Adding patient records

As new patients come to your practice, you can add them to your practice database. If the new patient has an appointment scheduled, he or she already has a patient record with some basic information entered. However, for these new patients with appointments, you can enter additional information, such as a home address, an insurance plan, and a referral source, to complete their records.

To add a patient record

1. To verify that a patient does not already exist in your practice database, click (or tap) in the Patient Search box; start typing a patient's first name, last name, chart number, or phone number (at least the first four digits); and continue typing as needed to narrow the search results list.

   

2. If you do not find the patient, click (or tap) the Create New Patient option on the results list. Alternatively, you can click (or tap) Create New Household to add records, at one time, for the patient and members of the same household. These options are available only when what you have entered in the search box narrows the results list enough.

   Note: You can include inactive patients in the search results by setting the Include inactive patients switch to On.

   

   Important: If the person appears in the results list with a "New" next to his or her name, this patient already has a patient record. Do not add a patient record for this patient. (Ignore the steps that follow.) This patient's record exists because he or she has a new patient appointment scheduled. However, the record contains only minimal information currently, so you can click (or tap) the patient's name to update his or her record.

   

   The Create Patient page opens.

   

3. Enter the patient's basic information.

   • Name - Enter the patient's first and last name and middle initial.

     Notes:

     • By default, the First name box contains what you entered as your search criteria in the Patient Search box, so you may need to change it.

     • After you enter the patient's first and last name and birth date, if there are any other patients in your database who have the same name and birth date, a list of those possible duplicate patients appears below the other options on the page. If the patient already has a record, do not continue creating a new patient record; instead, click (or tap) the correct patient in the list to open that patient's record.

       

   • Preferred name - The name the patient prefers you use when addressing him or her. The preferred name can also be used on correspondence from your office.

   • Title - Enter a prefix for the patient's name, such as Dr., Mr., Ms., or Mrs.

   • Suffix - Enter a suffix for the patient's name, such as Jr., Sr., or III, if applicable.

   • Gender - Select the patient's gender: Male, Female, or Other.

   • Birthdate - Enter the date of the patient's birth.

   • Status - The patient's status is New by default, but you can select a different status (such as Active or Non-Patient) as needed. The status changes automatically from New to Active when the status of the patient's first appointment is changed to Complete or when a procedure is posted for the patient.

   • Race - On the list, select the checkboxes that correspond to the patient's races.

     Note: On the Custom Pick List page (Settings > Custom Pick Lists), a user who has been granted the applicable security right can control the availability of this list for your organization.

   • Ethnicity - Select the patient's ethnicity from the list.

     Note: A user who has been granted the applicable security right can control the availability of this list for your organization on the Custom Pick List page (Settings > Custom Pick Lists).

   • Chart # - Enter a unique chart number (up to 10 characters in length; letters, numbers, periods, and dashes are allowed) for the patient. Alternatively, to have a chart number automatically generated for the patient, after you have entered the patient's first and last name, click (or tap) the Update button .

     Note: Once you save the patient information, you can edit the chart number only if the user role that your user account is assigned to has been granted the "Edit patient chart #" security right.

   • First visit - This is the date of the patient's first visit. This date is for reference only and cannot be edited. This date is updated automatically when you post a completed procedure for a new patient.

   • Last visit - This is the date of the patient's most recent past appointment. This date is for reference only and cannot be edited. This date is updated automatically when you post a completed procedure for a patient.

   • Social Security # - Enter the patient's Social Security Number. It may be helpful to have the patient's Social Security Number on file as a reference for patient financing and insurance coverage verification.

     Note: Social Security Numbers are encrypted in the database, and no reports utilize Social Security Numbers. You can view a patient's Social Security Number only on the Patient Information page and only if your user account has the "Access Social Security #" security right. Additionally, the "Update patient information" security right is required to edit the Social Security Number.

   • Primary provider - Select the preferred or primary provider for this patient. Only providers who have access to the patient's preferred location are available.

   • Billing Type - Select a billing type for the patient; however, if you later assign a guarantor with a different billing type to this patient, this patient will be assigned the billing type of that guarantor.

   • Orthodontia Patient - Specify whether the patient is an orthodontia patient or not.

   • Discount plan - To use a discount fee schedule for treatment-planned procedures and charges that are billed to this patient if the patient does not have insurance coverage, do the following:

     1. Select Basic (uninsured) from the Discount plan list.

        The other discount plan options become available.

        

     2. Select the discount fee schedule from the Select a fee schedule list.

        Notes:

        • If the patient has insurance coverage, the discount plan will be ignored.

        • The difference between the provider's fee for a given procedure (or if there is no provider fee, the default fee) and the discount fee appears as a credit adjustment on a patient's ledger. However, if the patient has insurance coverage, the selected discount fee schedule is ignored.

        • Alternatively, you can assign a sliding fee schedule to determine a discount.

     3. An expiration date may be required by your organization. To specify the date after which the discount plan should no longer be valid for the patient, click (or tap) in the Discount plan expiration box, and then select the correct date. With an expiration date entered, if the patient does not have insurance coverage, expiration warning icons and notifications start appearing 30 days prior to the expiration date until the discount plan's expiration date is changed or removed (if allowed) or until the discount plan is removed from the patient's record. The warnings can appear in the following areas of Dentrix Ascend:

        • A yellow warning icon appears next to the patient's name on an appointment card on the routing panel. Click (or tap) the icon to view the message.

        • A notification appears when you access the patient's Ledger page.

        • A notification appears when you access the Progress Notes tab of the patient's clinical record.

        • A notification appears when you access the Tx Planner tab of the patient's clinical record.

        • A notification appears when you attempt to complete the patient's appointment.

        Examples:

        Warning Icon (Expiring)	Warning Icon (Expired)
        Notification (Expiring)	Notification (Expired)

        Important: Even if a discount plan expires for a patient, the patient will continue to get discounts. The expiration date only triggers notifications, it does not cause the discount plan to be removed from the patient's record.

   • Household - To populate the address and primary phone number for the patient with that of another patient of record, in the Use contact information of the household box, begin typing the name of a patient, continue typing as needed to narrow the results list, and then select the name of the patient who is or has the primary contact that you want to associate with the patient whose record you are adding.

   • Address - Enter the street address, city, state, and ZIP Code of the patient's residence. All correspondence will be sent to this address unless the patient is not the guarantor; in which case, bills, account statements, and other financial documents will be sent to the address listed for the patient's guarantor. By default, the address of the patient's primary contact, if that is someone other than the patient whose record you are adding, is entered.

   • Phone number - Select a Phone type (Home, Mobile, Work, or Other), and enter the correct Phone number and Ext (if applicable) for the patient.

     Important:

     • Sending automated text messages to mobile phone numbers is subject to the FCC's Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). That law and our terms and conditions require you to obtain consent from your patients before sending them any text messages through the Dentrix Ascend reminder system. Federal law dictates the form of prior express consent you must obtain. Prior written consent is optimal for all text messages, and may be required by law depending on the content of your text messages.

       The following is an example of consent language you may consider adapting for your practice.

       As a service to our patients, we provide courtesy appointment and recare reminder messages, and other important messages, such office closures, by using text messages. We also may send text messages notifying you of promotions our practice may offer from time to time. By providing your cell phone number, you consent to receiving text messages reminders and notifications at this number. You may opt out of receiving text messages by texting STOP in reply to a message at any time.

     • If you do not have a patient's prior consent, turn off reminders for the patient by selecting Home as the patient's phone number type instead of Mobile.

     To add another phone number for the patient, click (or tap) Add Phone.

     Tips:

     • To copy the phone number of another household member to this patient's record, click (or tap) in one of the phone number boxes, and then click (or tap) the Copy button of a household member. Only the first (primary) phone number of the primary contact and other household members (if different) are available.

       

     • To change the priority of the patient's phone numbers, click (or tap) the Move Up button of the phone number that you want to move up in the list. To remove a phone number from the patient's record, click (or tap) the Remove button of that phone number. These buttons are not available for the first (primary) phone number.

       

     • If you enter a mobile phone number for the patient and then click (or tap) Save, below that phone number, the text Automated Text Reminders appears along with a status message (Yes or Carrier not Supported) to indicate that the number you entered has been verified as either a supported or unsupported mobile phone number. Then, if it is a supported number, a welcome text message is immediately sent. However, if the mobile phone number for the patient comes from a conversion from another practice management software, a welcome text message and a thank-you-for-scheduling text message are sent at the same time when an appointment is scheduled for the patient. 

     • If the patient already has a mobile phone number entered, the status message next to the Automated Text Reminders text for that number can be, in addition to Yes or Carrier not Supported, No if the patient is the primary contact for himself or herself or for anyone else and has been opted out of receiving automated text message reminders (any other patients who have this patient as their primary contact have also been opted out).

       

     • The patient's text message reminder status also appears in the upper-right corner and on the Contact Info tab of the Appointment Information panel that appears when you click (or tap) any of that patient's appointments on the schedule.

       

     • Once a supported mobile phone number is entered, and the patient's record is saved, the patient is automatically opted in to receiving automated text message reminders. Any other patients who have this patient as their primary contact or who have the same mobile number as this patient entered in their patient records are also automatically opted in. However, if the patient has someone else as his or her primary contact, the patient will receive text messages only if the patient's primary contact has a supported mobile phone number and that person is opted in.

     • If you do not have patient consent, or a patient informs you that he or she no longer wants to receive text messages, turn off reminders for the patient by selecting Home as the patient's phone number type instead of Mobile. A patient who has consented may also opt-out from their mobile phone by texting STOP in reply to a message. Any other patients who have this patient as their primary contact or who have the same mobile number as this patient entered in their patient records are also opted out.

   • Email - Enter the patient's email address.

     Notes:

     • If the patient has someone else as his or her primary contact, but an email address has not been entered in that primary contact's patient record, "No email provided" appears.

       

     • If the patient has someone else as his or her primary contact, and an email address has been entered in that primary contact's patient record, that primary contact's email address appears and will be used for this patient.

       

       To enter a different email address for this patient, click (or tap) Add Patient Email, and then enter an address in the Email (Patient) box that appears. To clear the patient's email, click the X. This email address is for reference only. Dentrix Ascend will not use this email address to send out automated patient communications.

       

     • If you enter an email address that is already associated with another patient's record, a yellow warning icon appears next to the label of the Email box, both on the Basic Info tab of the applicable patients' records and on the Contact Info tab of the Appointment Information panel that appears when you click (or tap) any of the applicable patients' appointments on the schedule. Dentrix Ascend allows you to save a patient's record with a duplicate email address; the warning is only there for your reference in case, for example, your organization requires unique email addresses for all patients. Also, this warning will no longer appear once you save the patient record.

       

4. Click (or tap) Save.

   All the tabs for entering patient information become available.

   

5. Enter or edit patient information on the following tabs as needed:

   • Basic Info (see steps 3-4)

   • Related Patients

     Related Patients tab

     

     • Primary Contact - To change the primary contact person for the patient, click (or tap) the Edit button . In the search box, begin typing the contact's name, continue typing as needed to narrow the results, and then select the appropriate name from the list of matching results. Or, to make the patient whose record you are viewing the primary contact, click (or tap) Switch to "Self" at the bottom of the results list.

       

       Note: If the primary contact is someone other than this patient (not "Self"), the name and Preferred Contact Method of the patient's primary contact appear on the Patient Information ribbon.

     • Add New Member - To add patient records, at one time, for others members of the same household as the current patient, click (or tap) Add New Member.

       Note: A household is a group of patients who have the same primary contact person. The complete list of household members is available when you are viewing the patient record of any member of a given household.

     • Secondary Contact - To add a secondary contact person for the patient, click (or tap) Add Secondary Contact. In the Select Patient box, begin typing the contact's name, continue typing as needed to narrow the results, and then select the appropriate name from the list of matching results.

     • Primary Guarantor - To change the primary person who is financially responsible for the account, click (or tap) the Edit button . In the search box, begin typing the guarantor's name, continue typing as needed to narrow the results, and then select the appropriate name from the list of matching results. Or, to make the patient whose record you are viewing the primary guarantor, click (or tap) Switch to "Self" at the bottom of the results list.

       

       Note: If the current patient is the guarantor, that patient and all patients for whom that patient is the guarantor appear in the list. If the current patient is not the guarantor, only the guarantor and the patient appear in the list.

     • Secondary Guarantor - To add a secondary person who is financially responsible for the account, click (or tap) Add Secondary Guarantor. In the Select Patient box, begin typing the secondary guarantor's name, continue typing as needed to narrow the results, and then select the appropriate name from the list of matching results.

   • Medical Alerts

     Medical Alerts tab

     

     Click (or tap) Add Medical Alert to attach medical alerts to the patient's record.

   • Patient Forms

     Patient Forms tab

     

     • To request forms from the patient, click (or tap) Request Forms.

     • To change the due date of a form, click (or tap) the corresponding Edit icon .

   • Preferences

     Preferences tab

     

     1. Set up the following options:

        • Preferred Contact Method - Select whether the patient prefers to be contacted by phone, text message, or email message. For Call me, you must enter a phone number in the box that appears if a phone number is not already entered for the patient (if it is not already, this phone number will be made the first listed phone number for the patient). For Text me, you must enter a mobile phone number in the box that appears if a mobile phone number is not already entered for the patient (if it is not already, this mobile phone number will be made the first listed phone number for the patient). For Email me, you must enter an Email address in the box that appears if an email address is not already entered for the patient. These options are available only if the patient is his or her own primary contact. Currently, this information is for reference only.

          Notes:

          • If someone else is this patient's primary contact, the preferred contact options are not available because the patient's preferred contact method is that of the primary contact, but you can click the name of the primary contact person shown to go to his or her patient record to view or change the preferred contact method for that patient.

            

          • The selected preferred contact method appears on the Patient Information ribbon, which is available when you are viewing the patient's record.

            

          • If someone else is this patient's primary contact, the name and preferred contact method of the patient's primary contact appear on the Patient Information ribbon. Similarly, if this patient is the primary contact for someone else, this patient's name and preferred contact method will appear on the other patient's Patient Information ribbon.

            

          • The preferred contact method is not associated with and, therefore, does not determine whether the patient will receive automated reminders as text messages or as email messages.

        • Text Messages - Select Yes or No to indicate that the patient (any other patients who have this patient as their primary contact) will or will not receive manual text messages and automated text message reminders for appointments and recare. These options are available only if a supported mobile phone number has been entered (on the Basic Info tab) for the patient and the patient is the primary contact for himself or herself or anyone else.

          Notes:

          • Manual text messages and automated text message reminders for this patient (and any other patients who have this patient as their primary contact) will be sent to the mobile phone number displayed. If the patient has more than one mobile phone number, the first one listed (on the Basic Info tab) for the patient will be used for the automated text message reminders.

          • If No is already selected, the date that the patient was last opted out appears for your reference next to the No option. Either someone in your office opted the patient out, or the patient texted STOP in reply to a message. Any other patients who have this patient as their primary contact or who have the same mobile number as this patient entered in their patient records have also been opted out.

          • If Yes is already selected, and then you select No and click (or tap) Save, the patient is opted out, and the current date appears next to the No option as the opt-out date. Also, a text message, stating that the patient has been opted out, is sent to the patient's mobile phone. Any other patients who have this patient as their primary contact or who have the same mobile number as this patient entered in their patient records are also opted out. The primary contact can resume receiving text messages for the entire household by texting START in reply to a message.

        • Preferred Language - Select the patient's preferred language. English is the default. If the preference is a language other than English, the selected language appears on the Patient Information ribbon, which is available when you are viewing the patient's record. Currently, this information is for reference only.

        • Preferred Location - Select the office that the patient prefers to receive treatment at. A matching patient will appear in the results list of a patient search box throughout Dentrix Ascend if that patient's preferred location is in a location to which your user account has access unless you use the advanced search functionality. Other than for patient searches, currently the preferred location is for reference only.

        • Preferred Appointment Day/Time - Select the checkboxes that correspond to the days of the week and/or times that the patient prefers to have his or her appointments. The days that are available correspond to the working days set up on your practice's schedule. The selected preferred appointment days and times appear when you are scheduling an appointment for the patient, so you can offer those times to the patient. Currently, this information is for reference only.

          

     2. Click (or tap) Save.

   • Referrals

     Referrals tab

     

     In the Referred By search box, enter all or part of the name of the referral source (patient, professional, marketing, or other) that referred this patient to your practice, and then click (or tap) the appropriate source's name in the list of matching results that appears.

   • Notes

     Notes tab

     

     To attach a note to the patient's record, click (or tap) Add Note.