In the fast-paced world of dental practice, time is money. Every minute spent on administrative tasks is a minute lost in patient care, directly affecting your bottom line.
Surprisingly, one of the most significant hidden costs in dental practices today is time spent on keyboards for documentation. This inefficiency can lead to an average loss of $3,500 per month, if not more.
Let’s delve into how this happens and explore a modern solution to reclaim your time and revenue.
The Daily Grind: How Keyboard Use Adds Up
Time Spent on Documentation
Imagine your practice sees an average of 12 patients per day, a number that could easily be higher if it weren't for the time-consuming documentation process.
Each patient requires approximately 9 minutes for documentation and reporting. This includes writing the diagnosis, chief complaints, and treatment lists—tasks that most dentists prefer to handle personally, given their complexity and importance.
The Hidden Cost of Time
When you multiply 9 minutes by 12 patients, you get a staggering 108 minutes—nearly 2 hours—spent daily on documentation alone. This time could otherwise be used to see at least 2 additional patients each day.
Considering a standard procedure such as dental cleaning or restoration averages between $100 and $200 per patient, those extra 2 patients could bring in an additional $200 to $400 daily.
Over a month, this translates to an additional $4,000 to $8,000 in revenue, far exceeding the average loss of $3,500 due to documentation inefficiencies.
What if a patient needs a high-cost procedure, such as dental implants or crowns? The financial impact would be even greater.
Unlocking Potential with AI: A Game Changer
Innovating Documentation with AI
Enter AI-powered dental software like Intelligent Report. This technology is designed to cut down documentation time by 3 minutes per case, enabling you to complete patient reports without even touching your keyboard.
By leveraging AI, you can automate the process of filling out patient records, including diagnosis, treatment plans, and more, with incredible speed and accuracy.
Increased Efficiency and Revenue
With AI handling the bulk of your documentation, those 2 hours saved daily can now be spent on patient care. By freeing up this time, you can see more patients, perform more procedures, and significantly boost your practice's revenue.
The financial benefits extend beyond just the additional patients you can see. More efficient documentation leads to more accurate records, reducing the risk of errors and improving overall patient satisfaction.
Conclusion
Relying on traditional methods for dental documentation, such as manual keyboard entry, is costing your practice. The hidden costs add up quickly, but there’s a solution at hand.
AI-powered dental software like Intelligent Report and other solutions can transform your documentation process, saving you hours each day and increasing your revenue potential.
