choosing the right mac software for your dental office

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Choosing the Right Mac Software for Your Dental Office If you’re exploring the advantages of becoming a Mac-based dental practice, you probably already have a sense for the unique appeal of the Mac platform. Maybe you’ve used a Mac at home or at a previous job. Maybe you have a Mac- loving friend or colleague trying to win you over. Or perhaps you’re just naturally attracted to the elegant simplicity of Mac hardware and software. Whatever the reasons, your decision to seriously consider the Mac platform for your dental practice makes sense. Of course, the quality of your Mac experience depends as much on the software you choose as the standard Mac hardware and operating system. Apple provides third-party developers with a detailed set of Human Interface Guidelines to help them consistently deliver the full Mac experience to their users. However, plenty of Mac applications don’t make much of an effort to follow them, especially in smaller specialty markets such as dental software. In many cases, the “Mac versions” of these specialty apps are just hastily ported versions of their Windows counterparts, which means they technically run on the Mac platform but do a poor job of delivering the kind of enjoyable, streamlined and user-focused experience Mac users have come to expect. Understanding this can help you make smarter software decisions as you evaluate the technology you purchase for your Mac-based practice. You’re probably not an interface design expert, but you can look for a few basic, common-sense characteristics to make sure every application you invest in delivers a consistent, complete and thoroughly Mac experience. is paper identifies some of those characteristics. en, since your practice management solution makes up the cornerstone of your Mac-based software universe, we’ll look at how Viive, the Mac-based practice management software from Henry Schein, applies specific Apple design principles to create a more streamlined, efficient and user- focused practice management solution. is will help you evaluate Viive as a potential solution for your practice, and it will also help you make better choices as you evaluate other Mac software. WHITE PAPER

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If you're a dentist and considering running your practice on a Mac computer, then you need Viive. In this whitepaper, we walk you through the ins and out of picking the right dental practice management software for your office. Visit http://www.viive.com for more information.

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Page 1: Choosing The Right Mac Software For Your Dental Office

Choosing the Right Mac Software for Your Dental Office

If you’re exploring the advantages of becoming a Mac-based dental practice, you probably already have a sense for the unique appeal of the Mac platform. Maybe you’ve used a Mac at home or at a previous job. Maybe you have a Mac-loving friend or colleague trying to win you over. Or perhaps you’re just naturally attracted to the elegant simplicity of Mac hardware and software. Whatever the reasons, your decision to seriously consider the Mac platform for your dental practice makes sense.

Of course, the quality of your Mac experience depends as much on the software you choose as the standard Mac hardware and operating system. Apple provides third-party developers with a detailed set of Human Interface Guidelines to help them consistently deliver the full Mac experience to their users. However, plenty of Mac applications don’t make much of an effort to follow them, especially in smaller specialty markets such as dental software. In many cases, the “Mac versions” of these specialty apps are just hastily ported versions of their Windows counterparts, which means they technically run on the Mac platform but do a poor job of delivering the kind of enjoyable, streamlined and user-focused experience Mac users have come to expect.

Understanding this can help you make smarter software decisions as you evaluate the technology you purchase for your Mac-based practice. You’re probably not an interface design expert, but you can look for a few basic, common-sense characteristics to make sure every application you invest in delivers a consistent, complete and thoroughly Mac experience. This paper identifies some of those characteristics. Then, since your practice management solution makes up the cornerstone of your Mac-based software universe, we’ll look at how Viive, the Mac-based practice management software from Henry Schein, applies specific Apple design principles to create a more streamlined, efficient and user-focused practice management solution. This will help you evaluate Viive as a potential solution for your practice, and it will also help you make better choices as you evaluate other Mac software.

WHITE PAPER

Page 2: Choosing The Right Mac Software For Your Dental Office

Embracing the Mac ExperienceDie-hard Mac fans tend to wax poetic (often at great length) about why they prefer their MacBook Pro or iMac to any Windows machine. So exactly what is it about the Mac experience that inspires so much passion and loyalty? The answer starts with a design approach that focuses on making it easy and enjoyable to get things done—rather than simply seeing how many features can be realistically crammed into an application. The Mac OS X operating system and Apple’s own applications are known for their clean and uncluttered environments, logical processes, and the intelligent use of multitouch and multisensory technology. With the Mac, it’s not about how many buttons you can pack onto a button bar, it’s about how easy and pleasant you can make otherwise complicated tasks. This philosophy defines all of the best Mac software, from Apple Pages to Garage Band. And the best third-party developers—including the team that created Viive—go to great lengths to embrace and recreate the same simple, elegant, results-focused experience in their applications. That’s why it’s so easy to tell the difference between an application that was carefully designed from the ground up for the Mac platform and one that was simply ported over from another operating system. As you evaluate Mac-based practice management solutions and other applications for your practice, it’s important to look for and insist on the characteristics and design principles that define a true and complete Mac experience.

Designed by Dentists for Dentists Every successful Mac application starts with developers who are passionate about the OS X environment and know how to leverage its unique platform features to create that distinctive Mac experience. But in the world of highly specialized applications such as dental practice

“Understanding how things work in OS X helps you produce an app that integrates seamlessly with the environment and delights users.”

Apple OS X Human Interface Guidelines

Practice Management Software Designed for the Mac Designed from the ground up for the Mac platform, Viive brings the full simplicity, elegance, and ease of use that make up the Mac experience to the world of dental practice management software.

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management software, the developers also need a thorough, in-depth understanding of the field itself. For example, Viive was designed and developed by a carefully selected team made up of dentists who are also lifelong Mac fanatics. This combination made it possible to create a practice management solution that’s easy to understand and a pleasure to use, because it works the same way dentists do. Unlike most cluttered, module-based and fairly obtuse practice management solutions, the Viive interface is clean, logical and totally focused on helping dental offices get things done quickly and without a lot of training. In other words, it’s a great example of how the Mac approach to software design can make dental offices more efficient and productive.

Tasks above FeaturesThe OS X Human Interface Guidelines encourage developers to follow what Apple calls “the 80-20 rule,” which states that roughly 80 percent of users use only a small handful of an application’s features, while about 20 percent regularly use most or all features. This simple principle encourages developers to arrange and place features in the context of what most users want to accomplish with the software—and carefully consider whether a proposed new feature supports most users’ goals.

The 80-20 rule manifests itself in many OS X design features. For example, OS X features popovers that intelligently appear when users need them and disappear when they don’t, which helps keep people focused on the task at hand rather than being constantly distracted and sidetracked by unnecessary windows and menus.

Viive embraces and extends this simple, task-focused approach. The dentists who developed and perfected the Viive workflow understand the details and nuances of how a successful dental practice works and the specific tasks each member of the staff needs to complete in a typical day. Then, they applied the principles of Apple’s human interface design to create a solution that makes it easier and more enjoyable to complete those tasks. The result is a practice management solution that combines a clean, efficient interface with a practical, ground-level understanding of how dental professionals work.

Committed to ConsistencyConsistency is another core component of the Apple experience that has immediate implications for your practice. OS X facilitates and supports applications that run reliably, behave predictably and perform consistently. For example, all Mac applications automatically save content periodically, so you don’t have to worry about losing important information. Most Mac applications, including Viive, are also built on a remarkably robust, scalable and sophisticated PostreSQL database with a proven reputation for performance and reliability. This translates into a faster, more responsive user experience, and it means that with Viive you can access patient records in real time, work on multiple patient records at the same time and get instant access to real-time account totals and reports.

The Power of SimplicityOver the past two decades, Apple designers and engineers have perfected the art of building simple, elegant solutions that make it easy to perform difficult, complicated tasks. How do they do it? The answer starts with a design philosophy where users see only the tools and features they need to accomplish specific tasks. Apple also excels at creating experiences that feel familiar—even if someone is performing a task for the first time. For example, iTunes makes it easy for nearly anyone to search through thousands of albums, find a song,

“Apple provides the most admired customer experience in the marketplace, besting Amazon.com, Zappos, Starbucks and Disney.”

Steven WaldenSenior head of research and consulting, Beyond Philosophy

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add it to a playlist and play it within a few seconds, even if they’re using the app for the first time. More advanced features such as ejecting a disk or shuffling a playlist are always available, but they stay out of the way when they’re not needed, so they never compete for attention. And of course, Apple reinforces this sense of simplicity and familiarity by leveraging familiar symbols and icons and standardizing search functions, menu structures and other interface elements across every Mac application.

Viive makes the most of this uncluttered, task-focused design philosophy to create a fundamentally different kind of practice management experience. Other solutions use a workflow that’s based on the functional areas of the office, which means you often have to jump between several different functional modules to complete basic tasks. The Viive workflow, on the other hand, revolves around a central patient screen, where you can access patient charts, ledgers, images and much more—and begin nearly any task—with the click of a mouse.

A Sense of StyleMac computers will add an instant splash of style to your practice; there is a reason you see so many of them featured in movies and TV shows. But the stylish, artistic Mac aesthetic goes beyond the hardware. Mac OS X places a premium on intuitive design, stunning graphics and well-organized screens that are pleasant to look at—even over extended periods.

Viive embraces Apple’s distinctive sense of style with clean, simple screens that are free from unnecessary icons, buttons and windows. Information is always well organized and attractively arranged. And Viive’s patient-focused workflow and design make it easy to find information and complete tasks—often with a single click. This all adds up to a pleasant, efficient practice management experience that’s as elegant and impressive as the hardware it’s running on.

The Service and Support You DeserveWhen it comes to customer service and support, you simply won’t find a better combination than Apple and Henry Schein. Industry experts often refer to all of the interactions companies have with their customers—including service and support—as “the customer experience.” In 2011, a firm named Beyond Philosophy announced that Apple provides “the most admired customer experience in the marketplace, besting Amazon.com, Zappos, Starbucks and Disney.” Steven Walden, the senior head of research and consulting at Beyond Philosophy, went on to say, “Apple has married all the elements of its experience and connected with customers in a deeply emotional, irrational way.”

The American Customer Satisfaction Index reached a similar conclusion when, after interviewing over 70,000 consumers, it found that “Apple’s Macs have, for the eighth year in a row, satisfied more customers than any other company’s computers, earning Apple a score of 87 out of 100.”

That’s all great news if you’re looking to build a Mac-based practice. But the story gets even better when you consider that Viive is developed and supported by Henry Schein, an established leader in the dental software industry and the creator of Dentrix, the gold standard in PC-based practice management.

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This powerful combination means you start with a hardware and software foundation from one of the most consistently recognized and highest rated customer experience companies in the world—and then add a practice management solution from a recognized leader with more than 25 years of dental practice experience and one of the industry’s best customer service guarantees.

Bringing the Mac Experience to Your PracticeThese are just a few of the characteristics and principles that help define the Mac experience and distinguish Mac hardware and software from other platforms, and if you’ve ever used a Mac, you’re familiar with them. But before Viive, the advantages of the Mac experience were largely unavailable to dental practices, because there simply were no Mac-based practice management options that could both deliver all the capabilities modern dental practices needed and take full advantage of the Mac platform to create a true Mac experience. Now, as you evaluate your options, you can be confident that there’s a practice management solution that fully embraces the Mac experience and makes your Mac-based practice a practical, viable reality.

Visit viive.com/products.aspx to learn more about what Viive can offer your Mac-based dental practice.

www.Viive.com | 1-855-MAC-VIIVE

©2013 Henry Schein Inc. All rights reserved. Henry Schein Practice Solutions makes no representations or warranties with respect to the contents or use of this documentation, and specifically disclaims any express or implied warranties of title, merchantability, or fitness for any particular use. All contents are subject to change. Henry Schein, Dentrix and the ‘S’ logo are registered trademarks of Henry Schein, Inc. Other products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

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