I have worked in general practice for 31 years. For the last 22 years I have had my own practice in Andover, Hampshire. It is principally a private practice with a very small commitment to the NHS (essentially child patients that I had before the new contract was introduced). For the last four years we have also been a vocational training practice, with newly qualified dentists spending a year with me, completing their training in general practice. Our foundation dentist works mainly in the NHS, however this is the last year that I plan to undertake training. One of our previous foundation dentists, Amelia Thorne, is already working as a private associate and she will be increasing her time at the practice when I finish vocational training.
It is only in the last 18 months we installed a computerised practice management system. Prior to this the practice was completely paper based. The decision to computerise was decided for several reasons. I was aware it was increasingly important to keep thorough, comprehensive and legible records, several of our nurses had previous positive experience of computerised practice management and I wanted to eventually incorporate digital imaging into our practice.
I had demonstrations of several different software systems and Exact stood out head and shoulders above the rest. Exact was also recommended by several colleagues who were already computerised. Based on our experience so far, I am sure I have made the right decision, because it runs perfectly and fulfils all our needs. Exact allows the user to customise the software, so in the early days there was a bit of fine tuning to do, but we were helped through this process by Software of Excellence and there have been almost no occasions when we have hit any problems. If we do require any advice, the software support from SoE is excellent. I have delegated responsibility for liaising with SoE to one of our nurses, Paula Burgess, and she has managed to sort out everything successfully. If we do have a problem, SoE can access our computers remotely, and as they can undertake the process for us it makes the whole thing hassle free.
One area where Exact excels is in the presentation of treatment plans and fees. Both NHS and private patients appreciate the transparency of this process and it gives patients an opportunity to reflect on the options offered at their leisure. Exact has also revolutionised our reception processes. There is an enormous time saving because there is no longer any filing and retrieving of paper records. The appointment booking is easy, with the system guiding the receptionist to appointment spaces and although mistakes in booking were not common before, now they simply don’t happen. This has produced a significant reduction in the salary bill as one person can easily run the reception area, whereas previously I needed an additional part time receptionist. At the end of the day reconciling payments and our day book could occasionally take some time, now the software does this at a push of a button and takes seconds.
When I audit our clinical records it is reassuring to see how comprehensive they are, with prompts to check medical history, report on radiographs, and check periodontal and soft tissues. It is easy in the course of a busy day to forget to note things down on paper records or sometimes written notes are not legible, even to the person who wrote them. With Exact that is a thing of the past and it is comforting to know we are complying fully with contemporary standards of record keeping.
Another area where Exact has proved very helpful is with referral and patient letters. Previously I would spend a significant part of Sunday morning writing letters. That is now a thing of the past as the letter templates make it quick and easy to write the letter while the patient is in the surgery.
When my business partner retired, I became custodian of his records and we had an enormous job moving them into the practice loft, in case he needed them in the future. When I retire I will simply leave with a small hard drive in my pocket and no worries about the records going missing.