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Game Changers: The First Step in Adopting Remote Monitoring by Dr. Roger P. Levin

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Categories: Orthodontics;
Game Changers: The First Step in Adopting Remote Monitoring 

by Dr. Roger P. Levin

As discussed in my April 2025 Orthotown article, remote monitoring is one of those new technologies and advances that gathers steam, hits an inflection point and becomes standard in most orthodontic practices. Furthermore, like many new technologies, there is debate, discussion and resistance around implementing remote monitoring in the orthodontic practice.

Part of the issue, which has been true of many new emerging technologies over the years, is that there is not only a learning curve, but the orthodontic practice will need a different set of systems (including scheduling) to make remote monitoring work at its highest level of practice performance potential.


The three basics of remote monitoring
Keep in mind that this article focuses on practice business success, so I will not be addressing the clinical benefits of remote monitoring. My research and observation have convinced me that remote monitoring is a viable technology and holds enormous potential as a business-efficiency and patient-satisfaction tool. Let’s consider three basic realities of this new technology.

First, remote monitoring will open more chair time. In fact, I believe that orthodontic practices will be able to double or triple their volume as chair time—the limited economic commodity that can never be recovered when it goes unused—becomes more available. This simply means that there will be more production available for orthodontic practices. Some practices will implement remote monitoring very broadly and create extensive excess chair time, while others will implement it partially but still benefit. Over time, the use of remote monitoring will inevitably grow as it creates the opportunity for orthodontic practices to scale up.

If you’ve read my previous Orthotown articles, you’ll know that we are seeing a fragmentation of orthodontic practices for the first time in history. Rather than many orthodontic practices being in the middle of the bell curve (which means they have similar levels of production), we are seeing a fragmentation into four separate buckets. Each bucket will represent approximately 25% of orthodontic practices as we look at the current data and analyze trends. My advice is to do what it takes to be in the top two buckets or the top 50% of orthodontic practices. The bottom 50% will not perform at the same level as the average orthodontic practice today. Falling to the lower half can be avoided by implementing excellent referral marketing and excellent orthodontic practice systems and by taking advantage of technology like remote monitoring.

Second, the team will need retraining. Not necessarily the orthodontic assistants who see patients in person, but certainly the remote monitoring and the front desk teams. While this may seem like a burden, it is common in business that workers have to be retrained when new technologies are introduced. In fact, teams in practices that implement remote monitoring will need clinical as well as practice management training. Training and consulting resources (like we offer at Levin Group) are developing new models, systems and strategies to make remote monitoring highly effective in practices that implement it.

Finally, the day is approaching when parents or patients will demand remote monitoring. Of course, there will always be a percentage of patients that need in-office appointments for diagnosis and treatment. However, as word gets out, there will be parents and patients who will only go to offices that offer remote monitoring. Remember the introduction of orthodontic aligners? It took approximately 10 to 15 years, but more adults and many younger patients started seeking offices that would provide aligners. Offices that delayed implementing aligners into the practice actually ended up with lower practice production and having to develop strategies to catch up later.


The first step is the remote monitoring manager
Once remote monitoring is available in a practice, the first step in implementation is to establish the role of a part- or full-time remote monitoring manager. The remote monitoring manager will have specific systems and protocols to follow, which will be critical both from a clinical standpoint, as well as from a practice performance standpoint.

The office now has the new responsibility of tracking and following up on patients to ensure that they understand the importance—the absolute necessity—of sending in scans on schedule. The remote monitoring manager is completely responsible for overseeing the success of communication between the practice and remotely monitored patients (and parents) regarding their treatment. The job also includes monitoring the clinical progress of the patient, tracking patients that have not responded properly and keeping them compliant, using a follow-up protocol for patients that do not communicate, and determining how many remote monitoring patients are needed and how often they are contacted.

In addition, there will be other business-related measurements for the remote monitoring manager to maintain, such as production per remote monitoring patient, the length of average intervals for remote monitoring patients and the type of situations requiring in-office visits. This will allow the remote monitoring manager to better understand which patients may need more in-office visits and closer monitoring.

Remote monitoring will allow practices to increase chair time and improve convenience for parents and patients if new systems are properly implemented.


The remote monitoring manager backup
As is the case with all team members, at some point people retire, get sick or resign. This is why I also strongly recommend that you have a backup team member who knows the remote monitoring manager’s job. Here are some factors to consider:
  1. If you don’t have a backup remote monitoring manager, the orthodontist may have to take on this role and this will not be a productive use of their time.
  2. To keep the backup well-prepared to step in, the remote monitoring manager should handle 80% of the job and the other 20% should be managed by the backup. Remember, the remote monitoring manager will eventually take a vacation or call in sick. By having a fully trained backup, the practice won’t miss a single step of the remote process. Too often, backups ignore new training and when the time comes to jump in, they are ineffective and inefficient. Given that the remote monitoring manager plays a key role in keeping clinical treatment on track, it’s essential that you have this position in place.

Summary
Remote monitoring will continue to grow until it reaches an inflection point where it will become part of most orthodontic practices. Practices that do not include remote monitoring may eventually find parents or patients seeking other offices because of the convenience of fewer in-person visits. The implementation of a remote monitoring manager into an orthodontic practice requires a different practice management approach and a new set of systems. Practices that take advantage of remote monitoring can increase production significantly due to the increased chair time. In today’s market, an orthodontic practice can easily produce $1 million of revenue per doctor annually—and with the advantages and efficiencies inherent in a well-implemented remote monitoring program, production will go to much higher levels.

Author Bio
Roger P. Levin, DDS Roger P. Levin, DDS, is the CEO and founder of Levin Group, a leading orthodontic practice management consulting firm that has worked with more than 30,000 practices to increase production. A recognized expert on orthodontic practice management and marketing, he has written 67 books and more than 4,000 articles, and regularly presents seminars in the U.S. and around the world.
To contact Levin or to join the 40,000 dental professionals who receive his Practice Production Tip of the Day, visit levingroup.com or email rlevin@levingroup.com.
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