Booking system for a dental clinic: what to look for

The phone rings at reception, a patient is standing at the counter, and a morning slot stayed empty because someone forgot to come. Most callers want the same thing: to find a time. Much of that work can be handed to the client.

Short answer: online booking, automatic reminders and return-visit invitations reduce phone calls and empty slots. But medical records, treatment documentation and sending data to the national Health Information System belong in a patient information system. A booking system can complement it, not replace it.

First of all: what NUNDINAE doesn't do

NUNDINAE is not a dental information system. It has no dental chart, treatment documentation, X-ray image management, Health Information System interface or dental care benefit billing. Under the Estonian Health Services Organisation Act, a healthcare provider has an obligation to send data to the Health Information System. That work stays in your current information system.

If your patient information system already has good online booking linked to treatment data, don't change it. There is no ready-made integration between NUNDINAE and a dental information system. Keeping two separate calendars adds work, so think through which is the main calendar before deciding.

When an additional system still helps

• Your current software doesn't offer online booking, or it looks poor on a phone.
• The clinic wants to sell dental care products, whitening products or gift cards online.
• You also offer services that aren't treatment, such as aesthetic procedures and care.
• The website needs renewing, and booking along with it.

What booking in a clinic has to handle

Dentist, room and duration. A check-up, scale removal and a larger procedure take different amounts of time. Each service has a duration and buffer time, and each dentist can have their own price and duration. Alongside the dentists, the calendar includes rooms and equipment.

Two people at once. If a procedure needs two staff members, the service can be marked as a two-person service. The client sees only times when both are free for the entire duration.

Appointments made by phone. Reception can book for the patient. The confirmation with a calendar file goes out immediately and the time disappears from the website.

Protection against overlaps. A client can't book an overlapping time online. If necessary, an administrator can deliberately make times overlap, but the system asks for confirmation first.

Cancellation. The confirmation email has a link where the patient can see their appointment and cancel it. The system offers a freed-up time to someone on the waiting list. Moving an appointment online isn't possible yet: that happens by cancelling and booking again, or by phone.

Fewer empty slots

In dentistry, lost time is expensive, because the dentist, the assistant and the room are all booked. The tools are the same as I described in no-show clients:

• Reminders by email and SMS (by default 24 and 2 hours before the appointment).
• Prepayment for larger procedures, not for every check-up. You set the free cancellation period yourself.
• Repeat canceller rule. A patient who fails to show up several times can only book online with prepayment. More here.
• Return-visit invitation. If a patient hasn't booked a new time after a service, a reminder comes according to the service's interval.

Marketing invitations only go to people who have given consent. Before you start using them, go through with whoever is responsible for data protection whether a message may be sent and in what wording.

Health data is a special topic

A booking can already involve health information: who is coming, when and for what service. So how the system protects data matters:

• Client card warnings, notes and fields are encrypted in the database.
• Every opening of a card goes into the audit log.
• Staff see only what they have permission for. Roles are separate for viewing and editing.
• Consent for health data can be marked on the card, and the date is saved.
• Two-factor authentication is mandatory for administrators.
• Each clinic has its own installation and database, not a shared environment.

I recommend keeping treatment data only in the patient information system and putting only what's needed to arrange an appointment in the booking system. This is general technical advice, not legal advice.

Online store and gift cards

Toothbrushes, floss, whitening products and products for children can be sold both at reception and online. There's one stock level, and at reception a product is simply sold with a barcode scanner. A gift card can be used both at the till and in the online store.

Frequently asked questions

Can NUNDINAE replace a patient information system?

No. Treatment data and mandatory data exchange stay in a dedicated healthcare information system.

Can it be integrated with a patient information system?

There is no ready-made integration. It depends on your system and what it allows. I can look at it together with the vendor, but I won't promise it until I've seen what the system makes possible.

Does it also suit other healthcare services?

The same limit applies to anyone who keeps treatment documentation. See also booking system for clinics and private practices.

Can I use only bookings without an online store?

Yes. You switch modules on and off, and the online store doesn't have to be in use.

Write to me about what you have now

Describe what software you use and what it lacks. Order NUNDINAE or ask for a demo. If your current system already does what's needed, I'll say so directly.