Double Take - Curve Hero

One clinician’s take on the advantages of incorporating Curve Hero as his practice management software.

Thomas Barrington, DDS, a Kingsburg, Calif., dentist who has been practicing since 2009, is not the normal dentist. He doesn’t take any insurance plans. His practice is a smaller, slower, more personal family dental practice. Curve Hero fits that personality of personal, simple, clean, useful and effective.

Why did you select Curve Hero?

I had worked in my father’s practice where he had old-fashioned charts. I also worked at a couple larger practices that had other practice management software options. I chose Curve Hero because the opportunity to be in the cloud was appealing, as well as the chance to run on a Mac operating system.

What do you like best about the product?

Some of the other programs have fees associated with them that are pretty hefty, like a multi-thousand-dollar upfront fee and then a $50 maintenance fee, whereas Curve just has a monthly fee. From a start-up standpoint, that was nice because I didn’t have to come up with a lot of cash. And the monthly fee is very reasonable. Curve takes care of all the updates for you, too. There is no installation for them. There is no restart and reboot and no “download this CD” or “download this file” Internet messages. Updates just happen overnight between midnight and 3 a.m. The monthly subscription may be a little more than a maintenance fee, but what you gain in service, automatic updates and support is fantastic. Their team has been fantastic. From start-up to implementation to troubleshooting, they’re fantastic folks. And it isn’t hard to get help. You just call a number, and you are on the phone with them right away, and they help you out.

The other really nice thing with Curve is I can be anywhere-home, office, traveling, at a friend’s house-and all I need is an Internet connection and I have access to my entire practice management software. That’s a nice plus. So the mobility advantage is huge. The storage in the cloud is a huge advantage. They are a great company that offers me a great service, and we love it!

What have been some improvements to your day-to-day operations as a result of the Curve Hero implementation?

I’ll be honest; they (software) all have similarities functionally day-to-day, but, for Curve Hero, the ease of use is helpful. So back-office, primary-role teammates can go up front and do whatever they need to do or even do it on the MacBook Pro in the back. It’s not like they are  lost when they get out of their regular modules. With some of the more complex systems, the front-office people know how to do their stuff, and the back-office people know how to their stuff, but they don’t know each other’s. Curve Hero is pretty simple; you can get into any module you want, and it’s very user-friendly.

We use MacBook Pros as our in-operatory monitors. I can place the computer on patients’ laps and show them an X-ray or Panorex, and have an overall discussion with them about the health of the bones surrounding their teeth. It’s been a huge teaching tool.

The ease of going between different modules is very nice. From the charting to the imaging to the notes, they are all very accessible. But the peace of mind that it’s all in the cloud and they are managing it is pretty nice, too.

Why would you recommend this product to your colleagues?

Curve Dental has been in business for 10 years and is continually improving.  If you want a cloud-based system that provides updates without the hassle and you appreciate the simplicity and the hassle-free excellence of Apple, this is the software for you. In terms of a slower pace and more personal treatment, I feel like Curve fits who I am well.

Curve Hero

Curve Hero is a web-based dental practice management software that provides a new level of convenience, security and accessibility for today’s clinician. With features like dental imaging directly to the cloud and intuitive charting that allows for multiple treatment plans per case, this state-of-the-art technology is an excellent tool for keeping a practice efficient and effective. Patient scheduling enjoys drag-and-drop simplicity and accessibility from anywhere, including a smartphone. In addition, the billing system provides easy-to-read statements for your patients and easy-to-manage programs in the office for posting payments and adjustments. Plus, with features like versatile imaging connectivity, a wide variety of patient education videos and endless reporting tools to measure productivity, the Curve Hero provides most practices what they need to realize their full potential.

For more information, call 888-910-4376 or visit curvedental.com.