Re-printable ID cards modernize dental ID and appointment system
HID® FARGO® DTC printers and Databac Group’s Data rewritable cards smooth the dental ID and process of appointment scheduling, reminders and check-ins, while cutting dental clinic costs and saving dentist’s and patient’s time at Seven dental clinics in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
The Dental ID Challenge
Dedicated to serving clients in the dental ID sector, software development and installation company Siprored realized that the ID card issuing system used by their client network of seven independent dental clinics was out-of-date and expensive. Keeping the significant flow of patients and services that is characteristic of their customers’ larger clinics in mind, Siprored began searching for a printing solution.
The old system involved printing the barcode containing each patient’s data onto a patient ID card. This code was then scanned with a reader that triggered the program to automatically inform dentists when a patient had arrived for their appointment, and checked them into the digital waiting area.
The cards were designed with patient convenience in mind by serving as a means to easily access their appointment and payment history. Although the various clinics received positive feedback on this system from their patients, the clinics also faced the inefficiency and added cost of having to constantly print lots of cards and change their printer ink cartridges.
The Solution
Siprored worked with its ID partner, Databac Group, to identify the right solution that would meet each of the seven clinics’ needs. It was clear that rewritable technology would help them maintain the professional image of the patient cards, but with greater efficiency and less material waste. Databac did not hesitate in recommending HID Global’s FARGO printers, based on their advanced capabilities and functionality. Databac Managing Director Charles Balcomb said: “The combination of our Data ReWrite cards and HID FARGO’s rewritable printers really draws out the full benefits of this technology. The same cards can be used again and again with no loss of quality over hundreds of uses.”
The deployment process for implementing the HID FARGO DTC1000 took very little time. As an added benefit, the costs of the FARGO printers were comparable to that of using a color printer without rewritable technology, which lowered the total cost of the upgrade.
“We selected HID Global’s DTC printers, as they offer full color printing and feature reprinting/rewritable capability, so patients can use the same card several times…thereby reducing costs,” said Estefanía Barreiro, Administrative Manager at Siprored. “Installation of the printer and drivers was fast and, following a few tests, we had everything working perfectly. The whole process from start to finish took less than a month.”
While they began with HID FARGO DTC1000 printers in some facilities, Siprored recently upgraded to the HID FARGO DTC1250e. Although each clinic is independent and offers different services, they all use Databac’s Data Rewrite cards, which can be printed, erased and reprinted up to 500 times. To help differentiate between location and type of appointment, Siprored worked with the clinics to develop a color-coded patient system. Patient ID cards for a cleaning were one color, and orthodontics or implant-related appointment is another color. Siprored continues to keep all of this information organized through its software system, Gesionet.
Results
Since initial deployment, seven clinics have bought and distributed over 24,000 rewritable cards for new patients. Barreiro explains that this has had multiple benefits, the first being patient satisfaction.
“Our clients are very happy with the system, since their patients are going home with a card printed with their next visits,” she said. “This translates into fewer missed appointments and less time wasted by the dentist. One clinic also noticed that patients are seeing it as very modern and at the forefront of new technology: patients like handing over their patient ID card so the receptionist can ‘magically’ erase their previous appointments and print future appointments on it. This is all done very quickly, in just a single step.”
The ability to reprint ID cards allows for clinics and Siprored to cut costs. Thanks to rewritable technology, the printers do not require a print ribbon, meaning clinics do not have to spend money on ink cartridges. Siprored calculated that they have saved around 100 color printing ribbons, worth over 8,600 USD, plus the time saved in changing the cartridges.
Siprored is excited by the idea of producing cards with chips should their network of clinics require advanced technology in the future. “It makes us happy to know that we’re pioneers in implementing change that benefits our customers and their patients,” Barreiro said
