· Reviewed by Issabela Masters
Why do Open Dental users need a virtual assistant?
Open Dental gives an office more control than almost anything else in dentistry, and that control comes with a long list of screens that only pay off when somebody works them. The Recall list is accurate. The Unscheduled Treatment Plan report is accurate. Aging of accounts receivable is accurate. None of that fills a chair on its own. In a two-doctor office the front desk is answering phones, checking patients in and handling the hygienist who needs a claim narrative, so the lists wait for a quiet afternoon that never comes. An assistant works them on a schedule instead, calling, texting, verifying and booking, so the operatory time you already pay for gets used.
What can a virtual assistant do inside Open Dental?
- Appointments module and Pinboard
- Books, moves and confirms appointments across provider and operatory columns, and uses the Pinboard to slot short-notice patients into gaps the same morning.
- Recall list
- Works recall by due date with calls, texts and Web Sched links, books hygiene visits and records the reason whenever a patient defers.
- Unscheduled List and broken appointments
- Chases every broken or unscheduled appointment within a day, reschedules and notes patterns for the doctor when a patient repeatedly cancels.
- Insurance plans and verification
- Keeps carrier, subscriber and plan benefits current, runs the insurance verification list ahead of each week and records frequencies, maximums and waiting periods.
- Claims and attachments
- Sends claims with narratives and images attached, works the outstanding claims report by aging bucket and resubmits rejections with the correction noted.
- Account module
- Posts payments and adjustments as your office manager directs, sends billing statements on your cycle and makes courteous balance calls from approved scripts.
- Treatment Plan module
- Follows up presented treatment that was never scheduled, books the visit, and keeps saved treatment plans tidy so the case acceptance report means something.
- Task lists and reports
- Uses the Manage module task lists to hand work back to the office, and pulls production, income and aging reports with a short written summary.
Integrations we handle
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Open Dental and Dialpad
Patient calls answered in your practice name, with the outcome written back onto the appointment or account note.
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Open Dental and Vyne Dental
Claim attachments and electronic submissions routed through your existing account, with rejections worked the day they land.
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Open Dental and Dental Intelligence
Practice metrics cross-checked against Open Dental reports so the numbers in your morning huddle are consistent.
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Open Dental and QuickBooks Online
Daily deposits and adjustments reconciled with your bookkeeper so the ledger and the bank statement agree.
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Open Dental and Microsoft 365
Shared mailbox and calendar for office coordination. Patient information stays inside Open Dental and your approved systems.
