What are Dentrix Ascend users saying about the software?

Good software

Good to fair. I use it at offices when I temp

Pros

I first was introduced to dentrix in dental hygiene school. At the time, It was the only dental software I knew of and felt as though it was pretty easy to use. In hygiene school, you do not use the software to its' best ability because we are limited to what we do w the dental charting, etc. I have used dentrix often during temping and do find it a little confusing, but I seem to manage pretty well with help from staff.

Cons

I am not a big fan of dentrix, I think it can be confusing and non-user friendly at times.

Dentrix Ascend review

overall i like the product but correcting the accounting issues is something that is very frustrating and would possibly cause our practice to return to Dentrix

Pros

like that its cloud based and always evolving with updates as users make recommendations to improve. I like that I can access it anywhere.

Cons

I do not like the line item accounting and that credits can not be left on the ledger without affecting provider totals. A/R from previous months changes based on patient over-payments. We have all our fee schedules in and we do write offs at time of service /claim generation but there are still instances where we have over-collected and the only way to have the adjustment for the patient over-payment is to put the EOB in as insurance over-payment which is not accurate or refund the patient directly when the EOB is received, which is not practical

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.

Five Stars for Ascend!

Better communication among staff and between the office and patients over all our office has become much more efficient!

Pros

How easy the software is to learn and use. Our staff was very concerned about the transition because we had been using the other software for years and they still had so many problems using it. Ascend is user friendly it’s as easy to use as an app on your phone. I asked the team what they like most and these where their answers: 2 way texting, electronic sending for insurance, reliability, ability to access anywhere, time clock (new), how fast it runs compared to our old system and the amazing reports you can run (daily huddle)

Cons

In the perio charting it would be awesome if there was a way that implants are marked so both charts don't have to be open at the same time.

Satisfied from the start

We have always been happy with Dentrix Ascend. Our IT needs and budget are a fraction of what they otherwise would be. We can always access and stay up to date with no additional cost or waste of time. Ascend continues to get better and better.

Pros

Intuitive. It has eliminated wasted time and money on training.

Cons

While being next generation technology and cloud based it has been very slow to publish APIs and become operable with so many other businesses that can enhance dental practice management.

User friendly

Pros

What I like most about this software is that it is easy to use. It's easy to go from a patient chart to their ledger and back to the schedule. It's also easy to log in from home to view the schedule or to add patient notes remotely. Although there are some features that our staff would like to see added in regards to billing and patient ledgers, overall the pros outweigh the cons with this software.

Cons

The inability to add additional insurance payments when patients' two insurance plans pay more than the amount billed.

Amazing but could use some improvements

As long as the internet connection is strong, this system is amazing! Very user friendly and easy.

Pros

I love how easy this is to use! We have two dental practices with a lot of patient overlap and this is so much better than our old software. Very user friendly and easy to access from anywhere! I also love the new clock-in/clock-out feature.

Cons

I don’t like how I cannot schedule a recare appointment without completing today’s appointment first. We have our system send texts to leave our office a review once the appointment is completed, so the doctors don’t like to complete them until the patient leaves. I need to schedule the 6 month appointment before they leave or they don’t get scheduled.

Getting better with every update

Pros

The cloud based platform makes for a great integration between multiple locations. The interface is practical and laid out well (once your are adjusted to it).

Cons

Many updates are still needed, some of which should have been implemented in the first release of the program. Sometimes the program is 'buggy'/slow (we have very fast internet). There should be more options for customization.

Multi-site infrastructure

support, from both my customer success manager, [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN], as well as the tech support team have made the experience of converting to Ascend easy to manage

Pros

ability to report, review, and manage all offices without having to be on site.

Cons

there are many of my current feature requests included in the road map, but currently i would like to see a marketing campaign tool.

Easy to use software

My overall experience with Dentrix Ascend is good - When we find a glitch or would like to see something change, we are able to get help from customer service quickly. I like that Dentrix accepts requests to make changes and prioritizes the requests by how many other companies are requesting the same change.

Pros

What I like most about Dentrix Ascend is that it is easy to use, web based so I can access the program anytime. They have a very good resource and support center to answer any questions I have. I utilize this for training new employees.

Cons

What I like least about Dentrix Ascend is that reports that I run are not consistant. I can run one report that gives me figures/numbers and run a different report for the same criteria and I can get different results.

Dentrix Ascend is a must buy!

Our overall experience has been extremely positive.

Pros

The charting and insurance benefits are the best. It is so user friendly compared to other software we have used.

Cons

Everything that I felt was missing has been added in the last year. I do think that there could be some improvements in the treatment planner.

Dentrix Ascend

Pros

Easy to use. Easy to switch to different screens, not separate modules. Available anywhere, anytime.

Cons

Still has some issues with losing appts.

Getting better

We came from dentrix and i liked the icons across the top to access modules

Pros

Login in from anywhere. Flexibility and always evolving. Didn’t like windows updates

Cons

I would like to customize more, especially medical alerts. I don’t want to be notified unless something major in medical and I don’t want to check don’t ask again

Great Ascend

Ascend has made it possible to cross train our clinical staff through it’s intuitive design; and this has made our patient turnover very efficient, while reducing the need for addition front desk personnel.

Pros

This software saves countless hours of additional administrative work and processing mistakes. Our office switched from Eagle Soft, which we ran on a closed network, about 5 years ago; and after learning how to use theAscend software, I can honestly say that it was one of the best decisions that we have ever made for our practice.

Cons

There’s nothing that I don’t particularly dislike about the software. However, there is room for improvement with some of the newer features. For example, real time benefits along with automated verification and eligibility would make Ascend the perfect software, in my option.

Easy to follow & use

Pros

I like the ease of use...meaning it's easy to navigate. Simplified version of their more complex server-based Software

Cons

I wish the reporting was more like their server-based software

Value for Money

Analyzing the accounts receivables ,unscheduled treatment plans ,recare patients,patients portions and so on are some most needed and valuable reports from the power reporting.

Pros

The best thing i like in this software is there user friendly functionality which make it so different and valuable to all.

Cons

Sometimes it get froze so we need to refresh the browser to proceed.

Love Dentrix Ascend

Pros

* Software updates happen automatically at night when we're out of the office do it does not interrupt our work day. * Being able to put in down grades is a huge help * Very user friendly

Cons

* Certain things are not as customizable as we would like ie: patient forms, text message communications * Would love more options on insurance coverage * When you change an address or phone number there should be an option to apply it to everyone listed on the account. It is very time consuming to change it on every single family member, especially when there's like 8 people. * Switching primary and secondary insurance is very difficult and time consuming

Dentrix for dental practice management

Patient appointment and payment methods are great. there are no features that allows to capture patient feedback. charting is good and can be changed over time. referral process is still manual. there should be a voluntary/ optional training program for subscribers every year offered by the company.

Pros

user friendly, easy layout, great features

Cons

tricky to use, inability to add templates, referral processes

Feedback

Overall we switched because we were trying to access all patients from all locations and switching to this software has allowed us to do that.

Pros

I love that we can login with ease from anywhere, it allows us to look at charts and complete tasks from any location. I also love the dashboard, it shows what claims need to be worked on and helps keep the team on track.

Cons

The clinical team has not been happy with the way the chart is and when you are placing the treatment and existing treatment in.

Every Update Makes it Better

The best thing so far is being able to utilize Patient Communications, emails and texts make a huge difference with our recare.

Pros

This software is so user friendly. We are readily able to find what we need using the drop downs. When we want to add something to a chart it is clear where to find the chart, or notes, etc. Every time there is an applied update it improves the process and makes sense. Ascend is very in-touch with what we, the users, need.

Cons

There are only a few hiccups we have found but they are small and we have found work-arounds; some verbiage in the texts or emails, but they are all being looked at or addressed.

Pedo

Pros

Works well, cloud based is wonderful. So many "workarounds" suggested rather than ensuring a truly functional product.

Cons

All of the suggested "workarounds" instead of ensuring true functionality. VERY challenging and time consuming to create insurance fee schedules with copay percentages for each plan. Should have option for patients to automatically become inactive after "X" number of months have passed since last visit. Should not be able to appoint inactive patients without first changing them to active. Better notification of balances / credits / ideally on appointment card. The ability to delete any procedure (EVEN IF IT IS ON A PRE-D). The ability to add a D0230 to a treatment plan without first having to add D0220 then change as a line item to D0230. Online scheduling never worked properly/ MANY ERRORS in scheduling/ double booking/ and we have now disabled.

Great Patient Management Software

The software has done exactly what we need and they continually are releasing new features that make the software more reliable. I love that it is all cloud based and we don't need a local server.

Pros

One of the most intuitive user interfaces of any dental software that I have seen. Great functionality and reporting tools.

Cons

Like any big brand software, feature requests take quite a while to be implemented, if ever.

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 have used it for several years and have never had any major issues.

Pros

It is very user friendly. If you have any issues with any part of the software you can go to the help center or community forum and find the answers you are looking for.

Cons

Setting up reports are a bit difficult, and entering patient information sometimes doesnt transfer to a family member.

Dentix Ascend

We are clearly making better decisions and better financial forecasts with the dashboard. It has made the phrase "work smarter, not harder" a reality for us!

Pros

There are multiple things to like about this software. First and foremost is the ease of use and intuitive flow. The second and for some of us, importantly, the support is immediate, friendly and definitive. Problems are easily solved during our busiest time at the office.

Cons

The end of month statement procedure took more time to generate initially than I thought appropriate. There have been continual improvements to that function.