American Dental Companies Relies on Denticon for Centralized and Secure Practice Management
Founder and CEO of American Dental Companies (ADC), Dr. Adri Rama, places high-quality patient care as the primary focus for his practices. With more than fifty locations (and growing) throughout Arizona, Dr. Rama relies on secure, centralized practice management solution to optimize business operations and deliver the highest level of care.
Exploring Cloud-Based Solutions
Dr. Rama began looking for a cloud-based practice management solution in 2015. At that time, most of his locations were using Dentrix server-based software by Henry Schein. He realized that he needed a robust, cloud-based software that could help him manage across his growing locations.
As he researched, he considered solutions such as Dentrix Ascend by Henry Schein, CareStack, Curve, and Denticon. Since he had used Dentrix, he first tried their cloud-based offering, Dentrix Ascend. But within the first eight months, he found a flaw in the financial reporting of the software that ultimately made him decide to begin looking for alternatives.
“Although it was hard to notice in the first five to six months, coding for the financial reporting was not good,” said Rama. “I started to see discrepancies in the months that were closed. When he raised the issue, the Ascend team wasn’t even aware of this problem with their software.”
After eight months of overpayments, he began looking into switching cloud solutions again. “We went back to the drawing board and looked at other cloud solutions,” added Dr. Rama.
That’s when Dr. Rama turned to Planet DDS Denticon practice management and Apteryx imaging solutions to achieve his growth objectives.
The Path to Denticon
Prior to onboarding Planet DDS, ADC relied on servers that were costly, unreliable, did not offer optimal security, and resulted in fragmented systems across the company’s multiple offices. This was not sustainable for long-term expansion that could support high production numbers without compromising quality patient care.
“Our vision is controlled growth, and for us to achieve that, we needed the infrastructure first,” said Dr. Rama about his decision to onboard Planet DDS. “Some groups will accept having an office run on Eaglesoft while others run on Dentrix Ascend. We will not bring anyone on board to join our group if they don’t agree to switch to Denticon and Apteryx.”
“This is such an important technology for our group, and we can’t get everyone on the same page if they don’t change to the same infrastructure,” shared Dr. Rama. “Denticon is non-negotiable for us. We cannot deliver this standard of care without Denticon.”
When ADC first transitioned to Denticon, the group had just four locations. Since then, it has grown significantly—now supporting more than fifty offices across Arizona with a secure, centralized platform that enables them to scale successfully.
Putting Patients First with Denticon
In seeking the right solution for ADC, Dr. Rama’s main objective was to find a platform that would enhance patient care while also supporting his administrators and doctors.
“We are a high-volume practice,” explained Dr. Rama. “We are able to maintain a high volume each day without sacrificing quality because we have a streamlined, centralized practice management solution. Our practice is very patient-oriented, and none of the doctors are an island unto themselves.”
With Planet DDS practice management solutions, ADC effectively streamlines operations and delivers a better patient experience, even across multiple practices. “I think it’s an incredible strength for Planet DDS,” said Dr. Rama. “Everything is integrated so we can put our patients first.”
Find out what Dr. Rama loves most about Planet DDS dental software solutions:
Enhanced Security and Performance
Like most dental providers, ADC offices were once server-based. However, Dr. Rama was an early adopter of cloud-based solutions, acknowledging that server-based systems were unreliable, costly, and vulnerable to theft and hackers.
Prior to onboarding Planet DDS and still on a server-based system, Dr. Rama experienced a power surge that wiped out all computer systems causing them to lose everything. The $900 per month backup service informed him they had not backed up his practice’s data for thirty days, resulting in a six-figure financial loss for his business.
In addition, one of his largest offices experienced a break-in several years ago. All data had been moved to the cloud, but there was still an old server on site. The server was stolen, hard drives and computers destroyed. Thanks to Planet DDS, the impact on ADC was minimal.
“Imagine if this had happened six years ago; we would have lost everything,” shared Dr. Rama. “But because there was no client data on those servers, we were back up and running with no disruption to our practice.”
With Planet DDS’s secure, cloud-based solution, Dr. Rama is now confident that data and information is now safe.
Centralized Practice Management
With Denticon and Apteryx, Dr. Rama’s company can easily access patient and practice information anytime, anywhere to ensure optimal operations. Planet DDS provides standardized, all-in-one robust solutions for reporting, billing, treatment planning, X-rays, and more.
“Everything is standardized to a much higher level than other cloud companies,” said Dr. Rama. “From insurance verifications, accounts receivable, billing to EOB entries, we could not do it without Planet DDS. I don’t think there’s another cloud technology that can do all of this.”
Dr. Rama added: “You can’t provide quality care with a cumbersome process or a server that’s going to crash when you try to log in. We do not want fragmented offices and server-based systems. I predict that servers will soon be a thing of the past.”
Higher Standards for Patient Care
Beyond using Planet DDS solutions for reliable access to data, Dr. Rama also utilizes Denticon and Apteryx cloud-based solutions to improve the standard of patient care.
Each month, ADC closes its offices for two hours to provide clinical training for dentists. With Denticon and Apteryx, they review recent cases by accessing anonymized charts, treatment plans, X-rays, etc., to see where they can improve.
“This is how I check the quality of our work to see what standard of care was delivered and determine whether there’s room for improvement,” said Dr. Rama. “I do the same exercise with the hygiene team and the front desk team.”
Scale Your DSO with Denticon
With Planet DDS practice management solutions, American Dental Companies has created a unified foundation for growth—one that combines secure, centralized operations with scalable performance and high-quality patient care.
Looking for smarter ways to enhance operations and grow? Contact us today.
