Email to Referrals

[klinlv]

My team inquired about the ability to refer by Email, our patients to the team of specialists that we use from within Open Dental. They currently go to Google and attach the radiograph and/or photo and send it to the specialist. Then also fill out the specialist paper referral form for the patient and scan a copy into Images. Finally they enter a communication item into the Commlog.

It would be a great boost to efficiency if this could be done from within Open Dental. They would like it to include a print out for the patient indicating the specialist name, address and phone number, the procedure, and the appointment day and time (this is what they currently enter into the Commlog).

Thanks for your consideration. They love the every evolving nature of Open Dental. In fact when someone had to look something up in Softdent the other day their comment was that it was a "horrible" program to navigate around in and the didn't miss it at all. Keep up the great work.

[jordansparks]

1. You can generate a referral email from within Open Dental quite easily using the dropdown arrow next to the Email button in the toolbar.
2. The printout functionality, the referral slip itself, is currently under very heavy development. It's about 2/3 done. We're trying to include background images and unlimited customization before releasing 5.8. Things are going well, so it looks like that will happen. This is a feature we have been carefully planning for a long long time.

[sparkly]

1. You can generate a referral email from within Open Dental quite easily using the dropdown arrow next to the Email button in the toolbar.

in case someone doesn't know this, you have to enter the referral name in the REFERRAL section (in Family) in order for the specialist email to show up in the dropdown.

[drtbar]

I still can't generate a referral email. I went to referral in family and selected a provider and my email button is still greyed out. I can select the specialist from the drop down arrow but nothing happens. I have setup email in setup>email. What am I missing?

[atd]

Do you have an e-mail address entered in that referral record? Double-click the referral in the "Referrals Attached" window, then click on the "Edit Referral" button to check.

I have a related question. Is sending e-mail via Open Dental HIPAA compliant? Don't the e-mails need to be encrypted?

[jordansparks]

I can now say for certain that email of referral slips is fully functional in 5.8 and will be included. Yes, they probably should be encrypted, but they are not yet. I don't have a good answer for that.

[drtbar]

Do you have an e-mail address entered in that referral record? Double-click the referral in the "Referrals Attached" window, then click on the "Edit Referral" button to check.

I have a related question. Is sending e-mail via Open Dental HIPAA compliant? Don't the e-mails need to be encrypted?

That did it! Man I love open dent, I posted my question and 3 hours later I have my answer. Not sure if I'll use the email feature as of yet since all my specialists have their own referral sheets. We've been filling them out and scanning them into the patient's chart and that has been working pretty good.

[jordansparks]

You'll be able to scan in each of your specialist's referral sheets and have OD fill them out. I'm not promising the image backgrounds until they're done, but we are currently working on it, so the chances of this feature being included in 5.8 are very very high. And yes, this will be just as cool as it sounds.

[savvy]

My specialists have their own referral slips as well.
They also ask for at least one radiograph.
It seemed pretty silly to fill out their slip and then print a copy of my digital film.
So I just do it my way. If they don't like it.....tough.... damn prima donnas.
They can fire me.
And since I don't do any endo, extractions, oral or perio surgery, firing me whould be down right stupid.

Here's my technique.........
I use CliniView (Apteryx) to manage my x-ray images.
CliniView has a document template file.
Icreated a series of templates for all my specialty referrals.
It's super easy to create a referral with all the necessary info and film.
I can either print it on photo paper and mail it or save as a jpeg and send via email.
Best of all.......no more drawer full of referral slips that I have to search through!


Cheers!!!!!!!

[jordansparks]

Image backgrounds for referral slips are now fully functional. Now, we're working on letting the user draw on the form with the mouse or a pen. Useful for checking boxes, signing, circling teeth, etc.

[Rickliftig]

Very Cool...

Each time an Open Dental innovation saves paper, time and space, it just gets better and better.

Thanks!

RL

[sparkly]

Image backgrounds for referral slips are now fully functional. Now, we're working on letting the user draw on the form with the mouse or a pen. Useful for checking boxes, signing, circling teeth, etc.

AWESOME! that's above and beyond what i had rigged up to do this. nice that it'll be 'automated' and a part of the program.

[jordansparks]

So the freehand drawing feature is done too now. Version 5.8 has been released, so you can begin using it immediately.