The product update released October 5, 2021 holds more small but rapid improvements, being the second release in the same month. This release includes another update for discount plan expiration dates, and there are some Power Reporting enhancements as well.

Patient Information 

Discount Plan Expiration Field 
This update introduces discount plan warning notifications to make it easier for you to know when a basic (uninsured) discount plan for non-covered procedures has expired or will expire soon so that you can inform your patient to renew their plan. Notifications start 30 days before the expiration date. 

The discount plan warnings display differently depending on where you are in Dentrix Ascend.  

In the routing panel, a warning icon appears next to the patient’s name when their plan has expired or will expire soon. When you click the icon, a message informs you of the status of the discount plan. 

Dentrix Ascend displays two types of warning messages: 

1. Discount plan will expire on XX/XX/XXXX and may need to be renewed soon.
2. Discount plan has expired and may need to be reviewed. 

When you open a patient’s Treatment Planner, Progress Notes, and Ledger pages, a discount plan warning message automatically appears. In addition, a discount plan warning message automatically appears when you are completing an appointment.

Warning notifications start appearing 30 days prior to the expiration date.  

The warning messages only appear when the patient does not have insurance and when there is a discount plan expiration date entered on the Patient Information page. If the Discount plan expiration field does not have a date entered, the warning icons and messages will not appear.

Power Reporting 

Current Status Added to Two Report Builders 
The database changes introduced earlier this year give Dentrix Ascend the ability to maintain historical accuracy. To maintain the Unscheduled Treatment Report as it was, a new Current Status Includes Active field has been added.

If you have built any custom reports based on the Unscheduled Treatment Report, we advise you to add the same filter to those custom reports so that they show the same data as they have in the past.  

The new field is part of the Analysis Treatment Plan Report Builder and Interactive Treatment Report Builder. Its possible values are Active, Cancelled, and Invalidated.

The Treatment Planner page has a Status field that displays values such as New, Presented, and Accepted. However, it is important to note that those are not the values referenced by the Current Status field. You cannot use this field to generate a list of completed treatment plans.

Tooth Ranges Display in Power Reporting
The previous release provided a new option to set a range of teeth as the treatment area for a procedure code. This release features an easier way to see the tooth range in Power Reporting.  

In Ledger-based power reports, the Proc Treatment Area field shows the applicable tooth numbers or, for larger areas, the applicable label, such as “Mouth” or “Quadrant.” When a procedure has a range as the treatment area, the Proc Treatment Area field lists the teeth included in that range in as shown in this image: 

User Rights 

No changes to user rights are included with this update. 

New Learning Content 

We are constantly adding content to the Dentrix Ascend Resource Center and the #DentrixAscendBlog to help support you. Here is a list of new resources that have been published since the last release.  

Reading the Ledger Transaction History  
Explore how to turn on and read the transaction history and transfer (xfer) history entries in the ledger. 

Adding Provider Photos to Improve Your Online Booking 
Learn how to add a personal touch to your online booking schedule by including photos of your providers. 

Updating the Provider Before Completing an Appointment 
Is the planned provider different from the rendering provider for an appointment? Learn how to quickly change the provider for a procedure using the Dentrix Ascend routing panel.  

Editing and Resubmitting Claims 
Learn how Dentrix Ascend makes the claim resubmission process fast and easy by allowing you to modify and resubmit an unpaid primary or preauthorization claim—regardless of its status.