How Andre Does Lab Case Tracking in Eaglesoft
I am not a fan of the Eaglesoft Lab Tracker. There are way too many "fail" points. In the process:
The lab slip is created at Walkout. Typically, no one on the admin side creates a lab slip.
With multi-stage lab work (i.e. Dentures) the office would need to create a lab slip at each step.
Cancelled/Failed appointments can be tricky for Lab Tracking if the Lab case is not detached and reattached to the new appointment.
When deliver/try-in/cementation visits go unscheduled and the patients call later, they are often missed to attach lab tracking.
I like simple, system-depending processes.
All lab work appointments are given a specific Appointment Type (Lists>OnSchedule>Appointment Types).
That Appointment Types has a “strong” color. Much like most offices use red to designate an emergency. I use a black background with white lettering.
Within the Appointment type configuration, I set the Appointment to the Dentist and set the most common appointment length (this can always be extended when scheduled). Make sure to complete all the highlighted areas in the example picture.
When an Insert or Delivery Appointment is made I always use a “code” in the Appointment Block Prefix field to designate the status of the case (3-character max). I use “OUT” for lab work that has been sent out to the lab and “IN” to designate that the work has been returned and is ready for the Appointment.
This is how the “black” appointments stand out on the schedule (see picture)
Detail
All Lab Work should be part of a Phased Treatment Plan (Wax up, Try-in, Delivery, Cementation) With that, you can use an Exploding Code like “Crown with Cementation” (for lab made crowns).
When the Crown is Proposed (Phase 1), the Cementation also gets proposed (Phase 2). Even IF the "Pt does not make appt at this time due to not knowing their schedule. When they call back in 2 weeks, the admin crew is warned because they get a pop-up message saying "Planned Services exist for this patient. Do you want to select services to be scheduled?” The Proposed lab work would be listed here.
As a reporting tool, you can run The Money Finder report (Activities>Practice Management>The Money Finder) for All the D2740's that don't have the Admin Code A2998 (see example below)
DISCLAIMER:
This is a resource guide and all decisions on each dental office setup should remain the sole decision of the dentist/owner of the practice. Eaglesoft is a registered trademark of Patterson Dental Company. All other software or products mentioned are the property of their respective owners. Although Andre Shirdan was an employee of Patterson Dental, he is not associated with Eaglesoft or Patterson Dental Company or endorsed by Patterson or any other Company Mentioned in this blog.
