Data from all dental practices in one source system

A good, central place for collecting source data is key to being able to manage data effectively. This will also help you make better decisions and work more efficiently. ‘Our most important needs were to gain insight into real-time management information and easily compare information across the different sites,’ says Willem Snieders, finance director at Tandarts Today. A source system that included all information from the connected dental practices offered the right solution.

Tandarts Today (which was founded in 2015 and is based in Veldhoven, the Netherlands), is a fast-growing chain organisation that acquires local dental practices. Currently, some 30 practices leave their administrative matters to Tandarts Today, while maintaining their own identity. ‘That way, practice owners are no longer overwhelmed by peripheral issues and the increasing workload caused by laws and regulations.’

A trade in its own right

The aim of Tandarts Today was to join the data from all member dental practices together in a single source system, to gain more insight and to work more efficiently. ‘We were still focussing too much on financial KPIs, while the real goal should be KPIs that ultimately lead to a better practice, regardless of whether qualitative, financial or operational KPIs are involved. In other words: information that can really help practices improve their performance. With a view to increasing the quality of our services and the quality of our healthcare.’

Willem Snieders, finance director at Tandarts Today:

‘We were still focussing too much on financial KPIs, while the real goal should be KPIs that ultimately lead to a better practice’

With this goal in mind, Tandarts Today engaged Performation (part of Enovation) to set up a management system – or source system – that brings together all the data from its member dental practices. ‘We have our own data infrastructure and we manage our own data ourselves. With a lot of art and craftsmanship, we can still unlock data ourselves, but actually incorporating all data from different sources into a central database is a specialist task in itself. In doing so, Performation is taking a lot of work off our hands. And the system is built in a way that we can manage it ourselves in the future.’

Concrete leading information

According to Snieders, the main eye-opener of the new Tandarts Today system is the large and specific differences between the connected practices. ‘Without that information, one really has no idea of how the practices are really related to one another. Now, for example, we can not only see what percentage of patients make a new appointment immediately following their last visit to the dentist, but also how that is different from one day to the next, and why. This enables practices to anticipate that, and to keep their agendas filled. Another example is the connection between preventive care and the placement of dental fillings. This provides directional information that dentists can benefit from.’

Willem Snieders:

‘If we have a meeting with a dentist tomorrow, it’s always nice that we know the current state of affairs up until today.’

Normally, Performation is active in the hospital sector, yet it also performs well in other areas, as Tandarts Today has shown. ‘But they still had to show that,’ Snieders says, smiling. ‘What’s required in dental practices is fairly specific. There are all kinds of factors that affect how the system should read what. All in all, it took us quite a bit of effort to find our way there. Performation handled that very well.’

With a single push of a button

Currently, all Tandarts Today practices are connected to the same source system, often via a link. This means that Tandarts Today now has instant access to the information of all member practices. ‘If we have a meeting with a dentist tomorrow, it’s always nice that we know the current state of affairs up until today. Right now, we get all the information from different sources into our data system, with a single push of a button. Data that we can very easily benchmark against other practices, so we can always have a meaningful conversation with branches and with dentists. Not to hold them accountable, but to help them develop and perform. Now, our operations team has a handy overview to take with them on a site visit. That helps a lot.’

Same source system

In conclusion, Snieders stresses that the value of data cannot and should not be underestimated. ‘This source system gives us really great insights into what drives practices, what creates value, and also the factors that can greatly improve the quality of our services. Yes, we are completely satisfied!’

Smart and fact-based decisions

In order to keep healthcare accessible, we need to work smarter together. Data analysis will offer you a clear insight into the facts. With Real World Monitoring, you can see where you can optimise, innovate or transform and you can track a change that was made. Interested in what Real World Monitoring can offer your organisation? Get in touch for a consultation or to request a demo.