How Hawaii Family Dental Relies on Denticon Pay

With fifteen offices over four islands and more than sixty doctors and specialists on their team, Hawaii Family Dental is one of the largest dental networks in Hawaii. As a dental service organization (DSO) that started in 1986, Hawaii Family Dental provides every form of dental care without having to refer patients out to other practices. 

Decades of experience in dentistry and a strong commitment to optimal patient care brought Hawaii Family Dental to Planet DDS as a user of Denticon practice management solution in 2009. 

Finding Denticon and Apteryx 

By discovering Denticon, Hawaii Family Dental was easily able to manage patient care, sending patients to alternate offices to receive specialty care without delay—a process made vastly easier using Denticon.  

The experience of optimizing operations with Denticon soon led Hawaii Family Dental to add the Planet DDS solution, Apteryx, bringing them fully into the cloud for dental imaging and treatment planning. Having cloud-based centralized systems with Planet DDS has made operations more efficient and scalable. 

Diane McCawley, revenue cycle manager at Hawaii Family Dental, found that the partnership with Planet DDS eliminated challenges previously experienced companies when relying on server-based systems, which enabled the dental practice to provide streamlined, continuous care across all locations.  

“Everything that Planet DDS has done with Denticon, and how far Hawaii Family Dental has come over the years, it’s been amazing to have this partnership where we can do everything cloud-based,” said McCawley. 

Check out this video testimonial with Diane McCawley as she talks about her positive experience with Planet DDS:

Transitioning to an Integrated Payment System 

Hawaii Family previously used older machines with limited payment options, which impacted the patient experience.  

By implementing an integrated system, the team was able to centralize payments and eliminate errors typically associated with older, unintegrated payment systems. For example, separate credit card machines meant having to run a receipt and then manually enter it into the practice’s digital payment manager, which sometimes resulted in data entry errors.  

“Our old machines were a swipe or a chip,” McCawley explained. “There was no tap to pay, Google Pay or Apple Pay. With technology nowadays, our patients want that. Having that ability was definitely one of the big factors for us to choose Denticon Pay. The growth of Denticon Pay and the options Planet DDS offered brings us into this century.”  

McCawley also points out that their previous payment processor was basic, with no extra features and no room for growth or improvement. With an eye toward functionality, further integrating operations within Planet DDS solution—and modernizing alongside what patients have come to expect—made Denticon Pay the right choice for Hawaii Family Dental.  

Denticon Pay allows dental clinics to accept credit and debit cards and contactless payments such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and tap to pay, as well as create customized payment plans for patients. 

Securing Patient Data with Denticon Pay 

In addition to streamlining operations for RCM, Denticon Pay supports a better payment experience for Hawaii Dental patients that is more secure and efficient. 

“For the patients, it’s been huge because it allows us to utilize the pay portal,” said McCawley.  “With an integrated payment solution, we can send them a link and have them pay directly into their own account. Denticon Pay also allows them to save their preferred payment method on their account. They never once have to hand their card to us. They have full control over their own information.”

Data security and compliance 

McCawley also noted that the data security and safety provided by Denticon Pay is important to patients. They feel secure knowing their credit card information stays only with them or within a secure portal.  

This also translates to easing staff concerns about keeping patient information secure and private, as relying on Denticon Pay to manage the end-to-end payment process reduces liability for Hawaii Family Dental.  

Payment card industry (PCI) compliance is top of mind for any organization handling credit cards. McCawley pointed out that in the past, Hawaii Family had to answer hundreds of questions to be PCI compliant. With Denticon Pay, that number was reduced to less than forty questions for the practice, greatly reducing the burden on their team while maintaining complete compliance.  

Denticon Pay is a PCI validated and P2PE compliant point-to-point encrypted solution. This ensures sensitive payment data remains secure. Additionally, checking for compliance is an easier process that can be done faster and with fewer people. 

“In the past, compliance was this weight hanging over your head,” McCawley said. “With Denticon Pay, compliance is so much easier, and it doesn’t take a whole team of people to complete. Now, we can answer the entire questionnaire in less than a half hour. It’s so much easier.” 

Integrated Payment System to Save Time 

“If you’re coming from a non-integrated payment processor, you’re going to save considerable time by moving to an integrated payment solution,” McCawley explained. “When we transitioned, we probably began saving one to two minutes per payment process. Those little things add up to a better staff experience and a better patient experience for the entire visit.” 

Reporting is also fully centralized and can be pulled from one place, rather than different systems across multiple offices. Plus, as a cloud-based, rather than server-based solution, reporting can be accessed anytime, from anywhere. 

“We used to spend so much time on paper reports that required multiple versions,” McCawley said. “If you’re a DSO or a large group, and you have multiple servers, you have to get reports from multiple places and it’s not consistent. With Denticon and Denticon Pay, it’s all in one place and standardized. Even on our Denticon Pay platform, every one of our locations is accessible in a single system.” 

“There’s no doubt in my mind that Denticon Pay has been the best payment solution we’ve ever used,” shared McCawley. 

Discover Denticon Pay

Planet DDS solutions are designed to serve the specific needs of DSOs and specialty dental groups. Please contact our team for a free demo and to discuss how Planet DDS can assist with your specific needs.