Managing an orthodontic lab requires efficient case management and proper record-keeping. You can only deliver timely services if you have the right tools to track each case. Practices must often reschedule appointments if appliances aren’t ready. Likewise, they might need to return a device if it isn’t to a patient’s liking.
Your lab should invest in case management to avoid losses. You also need reliable solutions to communicate and liaise with orthodontists.
Proper lab case management will protect relationships with practices, streamline prescription workflow, and improve the bottom line. That said, achieving these goals can be challenging without the right plan and tools.
Here are a few tips on optimizing orthodontic lab case management.
Invest in a Good Lab Management System
Planning your work might be tricky if your lab works with several practices. You may also waste time on paperwork, which can affect your team’s morale. Policies control and hold your orthodontic lab team accountable and help you maintain the standard of service delivery.
While policies are vital, ensuring that your team follows them can be time consuming. A lab management system helps you define work standards. With the right tools, you can control each process in lab case management and maintain the quality of produced appliances.
Enable Case Tracking
Orthodontic practices place appliance orders based on urgency. If you don’t track the state of each prescription, you will often need to request more time. This issue can frustrate practices, causing them to seek services from your competitors. Poor service delivery will ultimately damage your reputation and make it hard to acquire more clients.
Tracking orthodontic cases is the ultimate way to improve lab management. Monitor work progress using a tool like EasyRx. This software helps you identify the prescriptions due to collection on specific dates. You can then determine when they will be ready based on the estimated time for each stage.
Manually marking lab cases as collected or printed is monotonous. EasyRx enables you to identify and track the appliances sent to practices so you can eliminate them from the pending work. The software will also highlight the cases returned for remakes. You can then focus on them and ensure correct printing to avoid material wastage.
Other benefits of orthodontic case tracking are:
- Quick access to information on specific orders
- Increased transparency during lab case management
- Simplified collaboration among orthodontic lab employees
Reducing paperwork enables you to streamline the workflow. With a tool like EasyRx, you get real-time updates on each order, and the software will notify you when technicians complete work. You can then contact practices to inform them that their prescriptions are ready.
Real-time case tracking improves productivity and simplifies work for your lab team. Ultimately, you can maintain efficiency and avoid remakes.
Many orthodontic labs use templates to track cases. While this can avoid errors, it’s inefficient for in-house labs. If you want to fill an opening in your schedule, you must search the lab case logbook. This measure ensures that you only contact patients whose appliances are back from the lab. Using a cloud-based tool to track cases prevents this issue. Users can easily log in and identify patients who can fill an appointment opening.
Integrate Software
When handling orthodontic cases, you may need to transfer information from one tool to another. For example, you will often move files from your lab management app to the 3D printer. You must also obtain address information when shipping orders to patients or practices.
Simplify lab case management and save time by integrating your solutions. Connect your lab management tool to your printers, so you can make appliances immediately after editing without visiting the printing room. Connecting your 3D printer to your lab management tool helps avoid printing the wrong cases.
Another tool to integrate is your shipping app. Connect your lab management tool with apps like FedEx and UPS. You will avoid copying addresses manually and matching them to prescriptions. You can also simplify deliveries and avoid costly mistakes. It’s advisable to consider integration with payment processors.
Improve Communication with Practices
Practices send vital patient details when ordering orthodontic appliances, including those related to health conditions and allergies. They may also forward patient reviews to help you improve your services.
Proper communication with practices is vital when optimizing orthodontic lab case management. Instead of sending emails and calling frequently, you can use a cloud-based app to receive case files and automate report and invoice creation.
EasyRx enables practices to attach supporting digital files, including STL, and even add comments when ordering orthodontic appliances. This avoids back-and-forth communication about a prescription. The software also protects sensitive patient information and secures all files.
Optimize Orthodontic Lab Case Management with EasyRx
Optimizing orthodontic lab case management improves workflow and transparency. EasyRx provides labs with all the tools needed to boost efficiency. You can track cases and manage all prescriptions using one platform.
Here at EasyRx, we help orthodontic practices by giving them the tools that they need for comprehensive case management to streamline their workflows and achieve maximum clinical efficiency.
To see how we can help your practice get away from paper documentation, confusing spreadsheets, and costly workflow errors, contact our specialists today!
