May 2022

The best of spring....May in Pennsylvania

Winter always seems to not want to let us go, but we are finally having the sunshine, lush foliage and all the other joys of spring here in Pennsylvania.   We have the second quarterly release for 2022 ready for download.  Those with an up-to-date service agreement can call or email when ready to download to receive the current authorization codes.   Look below for the highlights of this release.  As it was for the first quarter, this one primarily focuses on responding to requests from our users for additional conveniences. 

Note also that to stay compliant with the newest security measures within Microsoft Windows, those offering the DentalRx web portal will need a separate update installed by our technical support team.  This security measure is not part of the DentaLab quarterly release and is not downloadable.

Our next holiday with our offices closed will be for the USA Memorial Day on Monday, May 30.

Local is a lot easier

When we analyze the support issues that come our way, we are finding like many others in this industry that dealing with ever-increasing internet security measures far exceeds any other issue.   All of the major players have had to continually try out new methods in their attempts to thwart the vast amount of malware and deceptive practices to steal information, money and other resources.   

We are finding that many of these new methods involve individual attention to individual customers.  These cannot be accomplished in an across-the-board manner but rather involve time-consuming technical settings and coordination with each customer and each of their users. 

We are hearing from many of our own customers as well as prospective customers that they prefer to stay local whenever possible and to use the internet judiciously when collaboration and coordination are required.  We will continue to offer choices within our software and support programs.   We will also continue to offer you guidance when needed to determine what might be best for yourself and your customers.

Here are some of the recent security measures that may involve you: 

• QuickBooks Online integrations with other apps such as DentaLab require submission of an application and approval by Intuit by July 15, 2022.  Our technical support has assisted in getting this done.  
• Windows 11 security measures now require granting permission to access at the folder level, such as needed for backups. 
  
• Customer payment processing by most providers now requires at least two-step authentication such as sending a text message with a security code to your smartphone and/or asking security questions, frequent changing of passwords, deliberately asking you to enter the same correct information twice. 
  
• The above is also applied to many other internet based systems such as Microsoft 365.  We subscribe to this service but find it much speedier to simply use our old local Word 2010 to draft our documentation.  
  

The internet is an amazing resource and its transmission speed is incredibly fast.  The reality, however, is there is a need for very high levels of security and many of these measures often slow us down.

Updated master chart for service agreements

We have updated the master chart showing the latest features of both the Essential and Plus versions of your service agreements.   If you would like to have a copy emailed to you, just let us know by phone or email. 

Our service agreements have always been a win-win offering.    They provide the support most labs need for guidance, keeping up to date with the surrounding components of your computer system and dental technology, customizations, equipment updates and transfers, and staying in compliance with government regulations for patient safety, good manufacturing standards and taxation. 

In turn, they provide the funding that is needed to have expert technical and educational personnel, equipment and other resources on board for whatever may be needed.

To answer your questions....

Q:  How can we make use of barcoding with our DQB software for our lab? 

A:  There are three levels of capability that involve barcodes: 

1) Barcodes on labels, work tickets and printed prescription/images can be scanned in the Case Lookup field at the top of the menu for speedy access to the case 

2) the DQB Barcode supplement can be used to track workflow of the case, then marking shipments and quality control.

3) the DQB Technician Productivity supplement added to the Barcode supplement can be used to track, monitor, analyze and report on the performance of technicians and calculate pay rates.

The barcode format we use is the 3 of 9 (aka 39 and Code39) standard for the USA government, which provides for alpha, numeric, and special characters.  The barcode scanner you choose must be capable of reading this standard.  For more details, you can also request our white paper on this topic. 

Q:  Is barcoding the best way to track workflow? 

A:  Barcoding is a very proven technology for its accuracy and speed.   This is still the #1 choice in labs that want to track workflow as well as technician productivity.   In most labs, it is a quality control person or supervisor that scans the barcodes as work is accepted.   In addition to the DQB capabilities, you have to purchase one or more barcode scanners, which are relatively inexpensive.  

Another very good technology for tracking workflow is the DQBT Tablet Workflow App.  This provides more precise timings as it is the technician who uses the touch technology of the tablet to mark start, pause, restart and finish for each case item. It also provides more features such as viewing case images, documents, case plans and communications to guide the work.  The technician can also enter notes and actions required for the case.    In most labs that use DQBT, they limit the number of tablets placed in the hands of technicians due to the cost involved.  

Keep in mind also that the case and technician reports can be used to monitor and analyze the efficiency of your workflow.             

Q:  How does DentalRx come in to play with workflow? 

A:  There is a very good rule in computer systems that whenever possible design for single entry.  Having to enter information more than once is not only time-consuming but also more subject to errors and omissions.   DentalRx provides for very close to single case entry into DQB.  More than 95% of the case entry process is accomplished at the dental office using your own standard procedures and/or product groups already set up in DQB. Typically at the lab, the DRX entry is reviewed and given the go-ahead to be scheduled into the workflow.  

Also adding to better efficiency and workflow is the ability to transmit digital files and documents directly to the case and to have them easily accessible whenever needed.  Communications between the dental office and the lab can also be easily accomplished and recorded, lessening the possibility of misunderstandings and the need for adjustments.

Q:  When looking up case status and history in DentalRx, can the dental office see their cases that were manually entered as well as those submited via DentalRx? 

A:  Yes they can.   The lab can also customize which fields are shown in the case status/history reports.  This can be a good way to introduce the DentalRx service to your customers. 

Searching in the Case List

One of the most powerful resources built into DQB has been the Case List. Here are some examples:

• With this, you can enter one or more criteria to find case records. You can also limit the results to a specified type of date range. 
  
• You can use its Action Menu for a wide variety of purposes such as creating an advance bill, printing a work ticket.
• One of the Actions is the Customize Columns in which you can indicate on the list which columns you want displayed. 
• Once the list is selected and displayed, you can transfer the records to an Excel spreadsheet.  
• If you want to make a change or simply know and count, you can ask for the cases with a specific ship method, cases that were entered by a specific employee, cases for a doctor and patient. 
• You can click on any column header to sort it in one direction, click again to sort the opposite way.
  

When we receive support calls regarding the Case List such as having unexpected results, here are the most frequent resolutions: 

• The type of date and the date range specified should be either widened or disabled for the search.  
• The criteria from the prior search was not cleared. 
• The criteria entered was misspelled. 
• The criteria entered had a blank space in the first character.
  
• Better results would occur if the user indicated anywhere in the field rather than matching from the beginning.

Highlights of DQB 1.70 Release 

For DQB Starter and Standard

To maintain compatibility with the latest software from the major providers such as Microsoft for Windows 11 and the .Net Framework and Intuit for QuickBooks, we have applied the technical changes required.  In addition, there are continual upgrades to internet security measures that are needed to guard against theft of information, ransomware, and other dangers.

DQB Barcode Scan for Case Lookup

There are several forms within DQB that include a barcode for the case number but do not require licensing of the DQB Barcoding supplemen.t. These include some of the case labels, work tickets, and the print prescription/image option in the DQB Images/Digital File supplement.   We have added the special code needed for scanning barcodes to the Case Lookup field in the DQB menu for those who prefer to scan rather than key in the case number. Focus will remain on the Case Lookup field for those who want to access a number of cases. 

DQB Expansion of Contact Fields

We have had a number of requests to provide for synchronization and use of more of the QB fields related to contact information for customers. Currently DQB synchronizes the following:

• Main Phone
• Fax
• Main Email
• Company Contact Name

The QB Online Pro, Premier and Enterprise versions have added these contact fields:

• Work Phone
• Mobile Phone
• CC Email
• Website

 The connector program has been expanded to synchronize these QB fields into DQB.

Enhancements to Contact Information

With this release, we have expanded the contact information in most of DQB, but not yet in the Notifications supplement and possible expansion of the Address Book used for customer and case emails.  

Basic Lists-Customers:  Now shows all the QB contact fields in top frame, rearranged so that similar fields are close together and clearly identified.

Cases:  The Doctor Information frame now shows all the QB contact fields, rearranged so that similar fields are close together and clearly identified.

Customer List: Action to Customize Columns has been expanded to add new fields.

Customer Center: Now shows all the QB contact fields in top frame, rearranged so that similar fields are close together and clearly identified. 

Special note for DentalRx: 

The updates for DentalRx this quarter involve new security measures from Microsoft in their latest releases.   These updates are not included in the DQB release.   They involve a short technical support session and must be requested and scheduled.

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