Open Dental – PMS Setup Guide

✅ Step 1: Use the Plan Structure Created During Onboarding with Smile Advantage

🧾 Step 2: Create a Fee Schedule with Discounted Fees

Open Dental uses Fee Schedules and Discount Plans for membership pricing.

Steps:

1. Go to: Lists > Fee Schedules > Add
2. Create a fee schedule (e.g., SmileAdvantage Adult Plan).
3. Select Type: Normal.
4. Add discounted fees:
   • Set zero or discounted fee for included procedures (e.g., D0120, D1110).
   • Apply percentage reductions for other codes (e.g., 15% off crowns).

💡 Tip: Clone your UCR fee schedule and adjust from there for consistency.

💳 Step 3: Set Up a Discount Plan

Link your custom fee schedule to a Discount Plan.

Steps:

1. Go to: Setup > Definitions > Discount Plans > Add
2. Enter Plan Description (e.g., SmileAdvantage Gold).
3. Attach your customized fee schedule.
4. Set a yearly or monthly subscription fee (informational only—fees are posted manually).
5. Add notes about included services or plan terms.

🧑‍💻 Step 4: Assign Discount Plan to Patient

Enroll your patient into the Discount Plan.

Steps:

1. Open the Patient Account.
2. Click on Discount Plan in the main toolbar.
3. Select the plan (e.g., SmileAdvantage Gold).
4. Set Start/End Date (use calendar-year or rolling 12 months).
5. Save and confirm.

📌 The system now uses the plan’s discounted fee schedule for all treatment posted during the plan dates.

💵 Step 5: Post Membership Plan Fee

Track and charge the patient for the membership.

Steps:

1. From the patient’s Account Module, click New Charge.
2. Post the flat fee (e.g., $299/year) using a custom procedure code (e.g., D9999 – SmileAdv Plan Fee).
3. Add payment manually or set up Recurring Charges (see Step 9).

💡 Tip: Create a custom procedure code for tracking membership sales in reports.

🧾 Step 6: Use “Exploding Codes” for Bundled Visits

Streamline common visit types using Procedure Code Bundles.

Steps:

1. Go to: Setup > Procedure Codes > Add
2. Create a new “Exploding Code” (e.g., SAAdultVisit).
3. Link all included codes (e.g., D0120, D1110, D0274).
4. When posted, each code auto-enters and uses the discount plan’s fees.

📢 Step 7: Show Value on Treatment Plans & Receipts

Let patients see the value of their plan.

Steps:

1. Go to: Setup > Module Preferences > Account
2. Enable: Show UCR fee and discount amount on statements & treatment plans.
3. Patients will see both regular and discounted fees on walkouts, building perceived value.

🔁 Step 8: Automate Monthly Memberships (Optional)

For monthly plan options:

Option 1: Manual Payments

• Post a monthly charge (e.g., $25) using a custom code.
• Manually apply patient payments each month.

Option 2: Recurring Charges

• Go to: Billing > Recurring Charges
• Set up an automatic monthly charge on the patient’s card (requires credit card on file).
• Open Dental will auto-post charges based on your setup.

📅 Step 9: Use Patient Fields or Alert Flags for Visual Tracking

Open Dental lacks icons like Eaglesoft’s Intellicare, but you can:

Option 1: Use Custom Patient Fields

• Go to: Setup > Definitions > Fields > Patient Fields
• Add a field (e.g., Membership Plan Tier).
• Track plan tier (Gold, Platinum, etc.) directly in patient info.

Option 2: Use Patient Alerts

• Set a custom alert that pops up when opening the chart or scheduling.

📊 Step 10: Run Reports to Track Plan Usage & Performance

Track membership effectiveness, usage, and production:

Key Reports:

• Procedure Code Usage – Review frequency of plan-covered services.
• Production and Income Reports – Filter by provider and date.
• Patient Report by Discount Plan – Custom queries may be needed (contact support).

📌 Bonus Tips

• Use “D9999 – Membership Add-On” for extra visits not included.
• Clone and update fee schedules yearly to reflect any pricing changes.
• Export plan patients using Query: helpful for renewal campaigns or email reminders.
• Consider assigning plan subscribers to a custom billing type to separate from traditional insured patients.