Dr Elaine Halley discusses Invisalign Virtual Care and how it has helped her practice during the Covid-19 pandemic
Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 10th December 2020
Align Technology, Inc. has developed virtual solutions which help doctors connect with existing Invisalign patients to ensure continuity of care include Invisalign Virtual Appointment and Invisalign Virtual Care. These represent the next level in practice and care transformation, which enable doctors to manage a range of practice services even when they are not in the same physical location as their patients. Until recently, both solutions were in pilot phases but their launch was accelerated to support doctors in managing their practices and patients during the Covid-19 pandemic.
· The Invisalign Virtual Appointment tool enables doctors to easily schedule and host HIPPA-compliant video appointments with patients. Doctors and their practice staff can schedule a video consultation and discussion Invisalign treatment.
· Invisalign Virtual Care is built into the My Invisalign app, and can be used for remote consultations, assessment of treatment progress, and to communicate adjustments or concerns during treatment. Patients use the intuitive My Invisalign App to stay engaged in their treatment and convey progress photos to their doctor, who reviews these photos on their Invisalign Doctor Site and communicates any needed instructions to patients, ensuring their Invisalign treatment journey is on track.
Here Dr Elaine Halley talks about Invisalign Virtual Appointment and Virtual Care and what difference they have made to her practice during the Covid-19 pandemic:
Could you describe how you have used Invisalign Virtual Care in your practice?
We have used Invisalign Virtual Care in a couple of ways: We have had some patients who had to move away from the area especially during lockdown and we have used Invisalign Virtual Care to help finish cases. Two patients had to go back to China as their student visas ran out and they were not quite finished. So we are in the process of using it for that albeit with limitations. It helps us keep in touch and provide the very end of their treatment. I took all the attachments off before they went, so that they could finish their aligner treatment.
We also used Invisalign Virtual Care for people with similar circumstances in the UK we need to adapt to – like a young chef who is leaving for a job in Cornwall and has recently started his Invisalign treatment. He will be able to come back, but in the meantime, I can keep an eye on him (using the tool).
We have also used Invisalign Virtual Care for people who wanted to minimize their trips to the practice. I am thinking of a few teachers who expressed that they would rather come in towards the end of treatment.
I have seen some practices use Invisalign Virtual Care for all patients. For us, it is more patient- selective. If it is not an issue for people to come in, then I would like to see them. But for the others, we have the option and that gives us an enormous amount of flexibility, which we embrace in these challenging times.
In terms of the workflow, we give the patients some retractors to take away with them. The virtual care tab on IDS, Invisalign Doctor Site, gives you a list of all the patients enrolled with their compliance as a percentage and an alert when they upload new pictures and videos. You can then have a look and send them instructions to keep going or to wear aligners for longer or to make an appointment.
How have your patients reacted to and complied with the tool?
The compliance level is great once they understand what to do. We have found that they need a bit of prompting. The younger ones take to it a bit more easily.
What difference has it made to your practice?
It does cut down the number of visits for certain patients and it also means that regardless of circumstances, patients can keep going with their treatments rather than being stuck on a specific aligner until we can see them again. From a treatment supervision point of view, it is also very helpful to know that you have actually seen the patient and been able to keep the record in the clinical notes as regular supervision without taking up chair time.
What do you feel about the support Align has given providers since the first lockdown?
It has truly been excellent. I think they have definitely worked very hard to try and be creative with how they could help during lockdown. What I have used right from the beginning was the Invisalign Virtual Appointments before Invisalign Virtual Care was launched. It is like a Zoom appointment system to make virtual consultation appointments through the Invisalign Doctor Site.
How do you feel these new services will help you during the second wave?
I think it helps us being more prepared and we can also reassure patients that even if they cannot see us, we can still keep in touch and we can still progress with their treatments.
Why should other practices move towards this way of working?
It gives flexibility instead of seeing patients at every set interval. It helps tailor the treatment to the patient’s needs. If patients can see you, that’s fine but if for any reason it is difficult to do so, it makes it easier for the patient without necessarily taking up chair time.
If you had one thing to recommend to your peers about adopting Invisalign Virtual Care what would it be?
I would recommend that they should learn about Invisalign Virtual Care, and consider discussing it with their patients. Invisalign Virtual Care can be valuable for all practices. I think it is important to know that it is available and an option for patients in circumstances where their treatment may get stuck and find the whole situation quite challenging. There is no need for it, as Invisalign Virtual Care can make such a huge difference to the progress of the treatment.
Are you planning to continue to use of Invisalign Virtual Care in 2021?
Yes, absolutely, it is definitely a valuable tool.
