Now through early December, Carestream Dental, Atlanta, will run its new TechCheck promotion, giving practices the opportunity to trade in or upgrade their existing equipment.

TechCheck, which runs until December 19, 2014, includes a free consultation to identify opportunities for technological improvements, such as switching from desktop-based to cloud-hosted practice-management software or updating from 2D to 3D imaging. According to a press release from the company, practices will then have the option to upgrade or trade in their current technology for the latest offerings from Carestream Dental, including special savings of up to $25,000.

“When equipment is up-to-date, practices can improve patient diagnosis, optimize workflow, ensure they are HIPAA-compliant, and improve technology integration options,” David Roudergues, director of US dental equipment, Carestream Dental, says. “The TechCheck lets doctors take care of their patients, while Carestream Dental takes care of their technology.”

The company reminds doctors that they would be well advised to understand the implications of using older models that are compatible only with Windows XP, as they are more susceptible to security breaches and HIPAA violations that could require disclosure to all patients. Working with the most recent equipment, or at least equipment that can be easily updated, is also important when it comes to HIPAA compliance. Practices should be aware of whether their office complies with the latest requirements as well as if systems can be updated or if replacements are necessary.

“Even patients can tell you how quickly technology changes these days—just think of their smartphones—and dental technology is no different,” Roudergues says. “A perfect example is the transition from 2D to 3D imaging and, more recently, the move to digital impressions. These advances took place just within the last 10 years; it can be exhausting to keep up with it all. A TechCheck consultation removes the guesswork and helps a practice determine whether there are better, more current equipment options available to them.”

Some of the technology that Carestream Dental will be evaluating includes extraoral imaging systems, CAD/CAM systems, intraoral sensors, and practice-management software.

Carestream Dental also provides resources such as checklists and self-assessments for knowing when to upgrade on its blog, The Digital Image Stream.