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INTEROPERABILITY ISSUES
When Dr. John Drumm moved his Washington, D.C., general dental practice from the townhouse in which he had been operating for the last 25 years to a brand new office space, he saw an opportunity to outfit his practice with the very latest dental technology available.

On his wish list were a digital radiology system, a new panoramic radiographic machine outfitted with a sensor to mesh with his digital imaging system, upgraded practice management and charting software, a cosmetic imaging application and an 11-computer network for, among other things, interfacing with the intraoral cameras that had become an important part of his practice.

After receiving the assurances of representatives from various equipment manufacturers that all of their products would work together, Dr. Drumm went out and bought the items on his wish list.

That’s when the trouble started.

"My first mistake was, I didn’t hire an IT [information technology] person right away," Dr. Drumm says.

The problem was that despite the vendors’ claims, the various models and brands of equipment and software he purchased did not necessarily integrate seamlessly and, in some cases, did not integrate at all. After moving into his new office, one of the first things Dr. Drumm noticed was that his intraoral cameras didn’t work with the new computers he bought.

"For two weeks after I moved in, I didn’t have the use of my cameras, which was a real problem," he says. "I love and depend on my cameras."

Other problems began to crop up: images from the new panoramic machine weren’t clear, apparently due to a compatibility issue with the imaging software he bought; the intraoral cameras, once they were operational again, were producing only tiny images, requiring a second set of new video capture cards and special cables to use the cameras in his five operatories; additional memory and a memory card reader were needed to incorporate images from a conventional digital camera into the practice management and charting software.

In all, the incompatibilities among the equipment he purchased resulted in significant, unexpected costs and headaches for Dr. Drumm.

"Everybody said everything would work together," he remembers.

Eventually, he was left with no choice but to hire a technology consultant to integrate the new equipment and provide continuing support.

For any of his colleagues who may be considering significant electronic equipment upgrades, Dr. Drumm has some advice he hopes will spare them from some of the interoperability issues he’s encountered:

– hire an IT consultant before buying any equipment and have him or her work directly with the equipment vendors;

– take the time to hire a consultant with experience in dental technology;

– be cautious when talking to equipment vendors about the compatibility of their products with other products on the market;

– when making decisions about equipment purchases, try to take into account as many of your future needs as possible;

– ask for references of dentists with the exact equipment and software in which you are interested and, if possible, visit their offices.

Reported by Joe Hoyle, electronic media editor, "hoylej{at}ada.org".

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