Dentrix Ascend Software

Better than some, but needs more work

I like that updates are somewhat frequent & it seems as though the developers really are pushing to make it a great system. However, it is apparent that the developers have not spent much time behind the scenes in a dental office. Some of the updates seem incomplete and/or rushed and we end up with more problems than solutions. I am still optimistic and hope that more updates and features are coming in the very near future!

Pros

It is nice to not have to worry about a server with a cloud based system. The imaging is impressive and easy to use. In time & with updates, Dentrix Ascend will be a great program.

Cons

Having to refresh Ascend multiple times throughout the day is stressful. Specifically, when there are changes in the schedule, a user may not see it for 30 minutes or longer because they have not refreshed the page. A cloud based system should always be current. Patient Forms are not something we can use because they can't be customized. Unfortunately, if you choose to use a form, it must go to every patient and you must use the developers content. I really wish the Patient Communications feature were better. I miss not having a way to automatically ask patients for reviews after appointments, it was our best marketing effort & now have no way of doing it. There is no way to send out an email campaign to several patients. An API is so important and it should be a top priority. Not being able to utilize 3rd party software or even customize what we are able to use in Ascend leaves us in an uncomfortable position. There are several aspects of various items missing or incomplete that are common sense in all other practice management software.

I have used dentrix in private practice for several years, im not 100% happy with some of the features but it gets the job done.

There is definitely room for improvement when it comes to functionality and user friendly options. I also feel simplicity is a must as well.

Pros

Customer service is good, any updates are easy to take care of. The patient scheduling is very easy to do, and I like the colors that you can choose from for different providers. I also like the Pinboard feature, it is very useful and handy. Reports are easy to run and very helpful and useful.

Cons

Not user friendly, dental charting can use some changes. Don't care for the x-ray component. There are way too many pop ups when you opening the patients chart and you have to navigate thru all of them every time the chart is opened which is a headache. Medical / Dental history has to be scanned into the chart and there should be an automatic form where information already gets populated into patient's chart, it would save time. Would love to have a split screen on one page when treatment planning, charting and viewing xrays so you don't have a open and close screens back and forth.

Excellent move from server-based Dentrix

Before using Ascend, we were constantly having server and networking problems. There was no telling what morning we would come in and have a problem accessing our PMS. It happened so frequently that when we finally had our server crash, we jumped on the opportunity to upgrade to a cloud based program. Although using Ascend is a complete change from using Dentrix, we became familiar with the new program within a few weeks and have never looked back! It was the best choice we ever made!

Pros

I love that the software makes regular updates that I don't have to download and apply myself. The ease of having our program available on different devices like an iPad makes it extremely convenient. Ascend is highly user friendly, if you can use a webpage, you can use the program. I also love not ever having to worry about an access problem when I have an issue with the server!

Cons

There are some features not available. There aren't as many options to change settings for individual practices as there are in server based programs. It was difficult to get used to using only one module at a time; ie: I can't have the ledger open on one person and look the chart at the same time.

Dentrix Ascend review

We are an older, small practice that doesn’t take insurance- all fee for service. We file for the patient but don’t know if they get paid, so there is a lot of end of month phone calling to clean up overview screen. Also the text messages should be customizable and indicate when one is sent. Overall, I am pleased with the program and the support and don’t know why there are so many negative comments. I really like being able to access from home or my cell phone.

Pros

Cloud based. Good support. Good initial training. Great for a small fee-for-service practice that doesn’t need a bunch of bells and whistles.

Cons

1. The monthly fee. 2. Can’t run Xray program on Mac (maybe things have changed). 3. Have to click numerous times to get to patient notes.

Ascend is Great

Before Dentrix we were a six office company, with six individual servers. They had no ability to communicate/share patient info. So we operated like six small offices. Ascend has allowed us to operate as one company, with six offices. For anyone looking to have a firm grasp of the business side of your business, Ascend is the software for you.

Pros

Ascend is easy to use, and very reliable. The reporting capabilities go above and beyond what you need, especially if you are a multi-location operation. And the fact that it is cloud based means you don't need to invest in servers or a lot of infrastructure. All you need is an internet connection.

Cons

Only small drawback is there is no lab case management feature, yet.

Gutless

Our office made the switch from Viive, which itself was a very frustrating piece of software as it would constantly drop connection to the server even after several "fixes" and technical support sessions with both Mac and Viive. I was excited for Dentrix Ascend, being a long-time Dentrix veteran, knowing the power of the Dentrix applications. However, in my experience with Dentrix Ascend so far, it is clear that Ascend is a gutless wonder, especially compared with how powerful Dentrix Proper is (and even Eaglesoft, for that matter!), and as such, is has been an utter disappointment. Full disclosure: I handle the front office/insurance/accounting end of things, so I cannot speak to the clinical end of things. My review is solely of the front office and accounting end of things. Keep in mind it may be delightful for the clinician. I am pleased with the fact that we no longer have to deal with constant server connection fails, so that is nice. But still not enough to make up for Ascend's other shortcomings. My first gripe is that once an insurance carrier is established, you cannot edit the payor ID. And once groups are established under a carrier, you cannot move the groups. This means, if a carrier is set up incorrectly (say, with payor ID 06126 that directs the clearing house to print and mail all claim) with several groups, you have to manually recreate the carrier and each group underneath, which is a cumbersome and time-consuming process. Secondly, with the procedure codes, many of them default to "mouth" for treatment area, even for common codes that virtually every insurance company requires more specific information. If the procedure code is used a single time, you lose the ability to edit even the treatment area. This was a big problem for us, as treatment plans converted over with several codes that are uneditable because they are "in use." We have had to create several "alias" codes, which the clinical side now has to remember to choose. Third, Viive allowed for payment tables under each group (similar to Dentrix Proper and Eaglesoft and several other software options), that would allow any exceptions in payment to be logged for future prediction. This is not the case in Ascend. This was an important Viive feature for us because we participate with an insurance company who calculates payment based on two fee schedules: maximum allowable per provider contract and maximum allowable according to policy contract. With Ascend, you are at the mercy of coverage percentages and cannot account for the two separate yet inseparable fee schedule. I got excited when I saw the "copay" field in the coverage table and spent a large amount of time updating this field for each group, only to find out from technical support that this is not a covered feature. So, ultimately we have had to develop external tools to help us predict patient responsibility. Dentrix Ascend has completely failed us in this area. Finally, we have hit a roadblock with NEA attachments. We are having to continue using Viive because of the inability of ledgers to be transferred over to Ascend (ledgers include open claims). To make a long story short, because we are maintaining a subscription to NEA through Viive in order to be able to keep sending attachments for unresolved claims, we are unable to send attachments through Ascend. Our only options are 1) to terminate our NEA subscription under Viive and print and mail all claims requiring attachments, 2) to manually move treatment over to Ascend and resume claim troubleshooting under Ascend, or 3) print and mail all claims from Ascend requiring attachments. We are probably going to go with option (1), but really, any option is a huge inconvenience. Bottom line, as the numbers and insurance person, I would never recommend this software in its current state. I am a huge Eaglesoft critic, but I would wholeheartedly recommend even that software over Dentrix Ascend. Ascend, you have a long way to go before you will get my vouch.

Pros

Access from anywhere, line-item accounting, some user-defined reports, everything is backed up in the cloud. There is potential.

Cons

Just about everything else: confusing ledger, user-unfriendly insurance setup, inability to edit procedure codes, inability to override insurance payments at a group level and on a procedure code level, NEA attachment failures.

Dentrix Ascend great product

Overall experience has been very good and the customer support has been amazingly and surprisingly good! The software does take some time to get used to, but the functions are there to make your practice as successful as possible

Pros

Very easy to use once the learning curve has passed. Most everything is easy to read and easy to find

Cons

Many functions (especially Power Reporting and building useful reports) are VERY difficult for the average person to set up and use. It’s an apple product which makes functionality with other products that are commonly used either difficult or gives you limited options (ie sensors)

New user as of August 2018

I do the stats for our multiple locations. There are many stats we used to track but can no longer get that data. It's very frustrating. Now that I'm used to using Dentrix, I can see, with some changes, this could be a really great program. It's not horrible and I'm not completely dissatisfied, but it has been disappointing.

Pros

It's cloud based so you can view the schedule easily anywhere.
Customer service has been pleasant
It's nice being able to view multiple offices

Cons

Not being able to pull info we need from reports.
Not being able to have more control over confirmations.
Not being able to change the color of appts to match the procedure.
Not being able to see who created/removed/edited an event (block)
Not having an actual medical history for pts - only alerts
Not being able to view pt notes from newest
Not being able to pull up individual credit card reports
Not being able to create our own credit descriptions
Our collections has gone down since the conversion due to insurance conversion issues. wish we would've been better prepared for this!
Not being able to customize patient forms.
Not being able to track text/email confirmations.
Billing statements are not automatically put into pts account

Dentrix Ascend has worked really well for our office

We have had very little trouble - fits the way we run our practice really well. The only real problem has been not being able to chart what we would like on the visual chart.

Pros

We like that it's web based and easy to access from anywhere. It allows me to easily help patients when we may be out of the office.

Cons

I do wish it were more flexible and allowed more individual adjustments - particularly with charting.

Dentrix pro's and con's

Overall Dentrix works amazing, as long as every staff member is trained properly on the software. The system functions well for storing patient information and having it so easily accessible to any staff member. The appointment book/scheduler is easy to maneuver and is customizable to the needs of the day. This system is a must have in our office! It's helps us run our day smoothly.

Pros

There can be so much information stored in the program, which is great if you know where to find it. The extra notes sections and flags are always so great to have and anyone can access them from any computer. The appointment book/scheduler is the perfect way for each member of staff to keep track of the day. I love being able to see when patients arrive, if they have been confirmed, if they are running late by just one quick glance at the schedule.

Cons

Sometimes when a patient chart is open from multiple monitors in the office, there will be a lag in updating the info. Sometimes notes or treatment will be added twice in this case.

So Glad We Switched!

Overall the office is so pleased with the switch to Ascend. Every day we learn something new that will help our practice. The Friday Forums for learning is such a help. We are a small office but it doesn't matter. There is something to make all offices more productive.

Pros

The best part of Dentrix Ascend is the ease of use. The transition was smooth and stress-free. When you want to do something, like charting or notes, the place to do that is easy to find. It all makes sense.

Cons

The only thing we've been disappointed in, and I use that word loosely, is the limits. Things are changing so quickly that when there is something we can't so "yet" it can be frustrating. But the updates are always great.

Ascend is ascending in quality but not quite there yet

It is centralized and a business manager or director can see the entire scope of the patient's status from account aging, to insurance claims status, to clinical particulars.

Pros

includes text reminders, ability to see claims status and follow-ups with insurance, ledger activity and balance is staggered nicely, imaging function and treatment planning is awesome (can obtain bird's eye view from dental chart)

Cons

have experienced glitches and entire days where the software has been completely disabled; not everything saves instantly (has nothing to do with internet speed but speaks to the nature of cloud-based software and, by nature, the downfall of having an offsite server).

How did we ever get along without Ascend?

This software is modern, intuitive, and ten thousand leaps forward from other software that was developed in the 90’s. The fact that it is growing and improving every few months, based on what clients want is amazing. I can’t say enough good things about this program.

Pros

Easy to navigate.
You can get anywhere you need to go in the program from every screen, and each person can find the path that works best for them.
Makes tasks such as submitting insurance claims, signing charts, and treatment planning easy.

Cons

It is still growing, so some functions such as medical billing isn’t available yet, but Ascend is growing so quickly these things are being added.

Everything needed to do your charting, billing, scheduling

Pros

Runs smoothly. Integrates easily with xrays. Templates make paperless a snap. So simple even a dentist can operate it!

Cons

Mucho expensive. I'm sure there are knock-offs that do it all for a fraction of the cost. This is the 400 lb. gorilla though.

COO

Training and on boarding of new locations to the DSO is heavily dependent on our internal resources and needs to be on the Ascend side. Support is overall responsive and good. The intent and efforts are good, but still some programming and developing needs are not being met. But, I am confident it is coming.

Pros

As a DSO having all of the location with one software to view data with ease. Daily user experience is overall very good.

Cons

Ascend is still missing some important operational features. Such as estatement, everify of insurance to name a few. Also, some reporting logic is not logical for a DSO.

Ascend is a great platform for many practices, especially those with multiple practices

pretty good, Always improving. I'd like them to fix the couple cons but I feel like they will over the next year.

Pros

Shared database between both offices.
Easy to learn
Modern
Always adding functionality.

Cons

Missing API
Missing customizable paperless form.

Dentrix- the necessary evil.

I have been using Dentrix in dental practices for the last 7 years. It has a lot of functionality wrapped up into an involved package. Once you are familiar with Dentrix you will find it's potential to be exponential. I often find that onboarding new practices with it have its own challenges. With that being said when asked which Practice Managment Software I would recommend it is alway top three. Lastly, as it is the biggest player on the playground you would think they would invest a little more into their support. If you have the time to wait on the phone, or the experiance to know what your problem is then you can find a solution with their online support. However, if you are unsure of what your problem is or why it is happening it is best to work with an I.T company to work with Dentrix support and even then be prepared for a finger pointing match.

Pros

Integrations, Capabilities.

Cons

Training curve, Support.

The three A's

Pros

AMAZING because its easy to use, AUTOMATION for pt communication, forms, claims and more. AMEND for always updating w/ new & easier to use features.

Cons

Dose not let us allocate pt portion before procedures are completed.

Owner

Moved from both CURVE and G4 --- upgrade to both...

Pros

Cloud based, use on mobile devices, data available (report writer could be easier),

Cons

To many clicks to accomplish tasks, report writer is not easy (need meta data), communication out of office is lacking, need to be able to link collections (timing), to original production day (ie lagged analysis), need reports on utilization of ops

Dentrix Ascend Review

The reports for us are really growing and just learning how to build them are super useful to our office

Pros

cloud based and that I can work both of our locations at the same time

Cons

waiting for new changes and for the software to grow