Pacific Dental affiliates go digital

Pacific Dental Services, which provides administrative services to dental offices, has completed a two-year process of migrating data at all 195 affiliated practices from paper charts to electronic dental records (EDRs).

The EDRs are fully integrated with existing practice management systems, such as patient treatment plans, charges, insurance records, digital x-rays, appointments and billing. By incorporating EDRs, Pacific affiliated owner doctors are now able to run their practices more efficiently while enhancing patient care, according to Steve Thorne, Pacific Dental Services founder and president.

"Patients' records are more precise, can be located quickly, and are backed-up to minimize the impact of catastrophic events," said Thorne. "Furthermore, our PDS network is secure so patients can be assured that their privacy will continue to be maintained."

Pacific Dental Services provides business support services including human resources, marketing, daily operations, billing, and collections, with ongoing educational training and strategic financial and practice development planning.

The company is growing rapidly; its revenues went from $178.8 million in 2005 to $280.8 million in 2008. It opened 136 new offices during that period and increased the number of employees and affiliated dentists to more than 3,000.

For the third consecutive year, Inc. magazine included it in a list of the nation's 5,000 fastest-growing private companies.