The main keys to take away from these tips are:

Be Consistent. Think about when you visit a YouTube Channel or Facebook group. What do you immediately look for? If you’re like most, you look for the the most recent posts. Until you’re company has developed an adequate degree of trust with your audience, your guests primary task is to sniff out whether or not if your page is a fraud. A quick way to do that is scanning dates for any gaps that may stand out (just like a job application).

Think Community. Create an environment where your visitors feel inclined to reach out and talk to others. The sense of belonging is powerful. When your audience feels as though they belong to a group, purpose and status will extend from that, and then brand loyalty. All of this creates “stickiness” and makes it difficult for patients to go elsewhere.

Communicate Clearly. Write out a list of call to actions and refine them over time. A call to action isn’t (and shouldn’t) always a call to buy something. What you’re doing is telling them what you want them to do, but in the form of a question. What’ powerful about this is that you frame the decision making process for them so that they don’t do it themselves.

EMRs (and related practice management software) engages the patient by delivering critical information that assists in case and treatment acceptance, managing appointments, presenting treat

ment options. And providing patients with portals that allow access to related information that is traditionally burdensome to obtain- these systems are indispensable in dental practices today.

The problem? Recent research conducted by Kalorama Information is showing that, even in 2018, this engagement through a portal is more of an ideal than an standard practice. Simply put, your patients haven’t bought in to it yet. The research suggests that more work will need to be done between the software companies and you, the provider, to cater to patient’s needs before they fully accept patient portals and logins.

My observation is that patients will fully adapt EMRs once there is a singular or ternary availability of platforms that make EMRs easy, fun, and convenient. This may likely come from insurance companies which could be problematic for non-participating practices as we could see EMRs used as further rationale to for patients see In-Network providers.

Another Observation:

Another note is that EHR/EMR and Practice Management System platforms are recognizing that “side dishes sell the entre.” Practices understand now that managing the patient file has become generic. The real value that practices seek from EHR/EMR/PMS’ are noted from the ease of use of applications and tools that support the records management portion of the software suite (digital radiography, patient communication etc) as opposed to the suite itself.

Then, add to this that Blockchain technology could be catalyst for the next innovation surge in EMRs.

Solutions:

Practices should increase the frequency of patient communication through electronic mediums to further condition patients to accessing healthcare related information online. As they turn more and more to electronic forms of communication- this should affect their adoption rates positively and create a relationship between Doctor and Patient, and not Patient and Insurance. You want the leverage on your side.

Of course, at the practice level this happens by establishing electronic forms of communication early (even as early as 1st appointment confirmation) and using it strategically and consistently.

What does this mean for you?

1- Expect major revamps to Dentrix as companies like Henry Schein (in addition to competing against recent moves by Amazon into it’s space) are forced to compete with platforms that have long understood.
2- Expect practice management and EHR software development companies to start inviting patients to become stronger allies in their online communities (a great read on this is “Platform Revolution,” Parker, Van Alstyne, Choudary)
3- Expect revamps to all platform communication portals. Systems like Dentrix have long had an underutilized integrated communication portal. This might have an overhaul to address changes in consumer behavior over the last 3 years.
4- Expect EHR/EMRs to be reimagined as a whole as early as the next 2 years.

*sources: https://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/prnewswire/press_releases/Maryland/2018/05/31/DC06071
*http://www.qsidental.com/solutions

If you have questions or would like more information about dentistry and the future of emrs,  drop a line @ davidt@tolliverbellgroup.com or info@tolliverbellgroup.com

It seems like they are taking on a big challenge, that even dentists have troubles with: turning around non-compliant behavior. From the article:

> Beam’s dental insurance policies include Perks, a quarterly subscription service with an electric toothbrush, replacement heads, paste, and floss for every insured member.

Well, no matter what, it’s really awesome to see a company working to help small businessess and their employees.

CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO READ Ayodeji Onibalusi’s article.

The TLDR;

Social Media and Digital Marketing is just rounding the corner.

The ROI is still a billion times more than traditional.

Avoid Direct Sales via social. No one likes that.

Instead go for being informative, educational, and providing info that helps the decision making process.

Source: Don’t Believe Those Reports You’re Hearing About the Death of Social-Media Marketing

• 1st- Choose the family angle or the individual angle. Everyone looking at these pics will think of themselves or their spouse (and maybe children)
• 2nd-  Make it Relatable– everyone can relate to one or more of these, then the job is just to relate it back to the practice.
• 3rd- Engaging Content will always win. You can create a point of interaction on your website, at check-out, in email. Doesn’t matter. Any time you can create an experience that humanizes your practice/brand/dentistry- you win.

The lesson: it’s not always about selling the practice and giving away a $99 cleaning/exam. It’s about creating content that engages and endears people to your brand/practice. Dentistry is not sexy.. but it CAN be creative.

Source: End of fillings in sight as scientists find Alzheimer’s drug makes teeth grow back