chart. Plus, these features can be elevated to the next level with a wireless tablet.
2. ePrescribing — Eliminating paper means eliminating your old-school prescription pad. Medications, including controlled substances, can be easily and quickly ePrescribed, directly from the patient's record. This feature helps clinicians reduce healthcare costs by selecting medications that are preferred by the patient's health plan, and the elimination of paper protects clinicians from prescription fraud.
According to XLDent, it was the first practice management system to offer integrated ePrescribing services to help dentists complete the electronic dental health record.
3. ePortals — Streamline patient check-in and, from the other side of that process, allow patients to fill out registration and info with online forms in the patient portal. The patient portal also allows patients to view scheduled appointments, view proposed treatment and treatment history, access billing statements, make online payments, and more.
XLDent’s XLPortal is integrated with the XLDent dental practice management system to provide electronic dental record information in real-time to you and your patients. Upon completion of a patient registration form, it’s immediately part of the XLDent patient record—no uploading or syncing required.
Are you ready to finally eliminate the rest of your paper forms? It all begins with an honest assessment of your practice’s processes. XLDent can be a resource for that as well, so consider signing up for a live demo to learn more.