What's New in Version 16.1.1

SoftDent, version 16.1.1, includes enhancements in the following areas:

ePrescriptions

ePrescriptions enables you to automatically send electronic patient prescriptions directly to a preferred pharmacy. After enrolling in the service and configuring the software, you can access ePrescriptions directly from the Prescriptions window by clicking the Prescribe Drug button.

See Using the ePrescriptions Module for more information.

ICD-10 Diagnosis Codes

The dental codes from the ICD-10 diagnosis code set are installed with this version of SoftDent. By default, all insurance companies are set to use the ICD-9 codes; however, if an insurance company requests that you use ICD-10 codes, you can set that option for that specific company.

As more insurance companies start requesting the use of diagnosis codes, a Set Up Plans to Use Diagnosis Codes button has been added to the Insurance Company window. Clicking this button selects the Use Diagnosis Codes option (on the Claim Filing tab of the Insurance Plan window) for all of the plans administered by that insurance company. This option enables the Diagnosis Codes fields on the Transactions window.

Several sections have been added to the ADA Dental Claim Form to accommodate ICD-10 codes:

• Box 29a. Diag Pointer:Box 29a. Diag Pointer:Indicates the most appropriate of the four ICD diagnostic codes listed in Box 34a. The entry in 29a is either A, B, C, or D.

• Box 34 Diagnosis Code List Qualifier:Box 34 Diagnosis Code List Qualifier:Indicates which set of ICD codes was used. A diagnosis code followed by the letter B indicates it is an ICD-9 code. A diagnosis code followed by the letters AB indicates it is an ICD-10 code.  

• Box 34a. Diagnosis Codes:Box 34a. Diagnosis Codes:The primary diagnosis code is displayed in field "A," and any subsequent or follow-up diagnosis codes display in the other fields.

Several ICD-10 code fields have also been added to the CMS 1500 Health Insurance Claim Form.

See Adding an Insurance Company for more information.

Personal Notes Added to Assistant's Info Window in Patient Chart

Personal notes (for example, 'John is a big baseball fan.') from the Notes tab of the Patient window are now displayed on the first page of the Assistant's Info window in the patient chart, enabling you to make personal contact with the patient.  

See Adding New Patients from the Patient Windows and Viewing the Assistant's Info Window for more information.

Patient and Account Preferred Contact

When adding a new patient or account, or when editing existing demographic information, you can now indicate the preferred method of contact -- Cell, Home, Email, etc.

When you select the contact using the new Preferred Contact drop-down list, the preferred contact type is displayed in the following areas:

• In the Patient and Account Information window, the preferred contact is highlighted in yellow.

• In the Daily Appointments window, on the patient appointment slot and in the scheduling Assistant window (accessed by clicking Zoom), the preferred contact is displayed in bold italics.

• If Email is the preferred method, due to space constraints on the appointment slot, a "Zoom for eMail" note is displayed. Click the Zoom icon to view the email address in the scheduling Assistant window.

• In reports, the preferred contact is displayed in bold italics.

The preferred contact for an account can be different from that of an associated patient.

See Adding New Patients from the Patient Windows and Adding New Accounts for more information.

New Payments Window Option

You can now opt to display the Payments window as the only payment window at checkout or when adding a payment manually. To turn off the Transactions - Check Payment window and display only the Payments window when posting a payment code during checkout or when adding a payment manually, select Automatically display the Payments screen when posting a payment code in the General System Settings window.

See General System Settings for more information.

Medicaid Encounter Report Utility

A Medicaid Encounter Report utility is now available that enables you to see the percentage of Medicaid appointments your practice has for EHR eligibility.

See Running the Medicaid Encounter Report Utility for more information.

Amazing Charts

SoftDent software now has an integration with Amazing Charts. The Amazing Charts Electronic Health Record (EHR) is an EHR solution that has been certified for meaningful use and includes the Meaningful Use Wizard which simplifies report creation to complete the attestation process.

You can view a list of Amazing Charts errors that have occurred within the last three days in Practice Central, under Startup Tasks and Today's Memos. The list is also available from the Office Expert and the Memos list.

• Amazing Charts is not currently available in SoftDent Cloud.

See Using Amazing Charts for more information.

Amazing Charts Errors Option Added to Office Expert

A new option—Amazing Charts errors—has been added to the list of available Office Expert items. If you use Amazing Charts and have added this option to the list of active Office Expert entries, this item is displayed when you run the Office Expert and there are errors in a patient record you have submitted.

Click Take Action to open the Notepad window, where you can view the errors.

See Adding New Office Expert Items for more information.

CDT-2015 Codes

The latest edition of the Current Dental Terminology (CDT-2015) codes is included with this version of SoftDent.

When the CDT-2015 codes are installed, the following things occur:

• Sixteen new codes are added to the database.

• Fifty-two codes are revised.

• Five codes are removed.

When you open the software for the first time, a CDT 2015 End User License Agreement window is displayed. Read the license agreement carefully. If you agree to the terms, click Accept to load the new codes.

• The CDT-2015 code set has been replaced by the CDT-2023 code set.

See Using CDT Codes and Viewing ADA Code Descriptions for more information.

CDT Code 9975 (External Bleaching for Home Application) Added to Tooth Bleaching Button Options in the Charting Module

CDT code 9975, External Bleaching for Home Application, has been added to the selection box that displays when you click the Tooth Bleaching button on the Procedure Codes toolbar in the charting module.

See Using the Procedure Codes Toolbar for more information.

Software Update Service

The Software Update Service (SUS) is installed automatically when you install the latest version of SoftDent. After the update service is configured, it automatically checks for updates and enables you to install the updates when convenient.

• The Software Update Service is not used with SoftDent Cloud.

See Using the Software Update Service for more information.

Report Samples Added to Online Help

Sample reports have been added to report topics in the online help. To view the content of a sample report, click the Sample Report link in a specific report topic, and a PDF of the report is displayed.

Windows 8.1 Certification

This version of SoftDent software has been certified for use with Windows 8.1.

• The fingerprint scanner is currently not supported in Windows 8. If your office is using the fingerprint scanner, do not install Windows 8.

Windows Server 2012 R2 Certification

This version of SoftDent software has been certified for use with Windows Server 2012 R2.

• SoftDent Cloud is not certified for Windows Server 2012 R2.

• The fingerprint scanner is currently not supported in Windows Server 2012. If your office is using the fingerprint scanner, do not install Windows Server 2012.

Hosted Solution -- SoftDent Cloud

The SoftDent Practice Management Software is now available in a hosted "Cloud" solution.

Hosted features include the following:

• Multiple clients for a single hosted server

• Hosted system backup and restores

• Imaging software and hardware integration

• Full access to eSuite electronic services

For more information about moving to a hosted environment, contact your Carestream Dental representative.

New Methods to Access Dental Imaging for SoftDent Cloud Users

If you are using SoftDent Cloud, the methods used to access the dental imaging software have changed.

On the main charting toolbar, you will use two new buttons to access the dental imaging software:

• Click the View Image Library button  to access the dental imaging software, where you can manipulate and re-save previously acquired images using the dental imaging software tools. New images cannot be acquired using this button.

• Click the View or Acquire Local Images button to access the dental imaging software to acquire patient images.

• You will not see these buttons if you are not using SoftDent Cloud.

From the X-ray menu in the chart, select View or Acquire Local Images to access the dental imaging software to acquire patient images.

• You will not see this option if you are not using SoftDent Cloud.

 

See Using the Main Charting Toolbar and Using the X-ray Menu for more information.