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The Benefits of Presenting Digital Consent Forms and Treatment Plans

by | Jul 1, 2020 | Dental Patient Forms

As we reopen our dental practices and try our hardest to cut costs from COVID-19 shutdowns, now, more than ever is a critical time to reevaluate time-wasting workflows that are costly and inefficient. 

According to YAPI Co-founder, Dr. Gina Dorfman, paper charts are costing you a lot of money! Upwards of $18,000 a year for an average-sized dental practice!

By going paperless, not only are you cutting costs, you’re axing time-wasting workflows and providing better technology for your patients. Through implementing new systems to aid in workflow and by presenting forms such as consents and treatment plans digitally, you will set your practice apart and increase your case acceptance. 

Here are just some of the reasons why you should consider the benefits of presenting paperless consent and treatment plans in your dental office … 

 

Gain Back Time Lost 

Consider this, 

Sarah is an Office Manager. The practice she works for isn’t paperless. On any given day, Sarah, along with the front office, find themselves navigating and clicking through patient charts, creating and printing treatment plans, and locating a stack of printed and ready-to-sign consent forms. Whenever a patient’s consent or treatment plan is signed, they are then scanned and stored back into the PMS. There is a lot of manual data entry involved, and at the end of the day, Sarah feels that this process is time-consuming and creates a lot of added busywork for the front office. 

What if the practice she works for decided to go fully paperless? 

In a truly paperless practice, Sarah and her team would no longer be navigating through charts to print treatment plans and would no longer require printing, scanning, then shredding the patients’ forms. Instead, she and her team would have the ability to quickly pull up any consent form a patient needs to sign electronically via an iPad. The best part is with systems such as YAPI, once signed and approved by the provider, the form is synced and stored automatically to the PMS. This reduces manual entry, human error, and gives the front office more time to focus on the patient. 

 

Increase Case Acceptance 

Recent data shows that only 13% of patients prefer paper forms to electronic. If you are still on the fence about going paperless, consider your odds. With a low percentage of patients preferring pen and paper to the simple tap and swipe of a screen, take the extra leap and give your practice a technology makeover! 

Presenting consent forms and treatment cases chairside via an iPad gives your practice more mobility and creates a better seamless experience for the patient. With a quick and easy signature from a finger or stylus pen, you will increase your case acceptance rate in your practice.

 

Sounds Great! How Do I Start? 

To utilize digital forms and treatment plans in your practice, you’ll need a system that integrates seamlessly with your practice management software, like YAPI, which has been producing digital forms since 2011. Any consent form your practice will need can be created digitally from standard consents to perform dentistry to consents for performing Root Canals and Implant Placement. Treatment plans can be designed easily as well and then signed by both the patient and doctor electronically. 

Ready to learn more? Check out our interactive library of digital forms!