This release introduces a new information icon in Dentrix Ascend, which leads you to the valuable resources in the Information Hub. This update also introduces a smart default for providers on pages in Dentrix Ascend that require a provider. The race and ethnicity features are now optional in your practice.
New Information Icon in Dentrix Ascend
This release introduces an updated icon in the lower left corner of Dentrix Ascend to raise awareness that there are resources in Dentrix Ascend. Prior to this update, there was a cloud icon and now there is an information icon.
When you click on the information icon, you can access resources in the Information Hub. The Information Hub has three sections: In-App Help, Announcements, and Events.
In the In-App Help section, you’ll see a list of resources relevant to the page that you are on. Click a resource to open a pop-up. You can either click the expansion icon to see a full-screen view of the video or click the Learn More button to go to the full topic page.
In the Announcements section, you’ll be notified about new software releases and other product updates.
In the Events section, you can register for upcoming Practice Success events or watch a recording of the latest on-demand event.
When you see a red dot on the information icon, that means there is a new announcement or event. Dentrix Ascend adds updates every few weeks and announces new features and enhancements—make sure you read them!
Clinical
Smart Default Provider
This release introduces a smart default for providers on pages in Dentrix Ascend that require a provider. The smart default feature saves you time by allowing you to search for the provider of today’s procedures and reduces errors by helping prevent you from mistakenly assigning the wrong provider.
This feature is for patients who do NOT have a primary provider selected.
Under normal circumstances, in any drop-down list of providers, the providers appear in alphabetical order by short name. If you are not careful, you will assign the first provider in the list. We want to help you correctly identify the provider so that a patient’s record contains accurate data.
This update introduces an intelligent enhancement to provider selection. It works like this: when a patient does NOT have a primary provider—who would automatically show up as the default provider—and has an appointment today, the provider assigned to that appointment will follow the patient as the first provider choice, as if he or she were a temporary primary provider.
Note: The smart default for provider feature only applies to the schedule, chart and clinical notes. It does not include the ledger or imaging.
For example, when you go into the clinical pages or add a new clinical note, the appointment provider becomes the default provider selection.
Note: Even though a primary provider is preselected, you still have the option to change the provider.
Patient Relationship Management
Patient Race and Ethnicity Update
In release 104 we introduced two new drop-down lists, labeled Race and Ethnicity, on the Patient Information page’s Basic Info tab. We added these fields to support dental practices that are required to report race or ethnicity statistics to the federal government. Because they do not apply to everyone, with this update we have made them optional.
To hide the Race and Ethnicity fields on the Patient Information page, go to Settings > Custom Pick Lists. Select the Race and/or Ethnicity pick list, and toggle the Include on Patient Info switch to Off.
Note: You must have the Manage Custom Pick Lists right.
By default, the Race and Ethnicity fields are On and visible on the Patient Information page. Visibility is at the organization level, so when you go onto the page from any location and turn them off (or back on) it is for all locations at once.
User Rights
No new user rights were introduced in this update.
New Learning Content
The Education Team is continuously adding to and updating content in the Dentrix Ascend Resource Center. Below are the latest new additions and updates. Click the title to get more information about these topics.
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