Open Dental Forum

OD has been giving me a lot of grief... from the beginning. I have no clue why there are certain functions that aren't clearly explained in the manual. You should have a basic funtionality default, and then be able to add other functionalities as knowledge of the program increases. It is so open... you get lost.

Most recent issue. I always have to check my production to make sure it isn't overly inflated. Today, several thousand over. Why, it appears that several procedures with several patients and notes are yellow in the chart module. When I look in the accounting module, there are duplicate procedures that are unsent. Why? Anyone? This is not the first time. My staff are not PC savvy, and I don't have time to walk them through it and they appear to be incapable of calling OD due to whatever reason and actually have no time to blow an hour to get assitance. HELP!!

Who in the world always stays exactly with the tx plan. Seriously. I am crazy busy with no time to watch my staff's every move, and front desk Fran completes an appointment, then whatever, susie clueless that made the appointment, with all txs selected, ends up completing them all?? Why? Why even have such a ridiculous function. Why does it go unsent? Why does it jack up my reports. I am not asking for a lot here. Just a reliable accounting program.

Second, who needs to know a report on the scheduled production... Does anyone even use this. It has been jacking up my reports ever sense I started using OD. I want to trust what print out I get, but with so many endless "bells and whistles" how can one even trust a report, much less a error full query.

Yes, I just ranted and dumped. There is a lot more. I have had my staff watch the videos, and tried to read as much as I can. Could this program be any less intuitive. This is not what it was hyped to be, especially for Canada. Come on, you can't adjust a claim after it is sent, Dentrix could. No instead of a quick ammendment, we have to have a staff member do accounting to fix the error, then send out a check to the insurance company. Helloooooo!

It sounds like your staff could benefit from an hour or two of training. They aren't picking up that they are setting multiples of the same treatment complete. There's a disconnect there, somewhere, that needs addressing. The webinar videos are a great starting point, but if offices find themselves in a situation where the videos aren't enough, we do offer personalized training to get you back on the right track.

It's not a matter of staff being PC savvy. They've been given a program to use and need a little more guidance on how to do their job. Unless the training issue is resolved, your frustrations will multiply. The longer you allow it to go on, the more inefficient your practice will become. Until the data is entered correctly, the reports will not always be accurate.

Give us a call and we'll get you and your staff taken care of.

Thanks. I didn't know I could get more training. I thought I was stuck with the initial training and then had to rely on the videos and the website. I will have them call on Monday to schedule a time to go over things with them.

I have been practicing dentistry for 25 years. In 2010 I decided that it was time to “Go Paperless” and I had to make a decision which software to use. So I was considering Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Softdent, etc..... My budget would have permitted me to choose any software but I chose Open Dental.
It's the best decision I have made.
The software is outstanding, user friendly. When we first started using it, my staff had to ask for assistance and OD support is outstanding. All what my staff had to do is to just make a phone call, and with "remote assistance" from OD many times the solution was something that was very simple. Like any software, once you pass the setup and the learning period, everything will become easy and a routine.

Who in the world always stays exactly with the tx plan. Seriously. I am crazy busy with no time to watch my staff's every move

You need more than tech support. You need a better trained staff and a correct treatment plan every time you pick up a drill. Not the software's fault, my friend.