I spent a few days this week working with an office that has been using Easy Dental for 8 years now and, up until this week, they were primarily using Easy Dental for billing and insurance claims. When I first entered the office, the entire team (mind you this was a single practitioner office with 1 hygienist, 2 dental assistants, 1 front office administrator and an office manager) was sitting around the computer in the front office, scouring over the computer screen, deep in thought. They quickly brought me into the scene, explaining that they just learned about a way to chart multiple procedures with a single click and they were yearning to know more about this newfound dental coding made simple process. From those first short moments I spent with this team, there was no doubt in my mind that they were serious about taking their Easy Dental skills to a whole new level, starting with explosion codes.

So you ask, what is an explosion code? 

An explosion code is a customized code which is linked to multiple procedures that will be set “complete” or “treatment planned” all at the same time. This explosion code will save you time as you enter a patient treatment plan. Let’s say you want to treatment plan a root canal, post and core, crown and crown delivery. You can create a custom explosion code which contains the applicable procedure codes (D3310 Root Canal, D2954 Prefabricate Post and Core, D2740 Porcelain Crown and your in-house crown delivery code). Then with a single entry, all 4 of these codes will post to your patient’s chart. Voila! It can be that easy!

How do I create an explosion code?

      1. From the Reports screen, access Practice Setup, then select Explosion-Code Setup.
      2. Your custom explosion codes will display. (If your list looks anything like mine, then you still have the explosion codes that came with Easy Dental.)

     

    1. From the Explosion Code List, you may Edit, Delete or even create New explosion codes. Here are some quick tips on the functionality of editing and creating explosion codes:

    Tell Me More:

    • Accessing Explosion Codes – Explosion codes can be accessed from the Edit Procedure(s) dialogue box and codes button in the Chart screen. Explosion codes for recall procedures can be linked to Initial Appointment Reasons in the appointment information window. AND any explosion code can be linked to a procedure button in the Chart screen.
    • Link to Initial Appointment Reasons – From within Practice Setup, select Definitions. Definitions will allow you to view and customize your Appointment Reasons.
    • Link to Procedure Button – From within the Chart screen, access Setup Procedure Buttons to view and customize the codes linked to your Procedure Buttons panel.
    • Limits – An explosion code can contain up to 8 procedure codes, but don’t worry about limitations because if you wish to create an explosion code with more than 8 procedures, you can always put an explosion code inside of another explosion code!

    What do you think?

    Are there some commonly grouped procedures that you use in your day-to-day processes, or ones you’re trying to come up with to increase efficiency? Please share!

     

David Broom is Senior Director of Product and Business Development. David has a master’s degree in Information Technology (IT) from the University of Texas in Dallas and has more than 35 years of experience from many global companies such as Hitachi Vantara, Methode Electronics, and Keane, Inc. In his current role, he is responsible for all aspects of the product management and field service teams at Henry Schein TechCentral, which identifies the ideal advanced technologies to meet the unique needs of the dental market and ensure that dental offices are using the right IT to be more efficient and effective.