COVID-19 Toolkit For Dentists

The last twelve months have been challenging for dental practitioners in so many ways, and at Dentally we understand that practices have had to adapt quickly to ensure patients receive the best possible care and continue to maintain their oral health.

The Dentally team have been on hand at every step as we all learn to navigate this tragic global COVID-19 pandemic. Our priority is supporting dental practices, helping them to adhere to the latest government guidance, keep staff safe, instil confidence in their patients and deliver the highest standards of dentistry to those that need it.

In March 2020, Dentally introduced a COVID-19 toolkit of measures, designed to provide support to dental practices by saving time, encouraging social distancing, keeping staff connected (whether they are onsite or working remotely) and managing the admin needed to deliver exceptional patient care. The Dentally toolkit continues to be available to all our customers.

If you have any queries, then do please get in touch or take a look at our dedicated collection of COVID-19 support articles here. In the meantime, here is a reminder of the features included in the toolkit.

Outbound telephone calling

Telephone calls can be made within Dentally, directly from the patient record.   We currently offer 500 minutes per month per account of free calls until 30th April 2021. (Please note:  For practices that use more than 500 minutes, the fee will be 9p/minute - you can check your calls usage in settings/practice/billing). 

This feature allows the practice team to call patients directly whether they are working on-site in the practice or remotely from home - keeping patients connected and providing an effective telephone triage service.  To find out more about outbound telephone calling from Dentally, click here.

Contactless reception

Dentally’s contactless reception features include online medical history, self-check-in and payment links, helping practices to limit the number of non-clinical staff members that a patient comes into contact with during their appointment and creates a seamless patient journey.

Patients can complete their medical history online using a unique secure link, which can be sent out as a separate SMS or email to the patient or it can be included in existing appointment reminders. Once completed it will appear directly in the Patient’s record in Dentally.   

The self-check-in features mean you can send an SMS or email to patients arriving at the practice just prior to their appointment time at the practice. The patient can click on this link and check themselves in as they arrive on-site, this will change their status in Dentally to ‘Arrived’ and inform your staff as usual.

The final part of the patient journey is the payment for their examination or treatment. Once the patient has departed the surgery - rather than a member of the staff having to have physical contact with the patient to take payment, it can now be done securely through an SMS or email sent straight to the patient. This feature is available to all customers but please note that you are still liable for your transactional fee from Stripe - details can be found here. 

Connect your team

It is essential to keep your team connected, whether they are working at the practice or remotely from home in order to reduce staff numbers at the practice for social distancing or due to shielding or limited child care.  Dentally Chat retains clear communication and continuity between all members of staff through simple, secure and reliable instant messaging.  Fees are waived until 30th April 2021 for those already using it and all new users. Learn more about chat.

Managing workloads effectively is easy with Dentally.  Tasks List allows you to track and undertake tasks including calls, correspondence and other admin in a timely manner and to make sure nothing is forgotten! Read more.

Automate your patient communication

Patient communication is critical, and so we have compiled a collection of COVID-19 correspondence templates to help you provide clear advice to your patients - whether you are sending out information to ensure the patient is confident of visiting the practice through your new safety procedures or details about your new contactless reception process. Visit our support area here or for advice on how to transform your patient communication, read our blog.

Automating your patient comms with Dentally will also save you and your team time.  Simple to set up,  you can schedule messages to patients based on certain events such as appointments, creation of invoices or estimates. Learn more.

Manage your appointment book

During these challenging times, you need to ensure that your appointment book is full ensuring that your dental practice is at the forefront of your patient’s minds and that they have the confidence to attend their appointments.  Plus in the event of cancellations, the capability to reschedule cancelled appointments and fill gaps quickly. Areas to consider are:

1. Marketing to patients and automating your patient communications

2. Running your recalls

3. Using waiting lists

4. Identifying and reconnecting with lapsed patients or patients in need

5. Credit control and recouping the patient debt

6. Prioritising and booking in patients with unfinished treatment plans

The powerful reporting tools in Dentally mean you have all the data you need at your fingertips so you can take action on your diary and keep your practice financially sound and running smoothly. Take a look at our article to learn more.

Dental software supporting you

Dentally’s cloud-enabled practice management software can make your life as a dental practitioner easier now and in the future, allowing you to adapt and change to whatever is happening in the world around us - providing you with the time to focus on your team and patient care. 

If you would like to find out more then please talk to us today hello@dentally.co or if you are already using our dental software then speak to our responsive and experienced Support team using our in-app chat.