Use the Appointment Check List in Dentrix to ensure your screening protocol has been completed for each patient.
If your office has re-opened, you’ve probably established a protocol for screening patients for COVID-19 prior to their appointment. Using the Appointment Check List in Dentrix is a good way to communicate to your team that the screening protocol you have in place has been completed for each patient with an appointment.
The Appointment Checklist is found at the bottom of the Appointment Information window of each appointment. It is a customizable checklist that can be used to communicate details about the patient’s appointment to the rest of the team. You can customize the items that appear in the Checklist from the Office Manager > Maintenance > Practice Setup > Definitions.
Select Appointment Checklist from the Definition Type drop down list, type the Definition Text as you want it to appear on the Appointment Checklist, then select Add. You can have up to 12 items included in the Appointment Checklist.
Here are some ideas of items you may want to include on your Appointment Check List:
- If you are taking patients’ temperatures in order to screen them for COVID-19 prior to their appointment, “Temperature Taken” may be a good item to add to the Appointment Check List. When your front office checks the patient in for their appointment, they can take the patient’s temperature, and check the corresponding box on the Appointment Check List to indicate that it has been done. Then, they can change the appointment’s status to Ready for Operatory. This will indicate to your clinical staff that the patient’s temperature has been taken, that they have been cleared, and they are ready to be taken to the operatory.
- Another item you could add to the Appointment Check List is “COVID-19 Questionnaire”. Many offices are having patients fill out a questionnaire to find out if patients have been exposed to the virus. Click to find an example of a patient COVID-19 screening form in the America Dental Association Return to Work Kit.
- By adding the COVID-19 Questionnaire item to the Appointment Check List, you can easily indicate to your team that the questionnaire has been completed. Completed forms can be stored in the Questionnaires module or scanned and saved in the patient’s Document Center, depending on where your office keeps patient forms.
- Some offices are having patients sign a consent form or release to be seen in the office. “Consent Signed” may be another item to add to your Appointment Check List. Create a consent form for patients to sign (either digitally or on paper) and then save these forms in the patient’s Document Center.
By customizing the Appointment Check List, you can communicate important details about the patient to the rest of your team in order to prepare them. Using the Appointment Check List can help streamline your COVID-19 screening and patient check-in process for your practice.
Learn More
For additional related information, see the following:
- ADA Return to Work Kit
- Charging for PPE: What You Need to Set Up in Dentrix
- Allow Patients to Fill Out Forms Online
- Sending Documents to the Document Center without Scanning
- Using Digital Consent Forms
By Charlotte Skaggs
Certified Dentrix Trainer and The Dentrix Office Manager columnist
Charlotte Skaggs is the founder of Vector Dental Consulting LLC, a practice management firm focused on taking offices to the next level. Charlotte co-owned and managed a successful dental practice with her husband for 17 years. She has a unique approach to consulting based on the perspective of a practice owner. Charlotte has been using Dentrix for over 20 years and is a certified Dentrix trainer. Contact Charlotte at vectordentalconsulting@gmail.com.
