Need advice and help choosing

[Jay]

Guys,

Need some help deciding on a few purchases. Feel free to comment on the ones you are familiar with. I am presenting most items as a binary choice (this or that) but if you know of something better please add it to the list.

1. XRAY sensor: XDR or Suni. I am inclined to XDR because their support is so friendly but we have in mind for the future the Suni (Pan-Ceph-Conebeam) so I was wondering if it makes sense to get both from the same company. Also, Suni makes its own sensors and their support is free while XDR charges $50 per month for support. XDR's software though is unique. Anyway I want to hear from someone here who has tried out one (or both!).

2. Insurance plan software: Trojan(1000+100 per month) versus ClaimsConnect (20 per month). Can Claims connect populate fields with plan information like Trojan does? Why is Trojan able to charge so much? They must be offering something nice.

3. All-one-PC versus Desktop: This is for the Xray sensor. I am a big fan of all-in-ones because of the space but has anyone deployed them in a practice setting. If so, any brands?

4. Offsite backup solution: Carbonite is the one we are considering. Anyone with any experience with it or alternatives.

Please feel free to brainstorm.

Thanks.

[drtech]

X-rays: I have used both Suni and XDR; Go with XDR. I had the same delima last fall and tried out EVERY brand out there.I am very happy with our decision to use XDR. XDR is by far the best deal as far as sensor price and image quality. The sensors are top notch (direct USB now) and even though the software seems simplistic, it is very easy to use and great for everyday use. The image quality is far superior to the Suni (well my Suni is about 3 years old now, but my 8 month old XDR's are like night and day clearer. It does make a difference what x-ray head you have, but most work fine. (Look up thedigitaldentist.com and he send you a sensor to use and you can actually see how they work in a real setting and not just when the rep is there.) I thought we would need lots of sensors, but we get along fine with just 2 #2's and 1 #1 (2 dentists, 1 hygienist and 8 chairs). (around $5000 - $6000 for each #1 & #2 sensors respectively i think it was)

we bought the Owandy I-Max Touch digital pan (34,000) to go with the sensors and the machine works flawlessly integrated with XDR (via Twain)

Ins Plan: we use claim connect for all our e-claims, works great. haven't tried the benefits options yet..

All-In-One. If you are cramed for space, then it make since and if you want touch screen. Otherwise use a laptop for small space and save a lot of $ or desktop for even less $. Do make sure you have a screen with a good dot pitch and contrast to clearly see the x-rays (most all now days are plenty good, just don't try to use an LCD that is 8 years old...we tried that and didn't realize that we couldn't see cavities on those monitors!)

offsite: carbonite and mozy are both great

[Jay]

Thank you very much for your detailed suggestions.

X-rays: I have used both Suni and XDR; Go with XDR. I had the same delima last fall and tried out EVERY brand out there.I am very happy with our decision to use XDR. XDR is by far the best deal as far as sensor price and image quality. The sensors are top notch (direct USB now) and even though the software seems simplistic, it is very easy to use and great for everyday use. The image quality is far superior to the Suni (well my Suni is about 3 years old now, but my 8 month old XDR's are like night and day clearer. It does make a difference what x-ray head you have, but most work fine. (Look up thedigitaldentist.com and he send you a sensor to use and you can actually see how they work in a real setting and not just when the rep is there.) I thought we would need lots of sensors, but we get along fine with just 2 #2's and 1 #1 (2 dentists, 1 hygienist and 8 chairs). (around $5000 - $6000 for each #1 & #2 sensors respectively i think it was)

Great. We were already leaning towards them. This settles it.

we bought the Owandy I-Max Touch digital pan (34,000) to go with the sensors and the machine works flawlessly integrated with XDR (via Twain)

Ok, another one to research.

Ins Plan: we use claim connect for all our e-claims, works great. haven't tried the benefits options yet..

Does your front desk call in for benefit info? We get a lot of errors and the fee schedules have to be constantly updated.

All-In-One. If you are cramed for space, then it make since and if you want touch screen. Otherwise use a laptop for small space and save a lot of $ or desktop for even less $. Do make sure you have a screen with a good dot pitch and contrast to clearly see the x-rays (most all now days are plenty good, just don't try to use an LCD that is 8 years old...we tried that and didn't realize that we couldn't see cavities on those monitors!)

I agree but the main problem is it's hard to find an All-in-one with Windows 7 Pro 32 bit and a VGA/DVI output. If it is not 'Pro' it cannot join a domain; if it's 64-bit then some hardware drivers might not work but I think XDR does so not a biggie; and without VGA or DVI it cannot output to a second (patient) monitor.

offsite: carbonite and mozy are both great

I was inclined to Carbonite when I asked for help with choosing, but then I saw this link http://www.opendental.com/manual/backupsonline.html so now we are researching this option.

[Rickliftig]

I agree but the main problem is it's hard to find an All-in-one with Windows 7 Pro 32 bit and a VGA/DVI output. If it is not 'Pro' it cannot join a domain; if it's 64-bit then some hardware drivers might not work but I think XDR does so not a biggie; and without VGA or DVI it cannot output to a second (patient) monitor.

Jay - just a thought here: Windows 7 can run up to 25 work stations peer-to-peer. It's a lot simpler to administer than setting up a domain. Also, if you are outfitting a lot of ops, don't forget the off-lease/used option. Open Dental runs very well on older hardware. I outfitted my office with lightly used, off-lease HP/Compaq SFF 5150's (c. 2005). Each workstation was in the $200 range. They were so inexpensive that I bought several more as backups. In a couple of years, when the machines begin to reach the end of their useful life, it is unlikely that I will buy new. Just remember, these are office-rated machines, not consumer grade. And of course, just make sure you have a really decent server. (But there are several on the forum who simply run a regular workstation as a server.)

And as discussed in another thread, for a second patient monitor I have just started using a tablet. Wonderful for older patients who can actually 'see' the screen and a lot higher 'touch' factor. You can't watch movies on it, but I don't want that distraction in my ops anyway.

best,

Rick

[Jay]

Rick, thanks for the detailed suggestions and for the sticky at the top of the forum.

Jay - just a thought here: Windows 7 can run up to 25 work stations peer-to-peer. It's a lot simpler to administer than setting up a domain.

Two reasons to consider a domain: centralized group policy management to manage kiosk security which has been troubling us of late and one desktop per user regardless of which terminal they log into. Two reasons not to consider a domain: administrative overhead and expense (Windows Server, CALs).

Also, if you are outfitting a lot of ops, don't forget the off-lease/used option. Open Dental runs very well on older hardware. I outfitted my office with lightly used, off-lease HP/Compaq SFF 5150's (c. 2005). Each workstation was in the $200 range. They were so inexpensive that I bought several more as backups. In a couple of years, when the machines begin to reach the end of their useful life, it is unlikely that I will buy new. Just remember, these are office-rated machines, not consumer grade. And of course, just make sure you have a really decent server. (But there are several on the forum who simply run a regular workstation as a server.)

Combined with a top notch LCD monitor this is a great way to save money without compromising results and I will look into it.

And as discussed in another thread, for a second patient monitor I have just started using a tablet. Wonderful for older patients who can actually 'see' the screen and a lot higher 'touch' factor. You can't watch movies on it, but I don't want that distraction in my ops anyway.

The concern here is wireless network security and so far we have stayed away from any kind of wireless for this reason but I know this is just superstition.

[Rickliftig]

Jay - Re: wireless network security

I'm very concerned about that. My office is in a moderately dense neighborhood and I am sure that among the neighbors, there may be at least one casual hacker. I set my router to only accept two MAC addresses - one is the tablet and one is a laptop that I sometimes use. I think this, plus the usual wireless security is enough.

My bigger concern is physical security. If the office is ever broken into, I could care less about the workstations and tablet, but don't take my server! I believe it has been suggested that I get a bolt-down steel cage with massive lock. Right now I only have two cables with locks attaching it to the adjacent cabinet. It's a deterrent, but not bolt-cutter proof.

best,

Rick