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Game Changers: The Potential of Remote Monitoring and Why It Is Different by Dr. Roger P. Levin

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Game Changers: The Potential of Remote Monitoring and Why It Is Different

by Dr. Roger P. Levin

In any industry, there are periodic breakthroughs that literally revolutionize that industry. The classic example is going from the horse to the automobile or from regular mail to email. As technological advances allow these transformations to take place, the opportunity and potential for growth and development is significant. For orthodontics, remote monitoring has the potential to be a revolutionary service. However, it does require a new approach to business operations.

As I have indicated in some of my previous articles, I am extremely impressed by the potential of remote monitoring and believe that it will become a standard method of practice in the years ahead. It will just be a matter of when it happens. When it does happen, it will require a new method of operating an orthodontic practice that will create challenges and enormous opportunities.


The benefits of remote monitoring
Remote monitoring has three significant benefits that will help any practice increase production and profit. Production and profit are more important than ever as the average retirement age of an orthodontist is now approaching 70 and will continue to rise. Regardless of where you live in the United States, taxes and expenses will increase. It may not be direct income taxes, but taxes on sales, property, capital gains, and other areas. Additionally, basic goods and services and housing are also increasing. All these factors will affect patient decisions and orthodontic case acceptance.

Remote monitoring will allow more orthodontists to have investment income available for the practice to buy new technologies and equipment, invest in the team, design excellent retirement programs and fund them annually, and reach financial independence by the age of 62, depending on when the orthodontist and practice get started. Here are three reasons why:
  • Fewer patient visits. The most obvious benefit is that the practice will see patients less often. This opens chair time and chair time is one of the most limiting factors regarding orthodontic practice production and patient flow. More patients in chairs means more production—it’s that simple. If the practice can see 10% more patients, it will grow. We estimate that many orthodontic practices will be able to treat somewhere between 30% and 40% more orthodontic patients. In a small percentage of practices, the production and patient flow could literally double or even triple depending on the extent of use of remote monitoring.
  • Increased starts. Most parents often feel that they spend a great deal of time taking kids from one appointment, sporting event, or school activity to another. Parents will be interested in anyone who can make that easier, and that will be true of orthodontic practices. In fact, Levin Group is already seeing increased start rates in client practices that use remote monitoring because of the convenience.
  • State-of-the-art clinical services. Artificial intelligence, advanced technology, and remote monitoring all contribute to the perception of having a higher quality of care. Remote monitoring may not improve clinical quality in any individual orthodontic practice; however, if it is presented properly, the practice will be perceived as a high-quality advanced practice and one that is well worth its fees.

Scheduling and remote monitoring
The scheduling system for remote monitoring is different and will take some psychological adjustment for orthodontists who aren’t used to having open chair time. It is hard to predict which patients will need to come into the practice and when, but we are now developing mathematical formulas to make remote monitoring as efficient as possible, and to identify the increased amount of chair time that could then be filled with an increase in new patients and referrals.

The first step is for the practice to determine the average appointment interval for non-remote monitoring patients. Our last national orthodontic survey identified the average interval for patient visits as approximately 7.6 weeks. We see many practices with intervals of 10, 12, and even 14 weeks for traditional orthodontic treatment.

When it comes to remote monitoring, a different approach needs to be taken.

As an example, if the practice finds the average interval for all remote monitoring patients is 12, 16, or even 20 weeks or more, that becomes the new standard. The practice can then determine how many patients are in remote monitoring and will need to be seen on some variation of that interval. Each patient will be different, but you must first determine how much current patient chair time will be necessary, how many new patients the practice is seeing on a daily and weekly basis, and how many additional new patients could be seen if the practice had a better referral marketing program.

Second, the schedule will need to reflect remote monitoring blocks. In the past, most blocks were meant to be filled in. If times are not filled in, it indicates that the practice might be declining in production or new patients. Now, the practice is going to need to become comfortable putting in remote monitoring and patient blocks based on the average that was found. These blocks exist so that when the remote monitoring coordinator identifies that a patient needs to be seen in the practice, they can select from these remote monitoring blocks to place the patient.

The system will not be perfect. There will be days with some open time, but keep in mind that this open time exists in addition to the practice’s opportunity to grow by adding new patients as more chair time becomes available. As an example, a practice could grow 30% and have 12% of its chair time unfilled. The practice will gradually come to understand that growth is no longer simply about filling in every available block for chair time. Certain unused chair time does not indicate the practice is slipping in productivity.

Every few months, the practice should re-evaluate the average interval for remote monitoring patients and how chair time is being used. The goal is not to fill the schedule with patients who don’t require in-person visits; instead, the practice should establish a minimum interval between remote monitoring sessions.

We are entering a new era of orthodontics where treatment will be a combination of in-office and remote monitoring. As remote monitoring and artificial intelligence continue to improve, the intervals between patient visits will as well.

The practice should also perform a monthly review of its schedule. It is virtually impossible to create a completely accurate schedule based on remote monitoring because of the unknown of how many patients need to be seen and how often. As an example, one patient might need to be seen every four weeks at the beginning of their treatment and then be seen at an interval of 16 weeks or more after that. This is why schedules must be fluid and have flexibility and why practices should not judge productivity based on filled chair time.


Summary
Levin Group predicts remote monitoring will grow significantly in the next few years. Its ability to deliver excellent quality while maximizing chair time makes remote monitoring one of the most important advancements in orthodontic practice productivity since the introduction of aligners.

Unfortunately, not all practices will take advantage of remote monitoring. Some may lose valuable years before learning how to design systems that maximize its potential. By addressing systems such as scheduling, remote monitoring will revolutionize many orthodontic practices and help them reach their highest levels of referrals and production.
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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November 2025
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