by Benjamin Lund, Editor, Orthotown Magazine
This year Carestream Dental’s OrthoTrac celebrates its 30-year
anniversary as one of the senior and leading practice management
systems in the orthodontic profession. Orthotown
Magazine takes a quick look back at the impact OrthoTrac has
had on the orthodontic profession, its evolution and where it’s
going in the future. We sat down with Carestream Dental Senior
Product Manager Susan Whitt to learn more.
Susan, before we get started can you tell
us about your role within Carestream
Dental? How long have you been with the
company, and where were you before
you started at Carestream Dental?
Whitt: I manage Carestream Dental’s products
for orthodontics, which include OrthoTrac
and our orthodontic imaging software. I have
been with the company for more than 19 years,
and I worked in an orthodontic office prior
to that.
Thirty years is quite a feat, especially for
practice management software. How do
you explain OrthoTrac’s longevity?
Whitt: We were the first orthodontic practice
management software to market, and we
have always listened to the needs of orthodontists
and their teams. We have helped practices
become more efficient and productive.
OrthoTrac has automated tasks, assisted with
internal and external communications, helped
practices transition to paperless and allowed
practices to access information remotely. Our
tradition of innovation has continued through
the years. From treatment card and patient flow
to the PEARL (mobile access) and Smart Call
modules, we continue to develop the features
that benefit orthodontists.
How many users of OrthoTrac have
been with you since the beginning, and
how have they helped you develop each
new iteration?
Whitt: Of the first 150 users of OrthoTrac,
90 percent still use our software today. We have
valued the input of our offices since the beginning.
Just last year, we added the Idea Exchange
to our customer portal to allow users to make
suggestions on our products and vote on the
suggestions that would benefit their practices.
Our beta offices also provide us with wonderful
feedback that helps us deliver software that
meets their needs.
And speaking of new iterations, you’re
not just celebrating 30 years, but you
just previewed OrthoTrac’s new cloud
solution at the AAO in Hawaii. Tell me
more about this new version. How does
it differ from your most recent version?
Whitt: OrthoTrac’s cloud solution will provide
the same features practices have relied on
for years – the only difference is whether they’re hosted locally in a practice or with our cloud
solution. Practices will not lose any functionality
or reporting capabilities. OrthoTrac in the
cloud will be accessed via a Web browser. A
small browser plug-in enables the workstation
to connect to one of Carestream Dental’s
world-class data centers from anywhere – the
office, home, a referring doctor’s office – any
place with Internet connectivity.
How does this version compare to your
competitors’ software?
Whitt: Some of our competitors’ solutions
do not have all the features and reports needed
to run an orthodontic practice and track where
a patient is in treatment. Practices have come to
depend on these tools in OrthoTrac to help
them analyze the health of their practice and
ensure their data is securely stored. The quality
of photos and radiographic images are the same
whether practices host them locally or we store
them in the cloud. All tools, filters and options
are available. Also, Carestream Dental has
nearly 2,000 customers using a cloud solution
globally, so we have tremendous experience in
hosting reliable HIPAA-compliant solutions for
our customers.
Will practices still need a server for
OrthoTrac’s cloud solution?
Whitt: Practices will no longer need a
server for practice management or imaging.
That is one of the advantages of a cloud solution.
Their data is stored in the cloud, and we
manage their backups and install the latest
updates for them.
How else is Carestream Dental commemorating
30 years of OrthoTrac this year?
Whitt: We hosted a reception, complete
with 30th anniversary visors, in our booth at
AAO in Hawaii to allow our practices to celebrate
with us. In addition to special offers at the
AAO we are offering a 30th anniversary special
– 30 percent off eForms – from July 1 to
December 31, 2012.
If a practice wants to upgrade its current
OrthoTrac software or if it wants to switch
to OrthoTrac, where should it go?
Whitt: The practices should visit
www.carestreamdental.com/orthotraccloud.
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