Setting the Standards: Key Criteria for Evaluating Dental Software Tools

In the rapidly evolving landscape of dental technology, choosing the right tools for your practice is crucial. Evaluating dental software tools requires a meticulous approach to ensure that the solutions you adopt are secure, scalable, and supportive of your practice's needs. Here’s a guide to defining the essential criteria for your evaluation process. 

Security 

The first question you’ll want to ask any potential software provider: Do you have SOC2 Type 2 certification? 

This certification is a minimum standard in 2024. Many start-up SaaS tools lack this certification, and sales representatives might deflect the question with statements like: 

• "We encrypt our data."
• "We have a great security guy."
• "We save everything in the cloud."
• "We’ve heard about SOC2 and have it on our roadmap." 

None of these are acceptable answers. The Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights reported in 2023 that there has been a 239% increase in hacking-related healthcare data breaches since 2018. Given the aggressive threat landscape and frequent breaches, ensuring that your patient and practice data is secured is paramount. SOC2 Type 2 certification guarantees that top-tier security standards are met, exceeded, and independently audited annually. This is a binary question: the vendor either has it, or they do not. Do not compromise on this. 

Your second question: Do you have cyber insurance? Can I see your policy documentation? 

Cyber insurance ensures that if the software vendor experiences a cyber incident, your data and liability are covered. Without this insurance, you as a customer assume the liability for your patient data being exposed. Once again, this is a must-have. 

Data Access 

Modern dental software must provide: 

SDK (Software Development Kit): A developer or integration program that allows third parties to integrate securely and at scale. 

APIs (Application Programming Interface): Essential for enabling different software systems to communicate and work together efficiently. 

Data Backup or Extract: The ability to request a copy of your data for reporting or backup purposes. 

Cures Act Compliance: Governing Electronic Health Records, reputable vendors should understand and articulate their compliance with this act. 

When evaluating data access, ensure all these options are available. If not, this is a red flag. 

Integrations 

Types of Integrations: 

Native Integration: Functionality is embedded directly into the Practice Management System (PMS). This seamless workflow integration is facilitated by strategic partnerships.  

Third-Party Integration: Separate tools communicate with the PMS via APIs or other approved integration technologies.  

Question: Do you have an approved integration into my PMS? 

This distinguishes between approved and hostile integrations. Hostile integrations, where vendors hack into the database, can lead to data corruption and security issues. Always check the PMS vendor’s website for a list of approved integrators. Here is Henry Schein One’s landing page for Dentrix Ascend users, for example: https://www.dentrixascend.com/vendors  

RPA Tools: 

Robot Process Automation tools, which scrape data by mimicking user actions, are not suitable for modern software. If a vendor relies on RPA tools, it indicates a lack of proper integration and is a significant red flag. 

Scalability 

Key Questions to Ask: 

• How many existing customers do you have? What are the average response times?
• What is your SLA (Service Level Agreement)? What are the consequences of not meeting the SLA? When was the last time you did not meet SLA? 
  
  

Expect clear, confident answers. Vague responses indicate potential scalability issues. 

Support and Training 

Key Questions to ask: 

• Is your support agreement cost-neutral? What does it cover? 
• Can I call the support number and get a person to answer? 
• Do you have different support tiers? 
• What happens if I find a bug or something broken? 
• How do I get training for your product or service? 

Support agreements should be transparent, with clear escalation and resolution processes. Training should be comprehensive, ongoing, and responsive to software updates. 

Evaluating dental software tools is a detailed process that requires asking the right questions and understanding the critical criteria. Ensuring security, data access, integrations, scalability, and support will help you choose the best solutions for your practice, protecting your data and enhancing your operational efficiency. 

I recently sat down with Mike Wilson, Vice President of IT Systems & Infrastructure at Today’s Dental Network and Dr. Jonny Brennan, Co-owner and Dentist of Brennan Dental to discuss the importance of robust security features in keeping dental practices safe. Check it out here.