Digital Signatures  

Digital signatures are currently supported in Procedure notes, Images, Treatment Plans, Consent Forms, Referral Slips, Commlogs, and Group Notes. You have two choices for signing. If you have a Tablet PC or any other similar touch screen, then you can sign with a stylus directly on the screen. You can see how this works by using your mouse, but it's not practical (or legally binding) to sign with your mouse. The other way to sign is by using a Topaz signature pad. http://www.topazsystems.com/ .

Topaz pads now work with 64 bit versions of Windows, but only starting with version 6.9 of Open Dental.  Earlier versions of Open Dental only support Topaz on 32 bit versions of Windows.

To install a Topaz pad, first install the SigPlus Basic program from the disk or from the Topaz website http://www.topazsystems.com/Software/download/sigplusbasic.htm.   Then, plug in the device to the USB port. If you have Windows 7, 32 bit, then you will need to call Topaz for the drivers, as they are not included on the disk or posted on their website.

All signatures, whether on screen or through the Topaz, are legally binding.  Information about the speed of each stroke of the stylus is recorded.  The signature is also digitally linked to the data which the signature applies to.  If any information changes, the signature disappears and shows "invalid signature".  A lot of work has gone into digitally tying the signatures to the data in such a way that the original data cannot be changed. And the way the signature is stored in the database makes it impossible for anyone to retrieve the signature without having the data that the signature applies to.

The Topaz signature devices can be purchased directly through us. There are a number of models available, including these two popular models:

T-S460-HSB is $98. It is a low cost pad that you sign blind. It does not show "ink" on the screen as you sign. Because of this awkwardness, it is probably not suitable for patients. But it works fine for staff members who are signing procedure notes. The picture above is misleading. The background is more of a dark blue than the medium blue that it appears to be.

T-L460-HSB is $250. It has an LCD screen, so you can see the signature as you sign, just like on paper. It works very well, but is more expensive. Again, the picture above is misleading. The screen background is actually gray rather than backlit.

There are also a few other pads that they offer which will currently work. Any of the 1 x 5 pads will work. The other models simply have extra features, like more durable surfaces and backlighting. Whichever pad you get, it MUST have a model number ending in HSB. Those models are all USB types that use the human interface driver.

So, in addition to the two pictured above, all of these models will work as well:

T-S261-HSB SignatureGem 1x5
T-S981-HSB DeskGem 1x5
T-L462-HSB SignatureGem LCD 1x5
T-LBK462-HSB SignatureGem Backlit LCD 1x5
T-S461-HSB SigLite Slim 1x5
T-LBK460-HSB SigLite Backlit LCD 1x5
Any of the IDGem series that are 1x5 and HSB.

We tested one of their wireless pads last year and found it to be non-functional.  At this time, we strongly recommend a wired pad.