There is a Computer in Your Future. Are You Preparing For It?

There Is a Computer in Your Future. Are You Preparing for It?

According to the results of the recent JCO Orthodontic Practice Study, only 4% of orthodontists own or lease a computer. Of those who have a computer, 65% use it for patient accounts and billing, and for letters; 45% use it for expense records and for practice analysis reports; 15% use it for appointment scheduling, for maintenance of treatment records, and to monitor treatment progress; and 10% use it for diagnosis and treatment planning. Less than half consider the computer to be cost effective; the rest do not or are undecided.

The limited use of the computer by those who have them, and their ambivalence with regard to its cost effectiveness, is a measure of the difficulty that orthodontists are having in perceiving their need for and the value of a computer in the orthodontic office. The problem of acquiring the right software and the rapidly changing technology in hardware have caused many orthodontists to postpone even the investigative phase of acquiring computer capability in the office. For most orthodontists, discretion has probably been the better part of valor, and may continue to be for a time.

Nevertheless, it is a virtual certainty that the vast majority of orthodontists will have one or more computers in the office within ten years. One of the major stumbling blocks, which prevents the orthodontist from acquiring a computer or using one effectively, is the lack of adequate, organized records to put into the computer. For most orthodontists, that is the starting place--to analyze what they want and need from the computer, and to organize the office records to supply the data. There is not much one does not need to know about his or her practice. Start now to collect organized data, even if the amount seems beyond your present ability to generate and use reports based on the data.