June 2025

Available until the end of spring

We have had requests to offer once again the same Spring Specials we offered in prior years.  From now until spring officially ends here in the USA on June 21, 2025:  

The DQB Images/Digital Files supplement that typically licenses for $500 is reduced to $400.  This provides for capturing and accessing digital images and files associated with your lab cases, having them readily available in case entry/edit and on the DQBT tablet workflow app, transferred via email or the DentalRx web portal, choice of in-house scanning or camera, inclusion in your backup protocols.

The DQB Notification supplement that typically licenses for $500 is reduced to $400.  This provides for creating automatic schedules to send via email notifications on cases received and recently shipped. You can also include marketing messages and shipment tracking information. 

These specials are available for both the desktop and online versions of DQB.

Plan for these important updates

For DQB SQL Data Management:  This major update for the SQL database and its management is the focus of DQB Release 1.78 and is now available for download from the Support/Quarterly Releases section of our website for those with an up-to-date subscription or service agreement.  When ready, call or email for the current download codes.   You will be pleased with the speed and performance particularly in options such as searching the Case List and generating major reports.

For Microsoft Windows:  Support for Windows 10 will end in October 2025.   The upgrade to Windows 11 includes a number of major advances.  The speed is 2.3 times faster, current Internet security features are built in, with sufficient resources, you will be able to multi-task on the same screen with the ability to choose a resolution of QHD 3840 x 2160. If also upgrading your equipment, 16GB RAM and 1 TB disk storage are recommended.

For Intuit Accounting API;  The prior sub-versions will no longer be supported and will be rolled into one version henceforth in August 2025.   This will be a mandatory update to continue to use Intuit accounting. Intuit is recommending that this update be installed by July 31, 2025. 

Call or email if you need guidance or would like to schedule our technical support.

Looking ahead to July

For the USA Independence Day our offices will be closed on Friday July 4.   We will not be scheduling any major updates such as system transfers or new configurations on July 3.

To answer your questions....

Q: We have a few doctors who specialize in one type of case.  Is there a way we can expedite entry of their cases?

A: Yes, there are several features in DQB that can help speed up their entry.

1. In DQB Basic Lists/Standard Procedures, set up a procedure to match the workflow for the case design.  
2. If the procedure is unique to the doctor, consider prefixing the procedure name with the doctor's last name. 
3. In Basic Lists/Customers, set up an alert for the doctor to be shown in case entry.  Guide the entry person to select the procedure.
   
4. If there are any other special instructions for the case or guidance needed for invoicing, include them in one or more alerts.
   

Note that whenever needed, the details of the standard procedure added to the case can be modified.  You can also add multiple procedures to the case design as well as individual items..   

Q:  What is involved in adding a VPN to our system?  

A:  Adding a VPN (virtual private network) is a very wise choice to protect your information and assure privacy for both yourself and your customers.   You can include both QuickBooks and DQB components.  Our technical support would remote in to install this on your host server and establish the master administrator and the Key Pass to provide VPN security for each of your user stations. 

This is a cloud-based service for which you are provided direct control.  It has proven successful and is continually updated to assure a very high level of security. Call or email if you would like to discuss this possibility for your lab.

For those who much prefer the traditional desktop versions of QuickBooks, having a VPN can provide the benefits of secure online access.

Q:  When searching in the Case List, we sometimes encounter an error that says there was a network timeout.  What could cause this? 

A: This means that the search was not completed in the maximum time allowed on your network to receive a response to a request.   The first remedy you can try is to limit the search by one or more of the criteria at the bottom of the Case List.  It is typically worthwhile to try limiting to one of the date ranges on the left.  Other criteria might be one of the case statuses such as Open/In Lab or if you know both the doctor and the patient name. 

If this does not resolve the issue, we recommend you consult with your local hardware/network service to review your network settings and performance and determine whether improvements are needed. You can click the Send to Mainstreet button when you wish to also call or email a request for our support and/or coordination with your local IT support. Doing this sends a message to our weblog with the technical details such as what actions were taking place and whether the timeout was detected by the SQL database or by your network. 

Note also that the latest release for DQB 1.78 provides for a major update to SQL Data Management for speed and performance.

For your customers to easily check on the status of their cases

To provide ways for your customers to conveniently check on the status of their cases, here are several choices:

Lab Lookup 

This is an additional web-based benefit included in your service agreements and subscriptions that you can offer to your customers so they can easily check on the status of their current cases as well as reviewing history cases.  Included for each case are a tracking link for online shipment services and a detailed prescription form.  The dental office will also be able to send messages to the lab.  Lab Lookup can be used with both DQB Starter and Standard and with both desktop and online versions.  The authorization and case searches have been designed for use by group dental practices so that their staff can easily check for all the doctors in the group in the same session.  It can, of course, also be used for individual practices.

DentalRx

This is a more comprehensive web portal designed primarily for the submittal of prescriptions, the transfer of digital files and case communications.  It also provides search criteria for the dental office to lookup both current and history cases and shipment tracking links.

Email Notifications 

This is a DQB supplement that provides for setting up schedules for automatically emailing notifications of cases received and recently shipped and then assigning them to your customers.  The schedules can be daily or at other intervals.   You can also include marketing messages and shipment tracking. This can also include emailing designated and custom reports for both customers and lab personnel.  

Note that these also can help reduce the number of interruptions from phone calls each day that are simply inquiring whether a case has been received or when it will be completed and delivered.

The most complex part of DQB

If asked what the most complex part of DentaLab for QuickBooks, most would guess it is the case scheduling.   Others might choose the case list which provides a huge number of ways to find and access cases.  From a programming prospective and the need to provide for the unique requirements of dental labs, it is actually the invoicing.  Over the years, there have been a number of features developed to assure accurate and complete billing.   Here are some of them:

• The DentalRx web portal that provides for clear selection of the procedures/items for the case is performed by the dental office. The lab can add requirements to assure the information is complete.
  
• You can set your standards for discounts, remakes, extra fees such as rush, safety and shipping.
  
• You can require your technicians to mark the work ticket or tablet workflow app with changes and notes for the case and its invoice.  
• If you negotiate special pricing for a customer, you can enter the information in Basic Lists-Price Levels and assign it to the customer so that the pricing is automatically applied when invoicing. 
• When billing multi-stage cases, you can check on the Invoice History for prior stages to see what has already been billed.  You can also check prior case history for the patient.   
• When known, you can use the Advance Bill/Estimate option available for each case to enter any known additions or changes.  
• Whenever appropriate, you can add an alert and indicate that it is to be shown when invoicing.
• Particularly for those who use batch invoicing, you can make it a standard to enter case edits and/or advance bills prior to invoicing.
• You can edit the invoice to give extra details on the case and/or add messages to the dental office.
• The creation of an invoice from the DQB case synchronizes with the information in QuickBooks for customer information, taxation, inventory, shipment and subsequent accounts receivable activities.
  

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