What is teledentistry?
Teledentistry is the use of telecommunications technology to facilitate dental care. By electronically sharing intraoral photos, extra oral photos, radiographs, notes and other clinical data teledentistry creates a variety of opportunities to expand reach and provide a higher level of care to patients while adding convenience for both the providers and the patients.
Is teledentistry legal in my state?
Currently it is legal to share patient information via teledentistry in all 50 states if you are using a HIPAA compliant pathway. Each state’s dental practice act will regulate who can provide the services and where they can be provided. The settings and applications of teledentistry will vary depending on state regulations and your practice act. Please contact us for additional details on your state.
Do I need a special certification to use teledentistry?
At this time there is no certification in teledentistry. Some states require registration if you are seeing patients utilizing teledentistry. Our team will help you understand your use case and support your success as you roll out the program.
How do I keep my patient’s information secure while using teledentistry?
TeleDent is the turnkey teledentistry solution and it is 100% HIPAA compliant. Using TeleDent correctly as well as following other HIPAA guidelines, such as password protected encrypted computers, will ensure that your patients data is safe during every step of your teledentistry workflow.
Can I bill for teledentistry?
As of January 1, 2018 the CDT recognizes two teledentistry codes. D9995 and D9996 for synchronous and asynchronous teledentistry. Reimbursement for the teledentistry code varies by state and insurance provider. We recommend having a conversation about teledentistry services with the insurance companies that you contract with so that they are aware of the benefits and they will be ready when they see the teledentistry codes rolling in.
Are there additional fees?
Your per provider license for TeleDent allows for unlimited patients, appointments, images, videos, video conferences and storage. You may choose to add additional users to your plan for a small fee.
Who needs a license in my organization?
Anyone that will log into the system and access patient data will be considered a user. We have the ability to restrict certain users to administrative roles, however these users still require licenses.
Can I manage multiple practices?
TeleDent was designed from the ground up to accommodate everything from single practices to large group practices and organizations. Your TeleDent account begins with an “Organization” and under that are “Practices.” Providers can then be assigned visibility on specific practices or across the entire Group. As you get started, our specialists can help you work through all of the details to set up your organization and practices to allow you to silo patient and provider data.
Do you integrate with my practice management software?
We currently integrate with Dentrix and will be announcing new EHR compliant practice management integrations soon! TeleDent is currently a stand alone software program, however a user can import and export data using TeleDent into your practice management software.
Can I take x-rays in TeleDent?
For now, you would need to install your x-ray software on the computer with the app in order to capture radiographs and add them to a TeleDent patient record. You’ll be able to upload just about any clinical imaging file type into TeleDent.
What does a live video consultation look like?
During a live video consultation, the provider initiates the session. When completing a video call with a patient the HIPAA compliant TeleDent software will turn on the webcam. You have the ability to capture still images, screen share and record the session as part of the patient record. You can simply add the intraoral camera so that the reviewing provider can see intraoral images as well as the webcam. When consulting with another provider you will be able to screen share from either computer – perfect for case review, treatment planning and more.
Can I do live consults from my smartphone?
Yes, you can review all clinical data from your phone’s browser. You can also connect to other providers and conduct live video consultations from your iOS or Android device. TeleDent also offers the ability to join a video call from a link via text notification.