January 2016

Here is what's new in the new year

It has been an unusual January for us with very little snow, no post-holiday slowdown, lots of custom requests that have kept us all very busy.  Here is the news to start off this new year:

We have been told that there will be a moratorium on the Medical Device Tax for the 2016 and 2017 calendar years.   There have been efforts to totally repeal it, but these have not yet been successful.   We will keep the features for this tax in DQB for now, but will be keeping an eye on this.

We will be introducing MyQuickCloud as one of the alternate ways to take advantage of cloud technology without giving up the privacy and protection of your vital information.   We have successfully tested this service with QuickBooks and DentaLab for QuickBooks.  See the writeup below for further details. 

The January DQB 1.45 release has been posted on our website, ready for downloading by those with an up-to-date service agreement.  The full details are also posted on the website.  An outline is provided below.  When ready to download, call for the current authorization codes.

As we are writing this we are being told that a major nor'easter is on its way with a projected 16-24 inches of snow.  We are setup to work from our homes if ice and snow prevent us from travelling to the office.   We will alternate checking on email and voicemail for your messages.  Be sure to be as complete as possible including your name, your lab name and the contact information on how to best reach you. If a speedy response is needed, it's OK to send both a phone message and an email. 

This is a good time for an annual review

The first months of the new year have been designated as the prime months to perform annual reviews because for many it is a time when things slow down a bit.  

We have also noted when providing tech support that there is a need for these.  By scheduling a small amount of dedicated time to each participating lab, we are able to provide guidance on how to improve computer performance and security in many ways, to make sure the right things are being done for protecting your information and for staying in compliance for patient safety.  If you would like to review features that you have not yet implemented for your software, we can cover this too. 

We hope you will each allocate a small amount of your time to this important task.   Call soon to schedule...typically each review takes about 2 hours and you can apply your monthly no-charge time toward this if not otherwise used.

Those who have an up-to-date service agreement will be given priority, but we will endeavor to schedule time for those who do not. 

To answer your questions...

Q:  Do the labs using DQB in other countries do anything different than the ones here in the USA?

A:  The core processes for entering and tracking cases are primarily the same.  Here from some of the customization requests we have received from labs in other countries are some of the differences:

• In the USA, employees must be paid by salary or hourly, subject to a minimum hourly rate.   Bonuses based on performance or other incentives can be paid.   This means piece rates for lab work can not be the basis for an employee's pay but these can be used as a basis for bonuses.   In some other countries, piece rate payment is legal.
• Although UPS and Fedex are international services, there are a number of other delivery services within other countries that have special requirements for labels and processing.
• We have noted that the provisions in DQB for multiple languages and in QB for multiple currencies are used more extensively in other countries.
• Most labs in the USA have one standard workday approximating 8 hours and do not schedule work on the weekends. Some work extra hours 4 days a week and then close for a 3-day weekend.  In other countries, we have seen 4 hour shifts where workers can be scheduled to work 1,2 or 3 of these shifts.   Weekend work is often a standard part of the schedule.  
  

Q:  For our next advance, we want to start storing digital images with our cases.  What type of scanner would be best?

A:  The only current requirements for an image scanner to work with DQB are that it provides for the JPEG format and that it work with the TWAIN or WIA protocol for interfacing. Here are some of the other features for you to consider:

• Automatic document feed (ADF) vs.flatbed (some scanners include both) for the typical sizes and conditions of the documents you will be scanning
• Your uses: just scanning prescriptions vs. also scanning completed work tickets and other documents, photographs, etc.  
• Color vs. monochrome
• Speed
• Footprint: how much space the equipment will occupy on the desktop
• Wireless vs wired
• USB connection or AC  (some scanners offer both)
• Your budget

You can also consider use of a document camera such as the IPEVO.   We can guide you to some internet resources to browse through the possibilities and when you determine which one(s) you want to consider, you can ask us to review the specifications and confirm that it will meet your requirements.

Introducing MyQuickCloud

For those who want to add the flexibility and mobility of cloud technology to QuickBooks and DentaLab for QuickBooks, here is an overview of MyQuickCloud: 

• Very affordable monthly rates starting at $25, no contract or setup fees
• Quick and easy to install
• Works with your existing equipment and software
• Does not require a dedicated station, can share with lab personnel
• You maintain control of your data and who can access it
• You can limit access to specific programs and information by user
• You can create your own dashboard(s) for allowed remote access
• Works with Windows, Android, MacOS, iOS devices
• Virtual desktop performs the same as being in the lab
• All transmissions are encrypted and highly secured

Ideal for labs who value privacy and protection for their information but also would like to have:

• The ability to work on the lab system from home or another location as needed
• Their accountant, technical support or other services review their records, provide training and advice from time to time
• Smooth access to up-to-date information for their sales personnel

We can help you implement this.  Please let us know if you are interested.

DQB Release 1.45

Here is an overview of the significant enhancements to DentaLab for QuickBooks (DQB) in 2016 Release 1.45 based on requests and suggestions from users of the system as well as the technical support staff. Unless otherwise noted, the enhancements have been applied to only the standard version of DQB.

Basic Lists - Price Level Option to Add All Items

For a new price level, there is now a button to add all active items to the list.  The user can then override the default prices for each item.

Basic Lists – Items Actions to Cross Reference to Standard Procedures

In the actions menu for items, there are now three options to cross reference items and standard procedures:

1. Cross Reference Item to Standard Procedures
2. Use of Item in Standard Procedures
3. Cross-Reference All Items to Standard Procedures

Case Entry – Presentation Changes

For the Case Notes in the General tab, you can now double-click anywhere in the case notes field to have a much larger window pop up for your entry.

For Case Items in the Add Items tab, the entry of the quality control and assigned technician fields have been moved up to the right of the item selection frame.  The selection list for items has been enlarged to assure that those items with long names are shown in full.

To speed entry, the loading of information in the right half of the tabs has been changed to on-demand loading. 

Case Invoices – Add QuickBooks Classes to Transactions

In QuickBooks, you can create classes that you assign to transactions. This lets you track account balances by department, business office or location, or any other meaningful breakdown of your business.  This is an optional feature.  You will need to turn it on in QuickBooks and DQB if you want to track by class.  

Many business owners have certain segments of their business that they want to keep a close eye on. By using the class tracking feature, you can define these segments and track their associated account balances on invoices, bills, and other documents. Businesses with different departments or locations can use classes to report account balances for each. To turn on class tracking in QuickBooks:

1. Go to the Edit menu and click Preferences.
2. In the Preferences window, click Accounting in the list on the left.
3. Click the Company Preferences tab.
4. Select the Use class tracking checkbox.
5. Click the OK button.

To create/edit classes, go to the Lists menu, then Class Lists.

DQB Synchronization for Classes

In Options/QB Synchronization, there is a new option to synchronize Classes for both the automatic and manual synchronizations.  The default setting is Off.  You will need to check this On if yo wish to add classes to your invoice transactions in QB.

DQB Optional Assignment of Class to Customer

If you have turned on the above settings for classes, a default class can be selected for a customer in DQB.  The class field in Case Entry will be initially set to the selected class for the customer.  Note that this is optional as a lab may choose to have a different basis for assigning classes.

DQB Use of Classes for Case Items

If you have turned on the above settings for classes, you will be given the option in Case Entry to select a class to be applied to all case items.  You will be given the opportunity to select a different class when adding a new case item or editing an existing item.  When creating an invoice for a case, the class for each line item will be transferred to the QB invoice.  When displaying invoice history, the class for each line item will be shown.  The standard DQB invoice will include the class for each line item.  If you wish to have the QB invoice show the class, you can check this in the template associated with the invoice. 

For Reports/Sales Analysis, there will be an option for Summary by Class for which you can select all classes or one class.  Totals will be provided for each class.

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