Like many dental office managers and owners, I thrive on projects. The rush of the challenge and the thrill of a job well done combine to result in a very rewarding feeling when the project is complete. What type of projects am I referring to? For example, that moment when you decide to evaluate an insurance contract.
Here is the scenario. For some dental practices, it makes sense to be out of network with an insurance plan. As the practice grows to healthy numbers, you may consider dropping a contract with a low fee schedule which supports a low population of patients. However, before you make the move to drop the insurance contract, you may want to review the list of patients who are actively covered by that insurance plan.
Easy Dental’s Letters utility provides just the tools you need to produce a custom list of patients. Follow these steps to access the information you need:
- Open the Reports module.
- Access Letters from the top toolbar.
- Select the Misc. Letters category, and highlight Patient Reports (by filters), then click Edit.
- First, choose the Patient Filters – patient filters will find individuals who match the criteria you enter. For the insurance example presented, you may choose to search for patients with an Active status, a Last Visit Date within the past 18 months, and a particular Insurance carrier. Select the double arrows next to the filter to define your search.
- Next, choose the Data Fields – data fields are defined as the output of patient data. Select the patient data you wish to receive on your report. When your selection is complete, click OK.
- You will find yourself back at the Letter selection screen. Click Create/Merge.
- Finally, choose View List to preview your custom patient list in Notepad.
The example I provide to you today is simple and could be produced using the Insurance Carrier List Report. So, why bother with the custom patient lists? There are some definite advantages to populating a custom lists through the Letters utility:
- Multiple Filters: A combination of filters can be used to produce a list. For example, you can filter by patient status, age, last visit date, future appointments, etc.
- Multiple Data Fields: Data Fields control the output of patient data. For example, you can populate patient name, address, phone, email, balance, appointment date, etc.
- Copy/Paste to Microsoft Excel: The data output is in column/row format, which copies very nicely into a working Excel table. This format allows for easy review of the data, ability to add notes and even the production of a mail merge.
Now that I have shared the tool, I would love to hear your ideas on custom lists you may produce in your office. Please share your ideas and comments below.
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.
