A new search by procedure code option can help your team quickly find the codes they need.
In the May 2023 release of Dentrix, you may have noticed a new option to search for a procedure code. These search fields have been added in the Patient Chart and the Ledger and are helpful when posting procedure codes for patients.
You can also search for a procedure code when adding a code to an appointment through the Appointment Information dialog box and in the Procedure Code Editor in the Office Manager.
For many dental offices, this feature can significantly improve your daily workflow.
Clinical Team Workflow
Some clinical team members may not be familiar with many of the ADA procedure codes. This can cause a roadblock for some practices when it comes to hygienists and dental assistants who treatment plan procedures in the operatory. They sometimes complain that it simply takes too long for them to search for the procedure codes to treatment plan while the patient is in the chair, and this can set them behind with their schedule. In the past, for those offices, I have suggested creating procedure buttons for the procedures that they chart and treatment plan most often. By creating procedure buttons, instead of searching for procedure codes, they simply select the corresponding procedure button. However, there are often times that their doctor is treatment planning procedures that they don’t have a corresponding procedure button for. That can become frustrating for the clinical team because they don’t have time to search for the procedure code within the procedure category. Now, with the option to search for a procedure code, you can type in the keywords for the procedure code you are looking for. For example, if you type crown, Dentrix will search procedure code descriptions for any that contain crown. This will make it much quicker and easier for the clinical team to find the codes that they’re looking for.
Administrative Team Workflow
Alternatively, administrative team members tend to know the actual procedure codes more readily than the procedure description. For example, an administrative team member may tell you D2391 long before she thinks to tell you one surface composite filling. The procedure code search option can also be searched by procedure code. This can be helpful for the administrative team members who quickly remember the code but not the category it’s found in. Or they may remember the first part of the code but not the last digit.
This new search by procedure code option can be an invaluable tool in helping your clinical and administrative teams find the codes they need quickly and easily.
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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.
