Dentrix Ascend Software

Pros

This is the dentrix cloud version. Cloud has advantage of accessibility without a log into a server or server based data system. The face that you dont have to maintain a server is great, and you can rely on others backing up data, another great feature.

Cons

If you have slow internet or not enough broad band, data posting is slow. Also, there was alot of need to go between pages instead of having access to more information on one page at a time.

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.

Pros

We had this system in many of our offices. Implementation took some time since we were in multiple states. Easy to use and ituitive

Cons

some buttons were small and had funny pics that were not always obvious but once you were used to them you were golden.

I was a beta tester, maybe it has gotten better.

Pros

graphics were good. the support was ok. too many bugs however to work out. I wanted something customizable to my needs. not able with this system. The system caters to too large an audience.

Cons

not user friendly . poor integration with xray .had to scroll to multiple pages to get information into the chart.

Don't let the sales rep trick you into purchasing like we did by promising future features. The pace of development is GLACIAL at best. Promised patient forms when we signed up in Q2 2017. Q1 2018 and they still haven't been delivered. We now have to go through the pain of converting back to Dentrix G6 or Open Dental. Avoid this immature product at all costs.

Pros

Fairly simple to pick up and learn. Mostly because it is just that, incredibly simple. Integrates all your costs into one monthly subscription

Cons

Missing so many features that are basic necessities in a modern dental office. No electronic billing, no patient forms, no ERA, completely lacks lab tracking or a way to track referrals to other dental offices. No communication log, integrations with external services or programs, even just basic editing items like payment tags you've created is restricted. The document center can't even be sorted!

Pros

Customer service is good and they attempt to help, but sometimes you get different answers from different people

Cons

There are too many clicks to do one thing. There are frequent issues with the server. The features are not up to par with other practice management software programs out there, even the old eaglesoft that we had is more efficient that this. I would not recommend this to anyone at this point. I have been a former dentrix user not the cloud and it was so superior to this

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.

I loved how knowledgeable Steven was and I enjoyed the conversation we had while going over the software. He was very helpful with laying out everything I needed to look at when researching cloud based software systems.

Pros

User friendly - Feels like Facebook; All Claims are included with Ascend; Online booking; Line item accounting, Day Overview.
Long lasting small business.

Cons

Not compatible with Lighthouse 360; No capability to do a mass patient email campaign that can have a design of sorts; Need higher internet speeds; Scanned documents, images & ledger detail may not convert over. Their is no new patient paperwork forms that auto-fill in the patients chart. Kind of pricey compared to other cloud based systems. Dexis Sensors require a Server for Ascend.

Whole experience from start through install and use is professional and helpful

Pros

Excellent support. Well thought out program. Great value for the investment. Seems easy to upgrade which I am looking forward to doing

Cons

Takes a little getting used to, but well worth the effort. Was a little difficult to learn to print insurance claims.

Pros

I love being able to log on from my 2 locations and being able to see the schedule from both offices

Cons

I would like to see improvements in the schedule view; better ledger breakdowns, statements. We're waiting for electronic health history forms

Pros

Integration. I would say Dentrix is hands down the best dental practice management software. It integrates well with the front desk, business and clinical aspects.

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).

Please research this thouroughly before purchasing. Have someone come and do a demonstration that includes office staff, since they're the ones who have to use it!

Pros

The deposit slip is the best thing I have found so far. I regret I'm unable to find anything else. I'm sure there is more but I've yet to experience it.

Cons

It takes way too many steps to print, check out patients, scheule appointments. To change insurance companies for patients is a joke! Too time consuming and confusing!! This is just the tip of the iceberg! Oh yes, recall is from the stone ages!

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.

Products serve its purpose. Product used on daily bases for busy dental practice. multi use functions and easily incorporates all of the necessary aspects of dentistry, billing and patient information.

Pros

ease of use

Cons

freezes occasionally

Ascend has potential to be great. No longer do you need an expensive network with IT support. Everything is cloud based which means it can be accessed anywhere...big plus.
The only is the only UI. It needs to be more user friendly and more flexible. It didn't feel like the natural transition from Dentrix G6 at all. When you call for support it almost seems like they are still trying to learn alongside the users.

Pros

Potential to be great

Cons

User Interface
Support
Not Dentrix anyone was expecting

Advice to Others

I would wait to get Dentrix Ascend until the fix the UI and make it more similar to Dentrix Software.

does everything from medical dental kiosk thank you

Pros

does everything

Cons

hard to use hard to train on

Advice to Others

research new versions

..."Because the software is delivered over the cloud, practices don’t have to worry about installing upgrades or maintaining expensive servers"...

Yes, until there is an internet outage as we have seen a few times then everything stops and no work cane be done and patient info cannot be accessed.

Servers are not expensive, and there is a lot to be said for controlling one's own environment and not relying increasingly on multiple layers of 3rd party resources.

Pros

You get used to it after a while.

Cons

A Cloud service
Cumbersome
Slow

Advice to Others

There are better solutions out there. And definitely stick to an "in-house" product - not a Cloud application.

I have worked with Dentrix for almost 9 years. It is a simple program to use

Pros

Easy to work with,

Cons

Management reports are less than desired. It is hard to customize some areas in the charting and notes. There are too many maximums in certain areas such as health HX. Support is not always supportive. I think most read out of a manual as they are trying to help you and take the long way around the barn! We use a different source for e claims and statements.

Advice to Others

Look for a program that supports your office specific needs

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.

Advice to Others

Don't rule Dentrix out as the integrations with other software gives it a monopoly on the market. However, if you are smaller and don't need as many connections you may be better suited looking into some on the newer software's to market.