Le has big plans. Not just for himself – the practicing dentist and owner of Victus Dental hopes to continue providing opportunities for employees to find their passions, further their careers and help the greater community. It’s all part of his goal for expansion from two locations in Pensacola to six, which also includes hiring 15 general dentists and specialists to provide Florida with oral health care.

“The name ‘Victus’ comes from my favorite poem, ‘Invictus,’ by William Ernest Henley, which reminds us that we are all responsible for the outcomes in our lives. We integrate that concept in addition to our values of community, respect, growth and fun, in all of our office protocols,” said Le.
 
He’s well on his way to implementing those values on a larger scale. Reflecting on making the move from one office to two, he reveals the path has been paved smoothly thanks to cloud-based practice management software.
 
“It was something that I was really interested in doing because I wanted to move from a server-based to a cloud system. I wanted to keep it within the same family as our other software, so that’s why I gravitated toward Fuse, because it’s owned by Patterson. Since Patterson is a large company, you know Fuse is going to be around for a while and there’s going to be plenty of support.”

Making the cloud connection

Le explains he needed to find a modern software system that would provide one true connection across locations. Enter Fuse, a cloud-based practice management software solution. “Patients go from one office to another for a variety of reasons, and there was a lot of difficulty transferring patient data from one location to another using a server-based system. I wanted a centralized database where you can essentially log on and instantly access all of the patient’s information.”
 
“On top of that, we have multiple providers, too, so we wanted them to be able to see their production, because that’s an important part of their pay. I knew they’d rather access that information from home and the cloud system was the only way to do that virtually.”
 
The Victus team can instantly access a patient’s entire treatment history, notes and financial account by logging on to the cloud system, whereas they previously had to manually transfer that information to a new server, according to Le. “That’s costlier and requires more IT support. Especially if a patient has been going to an office for 10 or 15 years, you’re not going to get to transfer that whole history of the patient. So, with Fuse, it’s seamless integration between patients going from one location to another.”

Linked and synched

Given their unique location in the Florida panhandle, Le says cloud technology has played a vital role in staff retention. “Pensacola is a very large military town and so we’ve had a lot of turnover because military spouses work in our office. Now they can work anywhere in the world with an internet connection, and that’s only possible because of the cloud. It’s huge because whenever you have turnover, it costs time, effort and money to hire and train.”
 
Recently, Le discovered just how valuable the cloud-based technology would become amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “When I was going from one to two locations, a major goal I had was to have a dedicated call center. The call center does all our scheduling, appointments, our billing and financial tasks and all our insurance processing – all from home-based offices.
 
During this pandemic, we have remote positions available, so that has allowed us to attract more talent and for staff to be able to work remotely and safely at home.”

A cornerstone of support

Le says a common fear of software transition was immediately dispelled, thanks to Fuse’s intuitive design. “I like how simple it is, because not everyone is really good with technology. That’s the truth. A lot of times the staff would get upset, because they don’t know how to access the VPN, so this makes it easier for them and boosts morale. Whenever you shift something this major over, going from one program to another, there’s always going to be some people resisting the change. I thought this would be the easiest way of doing it – they have a smaller learning curve.”
 
Referring to the learning curve, Le outlines what he loves most about Fuse. He says behind the entire software journey, he’s found unmatched support. “Everyone has been helpful and responsive. My staff likes that they never feel like a question they’re asking is a stupid one. They don’t feel belittled. So, they’re willing to work more and learn more, ask more questions and as a result, are growing with the system as well. You can call, chat, email, and they [Fuse specialists] are always there. They also want our opinions, and my staff feels appreciated and appreciative when they submit enhancements to Fuse and those enhancements are made.”
 
Le says the support makes his team feel empowered and that they’re contributing to a larger picture. And that, he says, fosters Victus’ values and growth. He also believes every multi-location practice should consider transitioning to a cloud-based practice management solution. “A cloud-based system is a no-brainer for anyone with more than one location.”

The cloud on the horizon

Looking to the future, Le hopes to have his next location up and running in 2022. Adding each new location, he’s confident his practice management software choice is a step forward.
 
“It has been fantastic,” he reports. “Sometimes, what you need is something simpler. It’s easy to learn and intuitive, but the best thing is you have great support. I also like the fact that we can grow with it. I’d rather be in the forefront than to have to catch up.”