Introduction
Opened in 2003 and located in Mesa, Arizona, A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-ASDOH) – the first dental school in Arizona – is dedicated to educating graduates to be the heart of the dental profession. The comprehensive 4-year program offers a learning model that encompasses campus instruction, early patient experiences, and clinical rotations. ATSU-ASDOH’s goal is to graduate dentists who have a deep understanding of and a genuine desire to become compassionate, community-minded healthcare providers who serve populations in need.
In 2022 the faculty and staff at ATSU-ASDOH identified a need to revamp the dental school’s Electronic Health Record (EHR) system to better support their clinical operations and academic programs. They thus embarked on an ambitious and comprehensive EHR transition. Upon evaluating various solutions, ATSU-ASDOH selected Henry Schein One’s axiUm over Epic’s Wisdom, prioritizing workflow flexibility, proven clinical implementation, and robust academic functionality. While initial preferences leaned toward Epic, axiUm’s strong demonstration and readiness for both clinical and educational environments led to a unanimous decision.
We recently sat down with Jonathan Brennan, MD, DMD, MPH, Associate Dean of Innovation & Strategy at ATSU-ASDOH to discuss the dental school’s EHR transition journey.
Overview
ATSU-ASDOH sought to replace its legacy EHR system and reduce fatigue stemming from prior change efforts. The team’s primary objectives were to:
- Deploy a flexible, clinic‑ready system and reduce the wait time for custom development.
- Ensure that academic features aligned with their dental education workflows, teaching, and assessment.
- Minimize “go‑live” risks, by avoiding a deployment that could jeopardize operations during the academic year.
Selecting axiUm Over Wisdom
The ATSU-ASDOH team assessed Henry Schein One’s axiUm and Epic’s Wisdom solutions against three core criteria:
- Workflow flexibility across diverse clinical and academic use cases.
- Proven clinical go‑live history to limit operational risk.
- Academic functionality tailored to its dental school needs.
Following a rigorous evaluation process of the two software solutions, it became evident that direct engagement and comprehensive presentations from the Henry Schein One team led to a unanimous decision in favor of axiUm.
axiUm Strengths
The axiUm team’s highly effective live software demo and engaging leadership involvement, along with a clear understanding of the dental school’s needs, helped ATSU-ASDOH’s decision makers ultimately choose axiUm.
“As axiUm is built for dental school clinics, it offered features available now and not contingent on future custom builds,” remarked Dr. Brennan. “This cultural fit, along with the responsiveness of the axiUm team, earned the trust of our stakeholders.”
Today ATSU-ASDOH actively leverages the full suite of axiUm’s modules, with both the core modules, and plus modules playing a key role in their daily operations. The plus modules in high use at the dental clinic are Dispensary, Inventory, Ortho Manager, Lab Tracking, and Lockbox. By adopting the full lineup of modules, they benefit from a fully integrated EHR solution that supports a wide range of operational needs.
Wisdom Drawbacks
Epic’s Wisdom solution was rejected due to limited workflow flexibility and unclear academic features for dental education. In addition, the ATSU-ASDOH team felt they were at risk of serving as the first clinical go‑live site of Wisdom, which was undesirable given prior change fatigue.
Frameworks for Success
During the implementation of axiUm as the university’s chosen EHR solution, the team successfully navigated a range of complex decision-making processes, technical considerations, and change management opportunities.
These experiences generated valuable insights. The following best practices provide actionable guidance for other dental education institutions planning a transition to a new EHR system.
Implementation Planning & Timeline
In making the transition to a new EHR system, the ASDOH team realized the importance of being realistic with the project’s scope/schedule and learned to align implementation timelines with their academic calendars. This helped to minimize operational impact and avoid disruption of workflows for both students and faculty.
For example, to enable effective workflow walkthroughs, they adopted a structured approach by requesting pre-recorded videos prior to meetings. This allowed stakeholders to easily review workflow processes asynchronously, improving engagement and enabling more meaningful feedback during live sessions.
Technical Migrations & Integrations
The image conversion process involved migrating several TB of non-DICOM data, along with mapping and validating the images. The team determined that combining data governance with quality assurance was key to the project’s success.
Their Orthodontics conversion from Dolphin was managed effectively through external expertise and proactive communication, resulting in a smooth transition that mitigated workflow risks. And post-conversion, data quality issues such as duplicate charts and orphaned images were resolved through the team’s targeted cleanup efforts.
Software Licensing & Modules
The ASDOH team recognized the importance of documenting and addressing software licensing, such as Citrix, early in the contracting process to maintain operational continuity.
They also learned that including all relevant axiUm modules during procurement, even if activation is staged, helped maintain a clear roadmap and funding plan.
“Dental institutions should consider scope definition and include all relevant modules during contracting, including Orthodontic modules,” said Dr. Brennan. “This will help maximize flexibility, streamline learning, and future-proof the EHR system against evolving clinical and academic needs.”
Training, Adoption & Change Management
To encourage user adoption of the new axiUm system, the ASDOH team established an axiUm “super-user” support group, provided bundled Learning Management System (LMS) materials, and emphasized hands-on coaching.
They also used a multi-pronged approach to drive adoption. Nurture emails were sent to users, providing practical tips and micro-updates, while super-user networks offered on-the-floor coaching. Gamification strategies – including leaderboards, clinic “quests,” and micro-rewards – helped engage students who were less responsive to traditional communication.
“Ultimately in-person sessions, combined with axiUm super-user support, proved the most effective method for fostering confidence and sustained user adoption,” commented Dr. Brennan.
Process Improvements
The ASDOH team also discovered that several productive process improvements emerged from the project, such as clarifying product terminology and automating Orthodontic payment workflows. In addition, post “go-live” optimization was treated as a structured phase rather than an afterthought. The team thoughtfully prioritized stabilizing critical daily tools before introducing more advanced features.
Summary
The transition to a new EHR system resulted in the successful adoption of axiUm across ATSU-ASDOH’s clinical and academic programs. The team discovered the importance of being realistic with the project’s scope and learned to align implementation timelines with their academic calendars. Imaging and Orthodontic ecosystems were stabilized and change management capabilities were strengthened by implementing axiUm “super-user” networks and in-app guidance. Licensing clarity and a disciplined approach to scope definition established a foundation for future procurements.
About ATSU-ASDOH
ATSU-ASDOH faculty and staff members are the heart of the student’s learner-centered experience. Each member shares a commitment to create a supportive learning environment, providing the foundation for their students to achieve exceptional clinical knowledge, skills, and values, and to graduate as compassionate community-minded oral health providers to lead the profession.
ATSU-ASDOH’s faculty and staff consist of approximately 60 full-time faculty, 100 part-time/adjunct faculty, 60 full-time staff, and 300 community-based faculty preceptors in 65 community health centers across the country. Members of the faculty include nationally and internationally recognized experts in all areas of dentistry who teach and mentor ATSU-ASDOH students and residents in the classroom, simulation clinic, clinic, and at community-based health centers.
About Henry Schein One & axiUm
Henry Schein One is the largest global provider of dental software and services, offering a unified platform that combines practice management, patient communication, marketing, IT services, data analytics, and more. axiUm is the go-to on-premise EHR solution for 90% of North American dental schools, offering full control and depth needed for clinical education. It is a comprehensive dental education solution that features full patient management, clinic operations control, faculty & student management, financial tools, and up-to-date EHR security. Guarantee standards of care for your patients and make data driven decisions using axiUm for your dental academic institution.
