It might surprise his youthful patients to learn that their dentist, Georgia’s Dr. James B. Hall, is a pioneer of sorts.
The pediatric dentist, who treats thousands of children out of his Macon and Warner Roberts offices, was using computer-based technology to heighten office efficiency long before most of his colleagues had even heard of a PC.
"We’re not completely paperless just yet," he confides, "but we’re close."
Dr. Hall has been using computerized practice management systems for 20 years, and he’s been filing insurance claims electronically since 1988. He and his high-tech operation were the subject of a recent profile on WebMD Dental Digest. (The Digest is an online news and information service of WebMD Envoy, an ADA-endorsed provider of electronic data interchange services.)
‘If I file a claim electronically, it costs me about 50 cents,’ Dr. Hall estimates. ‘To file that same claim on paper costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $2 to $2.50.’
Dr. Hall told WebMD Dental that staying current with emerging technologies has revolutionized his practice—and the advantages of technology are never more obvious than when they’re applied to insurance claims processing.
"Dental insurance is more prevalent now than it was 25 years ago," he told WebMD. "It consumed 20 percent of my practice then; today it’s about 80 percent."
The cost of filing all those claims on paper would add up quickly, he says. "If I file a claim electronically, it costs me about 50 cents," Dr. Hall estimates. "To file that same claim on paper, first of all, costs 37 cents for postage.
"Then you have the envelope, the paper and ink, the staff time to create the claim and print it," he continues. "In the end, you’re probably spending somewhere in the neighborhood of $2 to $2.50 per claim on paper."
The value of filing claims electronically, says Dr. Hall, is "kind of a no-brainer for me."
Beyond claims processing, Dr. Hall has applied the latest technology to every facet of his practice, using fully integrated software systems to perform multiple functions.
"We do all our patient statements electronically," he notes. "We do all our record keeping—accounts payable, accounts receivable, patient histories, patient recall.
"We do all treatment planning on computer, with computer terminals in every operatory," he continues. "We use the Internet for communicating mainly with Medicaid—the Department of Community Health in Georgia. We have intraoral cameras, and we have digital X-rays that use X-ray–sensitive packets that are scanned right into the patient’s record."
All these systems are compatible and integrated, resulting in a smoothly run, efficient operation. Over the years, Dr. Hall has shared his knowledge and vision of the technologically sophisticated practice with other dentists, at dental meetings or "just sitting down over a cup of coffee."
He adds, "I tell them how very pleased I am with the savings we gain from technology, not only in dollars but in time."
The many children who visit Dr. Hall’s offices each day are the ultimate beneficiaries of his well-run, high-tech practice. Whether they realize that is another matter.
