Managed IT for Dental Practices

Yes. I manage the workstations and network infrastructure these systems run on — server uptime, workstation patching, backup of the practice database, and network segmentation between operatories and the front office — and when an issue is specific to the software itself, I coordinate directly with Dentrix, Eaglesoft, or Carestream support so you're not stuck being the go-between for two vendors pointing fingers at each other. I also work with Dexis and other imaging software that plugs into these systems, since a dental practice's technology is really the practice management platform plus everything that feeds images and data into it.

A Business Associate Agreement is a HIPAA-required contract between your practice and any vendor — including your IT provider — who can access or manage systems containing patient health information. I sign one with every dental client before I start work, no exceptions, and I keep it current if the scope of my access ever changes. If your current provider has never mentioned a BAA, or can't produce one on request, that's worth asking about directly — it's one of the first things a HIPAA auditor would ask for after a breach.

The same way I handle every clinical workstation — patched, encrypted, and backed up on a schedule — plus I coordinate with your imaging software vendor whenever an update needs to stay compatible with your X-ray, CBCT, or intraoral camera equipment. Imaging workstations tend to be the oldest, most fragile machines in a practice, often running specialized drivers that break if Windows updates without warning, so I test updates before they hit those machines rather than letting them patch automatically like a normal office computer. Losing an imaging workstation mid-day because of an unplanned update is one of the more common, and most avoidable, disruptions I see in dental offices.

At minimum, you need a completed Security Risk Analysis, written security policies, documented access control procedures, a backup and contingency plan, and staff training records — and all of it needs to reflect what you're actually doing, not a generic template downloaded years ago. Most practices I meet have some of this scattered across old emails and a filing cabinet, if it exists at all, which is effectively the same as not having it when an auditor asks to see it. I help practices pull it into one place, keep it current as their systems change, and make sure it actually matches reality.

You work with me directly — not a rotating cast of technicians who've never seen your Dentrix setup before. I've been in IT for over 40 years, running Ask Erik Computer Services since 2006 and serving Lane County practices since I moved the business to Eugene in 2017. I'm a Microsoft Partner, AI-certified, and a BNI Hall of Fame member here in Eugene. For a dental practice, continuity matters — I already know your imaging workstations, your BAA, and what broke last time. I document everything, explain it in plain English, and when something does go wrong, I tell you exactly why and what we're doing to prevent it next time, instead of starting the diagnosis over from scratch like a new technician would.