Release Notes: 12th June 2018 (iteration 321)

 

New features and feature enhancements are included in the product update released June 12th, 2018. New with this release is a feature called Location Access Restriction, which allows the practice owner to define user roles that have access to Dentrix Ascend only when they are in the office. This release includes several usability enhancements, along with enhancements to Quick Exam and Imaging. 

User Roles

Location Access Restriction

Some organizations want the ability to make sure certain employee roles have access to Dentrix Ascend only from the dental practice location and not from just anywhere. The same may be true for employees working in the main headquarters of a large multi-site organization. Reasons to impose such a constraint might include a desire restrict access for temporary employees. Large organizations with a high level of staff turnover may also want to impose additional safeguards.

Conceptually, turning on this feature means “only allow users to log into this location when those users are physically located at this address”. In this case the address is an IP address rather than a physical one.  IP addresses are assigned to locations by your Internet provider. Typically, IP addresses are “dynamic”, meaning they change periodically, part of the flexibility of a network. To make the easiest use of this feature, we recommend you request a static (unchanging) IP address from your Internet provider.

  

The feature must be implemented in the Location Information page by an administrator. There is a User Roles security access right that allows users with a particular role to bypass the Location Access Restrictions in order to perform administrative functions, resolve lockout situations if an Internet gateway’s IP address gets changed by the office’s Internet service provider, or to allow team members like providers to review and sign clinical notes, review their next day’s schedule, etc., after hours from home or on the road, etc.

  

When you implement Location Access Restriction, users without the Bypass right and attempting to log in from an address different from any on the allowed list will be denied access and see a warning message asking them to contact the administrator. 

Use of this feature is optional, and is turned off by default. Dentrix Ascend will operate normally until you choose to define and activate restrictions. 

Clinical

Quick Exam Usability Improvements

Several enhancements have been made to Quick Exam to make it a more intuitive tool.

• The Multi-select switcher has been removed, because with this release multi-select mode is always on, including the ability to select quadrants.
• A Clear Selected button has been added, and it behaves just like the button of the same name in the Chart.
• Existing Work and Treatment Plan procedures are now sorted alphabetically by procedure description.
• Eight conditions and one surface condition have been added to the list when the selected area is an arch. Note that mandibular and maxillary conditions are not included.
• A new color guide shows you today’s activity; colored squares corresponding to conditions (green), existing work (blue), and treatment planned procedures (red) appear next to teeth as you post during the exam.

  

Usability

Several changes have been made to the Dentrix Ascend interface to make it even more user-friendly. 

• Quick links have been added to the patient information bar. Six of the most common destinations now appear as hyperlinks, removing the need to first open the Patient dropdown menu. Note that the list shrinks if you make your browser too small.

• The Location reference is now easier to read. The location name has more space for readability, plus you can see the role assigned to your login. If your practice has multiple locations, the location dropdown highlights which of the locations you are logged in to. Your current location is in blue.

• The Ledger view has been optimized for patients who are both the guarantor and the only patient in the “family”. When Ascend sees this configuration, only the Guarantor view is used. The Patient view option is disabled.

Insurance

Bill Custom Procedure Codes to Insurance

The Dentrix Ascend database comes with all the current ADA Procedure Codes, which are updated automatically as needed, and you have always been able to add custom procedure codes for your organization. But until this update, you have not been able to turn on the Bill to insurance switcher on a custom procedure code. 

With this update, all your custom codes will be left as they currently are, with Bill to insurance set to Off. To include a custom procedure code in a claim, you must go into ledger or the Edit Procedure Code dialog box and switch it to On. You will see a warning message when you do this:

NOTE: This feature in no way guarantees that just because you can bill for the procedure that the insurance will accept it. In fact, some insurance carriers may reject the entire claim due to the presence of one unrecognized procedure code. This enhancement was expressly created to help FQHCs include a rate code with their Wrap Around claims.

Imaging

Block Imaging in Second Browser Tab

We realize that some users have found it useful to have two Dentrix Ascend tabs open at the same time in their browser. In one particular case, however—working in the Imaging module with two different patients at the same time—this has caused several problems, including interrupted workflow and data corruption. To avoid these problems, Dentrix Ascend now constrains users to work in only one browser tab when working in Imaging-related modules. If you attempt to open a second tab, Ascend will not navigate to that module and will instead present you with a warning message:

  

New Templates

The following templates have been added to the selections for Imaging Procedures.

• Periapical Three Images
• 4 bitewing + 3 Periapical Images
• 4 bitewing + 6 Periapical Images
• 7 vertical bitewing + 3 Periapical Images

Fixes

A number of fixes were also included in this update:

• Bug: Aged receivable report - unapplied credits do not match
• Bug: Chart: Error 500 when accessing a patient’s chart
• Bug: Calendar: show only business days button not working

New Learning Content Released

A new Scheduling Essentials course has been added to the Resource Center. The course is intended for new users or for anyone seeking a refresher to their instructor-led training. Topics include scheduling appointments, personalizing recare, filling openings, using the digital routing panel, and more. Click on a topic name to watch a video tutorial and see additio