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Entries from January 2007

Tooth Regeneration from Stem Cells

January 8th, 2007 · No Comments

A multi-national research team headed by USC School of Dentistry researcher Songtao Shi, DDS, PhD, has successfully regenerated tooth root and supporting periodontal ligaments to restore tooth function in a swine (an animal) model. The breakthrough holds significant promise for clinical application in human patients.
The study appeared on December 20 in the inaugural issue of PLoS ONE. [1]
 

[1] http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0000079

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Tags: Just for Fun

Quick Books

January 5th, 2007 · No Comments

It is just as important to know how much we are spending, as it is to know how much we are collecting. Dental practice management software has concentrated on receivables, that is how much money we make and how to bill for and collect it. Dental systems have not tracked how much we spend. However there are some extremely powerful general business applications that will manage payables for the dental office. The most widely used checkbook accounting program is QuickBooks.
QuickBooks is a good general business program; QuickBooks Pro is more complete and includes advanced payroll features. Either will work in a dental office but the Pro version is preferred.
QuickBooks is like an electronic check ledger. That is you enter what you are paying and why. It then will print the checks for you (or make an electronic payment). The great advantage of using a computerized checkbook just like using a computerized ledger is that you now have instant electronic access to all the financial data. Payroll can easily be done in the office. You don’t need to know all the tax codes, deductions and benefits, you just need to click the mouse and the program does the rest.
Many CPA firms work with QuickBooks. You can easily send the accountant a copy of your data either as e-mail or on a disk. Then the CPA can review your accounts, make corrections, and prepare tax reports easily, quickly and therefore less expansively. Plus you have instant real time access to all the information you used to have to pay an accountant to prepare like overhead percentages or profit and loss statements. You can also customize the data to precisely review areas of concern, you aren’t limited by what the accountant prepares.

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Tags: Administrative

Spam on Vacation ??

January 5th, 2007 · No Comments

Spam Takes A (Forced?) Vacation – PC Magazine [1]

On Tuesday, December 26, an earthquake near Taiwan caused widespread disruption to telephone and Internet networks. Since then there have been reports of drops in the amount of spam received.
It makes sense. Conventional wisdom says that lots of spammers are in the Pacific Rim area, so cut off their communications and you cut off the spam. But it’s not the only explanation. Notice that the spam respite begins at Christmas. If spammers work less on weekends, who’s to say they don’t take vacations when the rest of us do?

[1] http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2078228,00.asp

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Tags: Security · Websites & Internet

Future Vision

January 4th, 2007 · No Comments

Often the dentist’s future vision is limited because he or she just doesn’t know what is possible. Understanding the first three core concepts, being open to new ways of doing things and then just letting your imagination go with childlike freedom will help create a powerful future vision.
An effective leader will then communicate that vision to others and inspire them to follow along.
However many, if not most, doctors have no real goals or plans for implementing new technology.  Without a plan they are prey waiting to be consumed by the most aggressive salesman. They go to a tradeshow and see some new technology that they get excited about. Then they buy it randomly, without any idea of how they’ll incorporate it into their overall practice’s philosophy and systems.
One of my missions is to help dentists see what is possible and then to create a future vision.

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Tags: Just for Fun

What will happen in 2007?

January 4th, 2007 · No Comments

From Francine Hardaway at Stealthmode [1]

I’m a futurist, so I make predictions every day. It doesn’t take NewYear’s to force me to think ahead. But since you asked…
1) We will move further, although slowly, toward electronic medicalrecords. Both the Federal Government and a number of stategovernments, including Arizona, are trying to get there, and facingusability, privacy, and adoption issues. Everyone knows health care isalong overdue for automation; I’ve written about it many times before.The technology exists to put your medical records on a smart card thatyou could carry in your wallet, which could be swiped in a doctor’soffice to help you check in, make appointments, or give your historyto a new specialist. But the pieces don’t (yet) fit together,and HIPAAmakes that difficult. So do the providers of the EMR software, whoseem to think that gray screens are all that doctors need.
 

[1] http://www.stealthmode.com/

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Tags: Just for Fun

Medical Experience Underwhelming

January 2nd, 2007 · No Comments

Over the Holidays I had occasion to partake of our medical system and I was underwhelmed, to say the least. I was scheduled for a minor but invasive screening examination which involved the introduction of an endoscopic probe in a rather personal place.
The physician showed up well over an hour late to start the procedure. He tossed off a casual hi there sorry to keep you waiting, but by then I was feeling abused and neglected and let him know that I was not in any way happy to be kept waiting more than an hour. He seemed completely shocked that anyone would challenge him in such a manner. In retrospect I admit it may have been foolish for me to rile him up as he was about to insert something into my body.
However, rather than apologize for being so late and acknowledge my displeasure he decided I needed to know just how busy and important he was. I actually told him I didn’t want to hear it but he told me anyway. He told me how he would enjoy getting home on time but that phone calls and other things always kept him running late. He actually seemed to be proud of this like it proved what a good doctor he was. My thought was if you are always late that isn’t a sign of being a good doctor it is a sign of being a very poor time manager. I am sure he thought there was nothing he could do about it. In fact I believe he could do a lot about it if he really wanted to. 
This next part is really precious. In the middle of telling me how busy and important he was he assured me that they would do excellent work. My immediate thought was, why should I believe that? What have you done to demonstrate excellence in any way? As I considered my experience so far the fact was they had not demonstrated excellence but mediocrity. You also told me you’d see me more than an hour ago, you failed to do that, why should I believe you now when you tell me you’ll do a good job?
The hour late and the arrogant response was just one step in what in retrospect was a series of encounters that demonstrated both mediocrity and disrespect for me as a human being. Prior to the procedure I was given several pages of instructions that were poorly copied at an angle on the page and actually speckled like an old overused mimeograph. I was never told what the fee was for the procedure. However I did sign several forms (also overcopied and speckled) in which I agreed to pay the fee (whatever it might be) however no one knew what if anything my insurance might pay.
There was more, a lot more, like having to tell the staff what I was there for, having to repeat the same questionnaire multiple times, like no one ever communicated with each other. Any other business that treated customers like this would be out of business.

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Tags: Just for Fun

New Years Resolutions for the typical dentist

January 2nd, 2007 · No Comments

Install Computers in the Treatment Rooms
Take Digital Photos of All Patients
Get a Digital Panoramic X-Ray Machine
Loose 20 pounds
Eliminate Paper Charts
Install a Digital X-Ray System with Corded Sensors
Scan in all Paper Documents to the Patient Record
Contribute the maximum to my pension plan
Start using e-mail and text messages to communicate with patients
Update the practice web site

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Tags: Just for Fun

HAPPY NEW YEAR

January 2nd, 2007 · No Comments

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Tags: Just for Fun