Dentistry for Kids and Adults
RingCentral Helps this Patient-Favorite Family Dentistry Practice Continue Caring for Patients During the Lockdowns
I handled the rollout of RingCentral for the practice. The Implementation team was really helpful. They encouraged me to schedule free training sessions. But honestly, it was so easy just using the how-to videos from RingCentral University for reference, that I was able to do it myself.
Ken Lukach
Practice Manager, Dentistry for Kids and Adults
As many as one in five Americans will avoid going to the dentist because of fear or anxiety. That’s one of the main reasons Dr. Gina Dorfman founded Dentistry for Kids and Adults.
Dr. Dorfman has devoted her professional life to improving the field of dentistry — not only for the patients and team at her own thriving practice in Santa Clarita, California, but for patients and dentists everywhere. In addition to founding Dentistry for Kids and Adults, voted “Best Dentist in Santa Clarita,” Dr. Dorfman writes articles on dental technology, hosts a podcast for dentists, and regularly speaks at national dental conferences and events.
More recently, when the pandemic lockdowns went into effect, Dr. Dorfman began teaching other dentists how to hold teledentistry sessions, so they could continue triaging patients from home. At the same time, however, the shutdown exposed a few technology challenges in her own practice that also needed triaging.
INDUSTRY
Healthcare
HQ
Santa Clarita, CA
YEAR FOUNDED
2002
EMPLOYEES
20
A phone system unfit for a thriving practice’s operations
When Dentistry for Kids and Adults switched to RingCentral’s all-in-one cloud solution, the entire staff had the ability to communicate with patients and each other—and in whichever format they needed—from anywhere. This was the ideal solution to help the practice and its patients through the pandemic.
My billing coordinator had to isolate for two weeks, because her mon got sick,” says Dr. Dorfman. “But from a productivity standpoint, that wasn’t a problem at all. She downloaded the RingCentral app and was able to make calls to insurance companies on our business number, right from her computer at home. She was even able to send and receive faxes digitally, also right from the RingCentral app.”
But perhaps the most significant benefit RingCentral provided for the practice during the pandemic was the built-in video conferencing with RingCentral Video. “Teledentistry makes all the difference in a situation like a quarantine,” says Dr. Dorfman. “It makes the appointment a lot easier for the patient, because you can connect with them face-to-face. It’s also great for triaging and pre-qualifying patients before deciding whether they need to come in for emergency care.”
Additionally, from a regulatory standpoint, the ability to meet with a patient by video—versus a standard phone call—is essential if a dentist needs to prescribe medicine. “You need to see the patient—not just hear their voice, but see their face as well,” she explains. “So having RingCentral Video for teledentistry during that two-month shutdown period really helped us care for patients in a way we couldn’t have otherwise.”
But from a productivity standpoint, that wasn’t a problem at all. She downloaded the RingCentral app and was able to make calls to insurance companies on our business number, right from her computer at home. She was even able to send and receive faxes digitally, also right from the RingCentral app.
Dr. Dorfman
Founder, Dentistry for Kids and Adults
Even more benefits: integrating with a paperless dentistry app
Yet another benefit RingCentral provided was its integration with YAPI, the patient engagement software that the practice uses to digitize patient forms, send automated appointment reminders, and to help the front-office staff put a face to the name whenever a patient calls.
“YAPI and RingCentral work together,” says Ken Lukach, Practice Manager at Dentistry for Kids and Adults. “When a patient calls our office, YAPI finds all actionable information about that patient and pops it up on the screen. This way, even before they pick up the phone, our staff can be ready with relevant information… an upcoming appointment, a family member due for a checkup, an outstanding bill, or even a birthday.”