Many of us have started to find our new normal since the pandemic has started. Frequent hand-washing, sanitizing work areas and wearing masks and gloves are just part of a normal day. The only thing left is to figure out if the office has explored all options to minimize the risk of transmission so that patients and staff are kept safe. One of the options is to go paperless to reduce the paper usage.

If you’re still deciding whether your office should go paperless, here are the benefits of decreasing the volume of paper used during the pandemic:

Supports sanitary working conditions

Paper forms can become a risk for transmission as it is a high-touch surface – first, the receptionist passes the paper forms to the patient, which then gets passed back to be input and stored away.

By going paperless, offices eliminate this risk as patients fill out e-forms that are sent to them before their appointment. Their patient files are then updated in real-time so receptionists don’t have to.

Facilitates remote work

Going paperless allows your support staff to work remotely. This is especially beneficial for offices who are limited the amount of staff in the office at once. With a secure remote connection, your staff can access the patient database and complete administrative tasks such as billing. 

Your staff can also take this time to prepare marketing materials, such as newsletters and promotions, to send to a curated list of patients. This would otherwise be difficult to do while at the office as there usually isn’t enough time.

Increase office space

Going paperless will reduce clutter and you’ll have more space at the office for your staff to maintain social distancing. This will also give you more options to reconfigure the office to allow the best patient flow – from when they enter the office to when they get to the chair.

Improves customer and staff experience

The new normal for dental offices is a drastic change from before. Improve customer experience by regularly sending newsletters to patients to keep them informed. Opting for cashless payments and paperless receipts is also a great way to reduce contact between patients and staff.

These are only a few benefits of going paperless, but you can already see how it can be a big step forward in improving the safety at the office and still build patient relationships. Contact us today to see how our paperless modules with with Paradigm can help enhance your practice!