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April 2012

DentaLab NewsApril 2012
from Mainstreet Systems & Software

FAQ  DentaLab News

 

Spring Specials

This would also fit in with the FAQ's--Frequently Asked Questions--as everyone loves a special bargain and we are often asked if there is one on the horizon.  Here are several spring specials, effective through May 15, 2012. 

  1. For a new single user DQB license plus the image scanning supplement, we are offering a 20% discount, which reduces the license fee from $1000 to $800 (USD).
  2. For additional DQB users, the standard license fee of $300 will be reduced to $250, a savings of $50 per user.
  3. For the combined barcode supplements for case tracking, shipping, and quality control plus technician productivity, we are offering a 20% discount, which reduces the license fee for these two modules from the standard $1600 to $1280 (USD).

Happening Soon....

The April release for DQB 1.30 will soon be posted on our website in the support section along with a list of the enhancements.  Some new features to check out are:

  • new histograms in the graph reports of the Reports and Customer Center menus
  • the case table color highlights you can set in Options/Case Settings/Table Highlight--we recommend choosing light colors and not too many to be most effective
  • full coordination of the custom columns you can select for the case list with the case search criteria and your custom fields for cases

Those with up-to-date service agreements can call for the current authorization codes when ready to download.

Looking ahead to next month, we will be closed for Memorial Day on May 28.


Top Jobs

This month on ABC News, Diane Sawyer announced the annual list of the Top 10 Best and Worst jobs.  On the best list, the #1 job was software engineer.  So maybe we are in the right field after all!    In many ways, the development of software has the same basic ingredients as the work in dental labs.  There are fundamental rules to follow but also the opportunity for creativity and craftmanship.  It is good to spend your days architecting a product with ideas, strategies and creativity and to see your work develop into something that will be highly useful as well as both simple and capable in its design.    The #2 best job was in the dental field--it was dental hygienist. 

 

    Easy, versatile software for the modern dental laboratory.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q:  We have been told by Intuit that we will need to update to a QuickBooks version later than 2009 in order to continue using their credit card processing service.   What is involved if we upgrade to QuickBooks 2012?

A:  Intuit always offers a smooth transition as you upgrade to either a later year or a higher-level version of QuickBooks and will guide you through any conversions needed for your company file.   We keep up to date with the latest versions and test DQB soon after each later year becomes available.  For the transition from QB 2009 to 2012, we recommend that you update DQB to its latest release.  Release updates are covered by our standard service agreements and are easily accomplished.   If you would be more comfortable, you can ask for tech support to guide you through. 

Q:  What is the best way to review the day's invoices?

A:  You have several choices to do this:

  • From the DQB Cases menu, choose Invoice Register, then the date range.  This will first show a list of the cases invoiced.  You can then choose Print.  This will access the invoices shown on the list in QuickBooks to provide the details.
  • From the DQB Cases menu, choose Case List, then set the date range by Invoiced Date and Find to get a list of the invoiced cases.  You can  also click the Invoiced Date column to sort forward or backward. From the grid, you can right click to show the invoice for any specific case or browse through the cases.
  • From QuickBooks, choose Report Center, Sales, then Sales by Customer in Summary or in Detail and your date range.  Here you can choose to modify and filter the report, sort by customer or by amount, show percentages.  Note that if you have sales other than from the cases in DQB, these will also be included.  You can also choose Accountant and Taxes, then the Detailed Transaction List and filter by Transaction Type for Invoices.  Selected reports will first be shown on the screen and then, if you wish, you can choose to print.

Two things to remember:   1) You can play with the criteria to develop the report that best suits you, as this does not change the information stored in the computer records.   2) If you find that you need to edit an invoice based on a DQB case during your review, it is best to change it in DQB and re-invoice it with the specification that it is to replace the prior one in QuickBooks.  

Q:  Can you give us some examples of the ways other labs are using the custom fields?

A:  Yes, here are some examples:

For Customers:   specialty, marketing classification, referred by

For Cases:  shipment tracking code, priority

For Items:  custom shade, tooth numbers, safety data codes

You have up to 10 custom fields for each type of record that you can setup according to your own information needs.

   With the same look and feel of QuickBooks.

Measures for Patient Safety

It happens all too often that we encounter labs who view trouble-shooting as the primary purpose for our software support services.  In truth, dealing with errors-- whether they be hardware issues or user errors or conflicts between various software systems--is only a small part of our work. 

The majority of our work with software development and support involves analysis, design, programming and testing toward keeping up to date with changes in laboratory and computer technology and requirements and in providing security and control for information. Other important components of our support services are ongoing training, education and guidance on use of the software.

It is QuickBooks that provides the software support for government requirements for accounting and taxation and it is DentaLab for QuickBooks that provides software support for government and industry requirements for patient safety.

For labs to comply with the increased requirements without incurring substantial amounts of time and money, it becomes critical to have good software support to both guide and document the steps in lab production.  Here are some of the ways this is easily accomplished within DentaLab for QuickBooks:

  • Standard Procedures can be established to provide templates of work centers, items, and schedules.  These are used to guide case entry, providing both control and fast entry into the computer records.
  • Materials Disclosure sets provide templates of manufacturer, part/description, lot/batch numbers, entry by, start and expiration dates that can be associated with items and specific cases.  Should material recalls be mandated or adverse patient reactions be reported, associated cases can be quickly accessed.
  • Case materials disclosure documentation can be provided to the dental offices for inclusion in patient files.  These can also include laboratory registrations and/or certifications, safety data.                                                                                                                   
  • Tracking of case production by customer, patient, dates, procedures and items, technicians who performed the work, quality control issues.
  • Activity logs, case communication records, technician notes and case histories can all be used to track specifications and issues, resolution of problems.
  • Laboratory notes are standard text messages that can easily be included in case memos and other note-taking areas of the system including messages added to invoices to note issues, where the work was performed.
  • Electronic images created by the dental office or by scanning in the lab can be stored with case records and quickly accessed whenever needed to resolve issues or clarify specifications.

We have developed a full white paper covering the prevailing requirements by national and state/province governments and the known upcoming requirements.  This is available in Adobe PDF format that can be emailed upon request to you and is also available on the internet at:   www.dentallabsoftware.blogspot.com

If you wish to be removed, reply to this email with the subject "unsubscribe".

     

Customization is available for all products.

Contact us at 1-800-257-4535 or www.mainstreet-systems.com.

"Thank you! We dearly love this software!"

Katrina Kornegay
Elite Dental Lab
North Carolina, USA


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