Here's everything we brought to Dentally this month. Use the table of contents on the right, or scroll to browse the whole round-up!
Global updates
New: Control access to short notice settings
Previously, anyone with the 'Manage daily diary' permission enabled was able to edit the short notice settings.
In a user's settings, you'll now see a toggle to prevent the user from editing short notice filler settings. Enabling this (when 'Manage daily diary' is also enabled) will restrict that user's access to short notice settings, while maintaining all other diary settings as before.
Please note, you only need to turn on 'Prevent editing short notice filler settings' if 'Manage daily diary' is enabled - if the latter is disabled, users wouldn't be able to access short notice settings anyway so you don't need to use the other toggle.
Improved: Applying filters while reports load
You can now change report filters consistently while a report is still loading data. We've made this more consistent and reliable, even if the report is loading large amounts of data. This will make reporting more efficient, with less time waiting for each filter to apply.
Improved: Treatment plan template fees
When a clinician applies a treatment plan template, we now use the patient’s current payment plan/fee schedule fees. This means the same template can be used across different payment plans/fee schedules, without carrying over old prices from the patient it was originally saved from.
Bug fix:
When using the short notice filler to send messages, patients who did not end up receiving a message (because the slot filled) will no longer be marked as unavailable for other slots; only patients who were messaged will be treated as unavailable.
The legacy appointment finder will now account for appointments booked via the short notice filler, matching the experience on the new appointment finder (which is the recommended finder).
When you set a payment plan/fee schedule in treatment plan settings, new treatment items added to that treatment plan will now automatically use the same payment plan/fee schedule.
The chart screen in UK/ROI/APAC will now load more quickly, even when viewing large patient records.
UK/ROI updates
New: Complex Care Pathways for NHS England
In accordance with NHS guidance, you can now record Complex Care Pathways and submit initial, interim and final claims.
Set any treatment plan as a Complex Care Pathway using the dropdown at the top of the plan. You can also track and manage all pathways from the 'Complex Care Pathways' report, including suspensions.
Improved: Denture modification UDAs for NHS England
In line with NHS guidance, we've made changes to how UDAs are awarded for Denture Modification claims:
Denture repairs award 2 UDAs, with no patient charge, if done by themselves
Denture modifications award 3 UDAs, with a Band 2 charge (same as currently), if done by themselves
Denture modifications alongside a Band 2 course will add 2 UDAs to the other treatment on the claim (ie. 5 total UDAs for a Band 2a claim, 9 or 11 for 2b/2c)
No change for denture modifications done alongside a Band 3 course
Bug fix:
NHS England:
When you select 'Add now' to add ethnicity while saving a new patient, your selection will now be saved correctly the first time, instead of prompting you multiple times.
When you record multiple fillings on the same tooth within an NHS course of treatment, the patient charge will no longer increase by 1p for each additional filling.
On the 'NHS Claims' report, clinicians without Level 4 access, on contracts shared across locations, will no longer see an empty report.
NHS Wales:
Permanent restorations on the same tooth as the RCT (crowns, fillings, inlays, etc.) are now included in the anterior and posterior root canal Care Packages, and no longer count separately toward the package tooth count.
When a recall Care Package is claimed without ACORN, Dentally now submits an Interim Care Review examination. ACORN can only be included with a new patient assessment, recall or 18-24 month recall package.
Additional periodontal treatments can be included on the perio package. A linked BPE record is now required before you can submit a periodontal Care Package claim.
Urgent Care Package claims now send the specific prescription type code only (antibiotic, analgesic, etc.), not the miscellaneous non-antibiotic prescription code used on other packages.
A new 24-month denture warranty treatment code is available for dentures provided under the denture Care Package.
On treatment estimates for exempt patients, lab fees will no longer be included in the total and will show as £0 when the patient does not have to pay.
On urgent and referred claims, Ethnic Origin will now be included on submission when it is recorded on the patient.
CA updates
New: Separate balances on calendar appointment hover
When you hover over an appointment in the calendar, the hover card now shows patient and insurance balances separately, instead of one combined total. This makes it easier to confirm what the patient owes, without opening the patient record.
Improved: Phone number format
Phone numbers in the patient record will now be displayed correctly, in the xxx‑xxx‑xxxx format. This improves readability and reduces risk of errors, while aligning with regional expectations in Canada.
Improved: Insurance splits on estimates
Estimates now show estimated insurance coverage alongside patient costs, so patients can see what they’ll pay upfront. This split is also visible in the patient portal.
Estimates display insurance vs patient portions for each treatment
Multiple insurers are supported, with clear per-insurer totals
Labs are included on the estimate where applicable
Portal now shows these insurance-split estimates, including any applicable labs
This improves financial transparency at consultation, helping patients understand out-of-pocket costs and make more confident treatment decisions.