Switching from Eaglesoft to Fuse: A Look at What Worked (and What We Learned)

Changing patient management software is never an easy decision — and certainly not something I or my team was excited about doing again. We’d already been through that process once, and it was disruptive enough to make me hesitant the second time around. But with a number of changes happening in the office, and support for Windows 10 coming to an end, it was time to re-evaluate.

We explored several options and didn’t go into it with any clear favorite. I had previewed Fuse a few years back when it was still in beta, and to be honest, I wasn’t impressed at the time. But seeing how much the platform has matured since then changed my mind.

What really surprised me was how smooth the transition ended up being. The support and training we received through Patterson Dental made a big difference. Their team was responsive and helpful throughout the onboarding process. We also leaned heavily on the training video library, which was a great resource for our team — myself included. It gave us the flexibility to get up to speed at our own pace and revisit topics as needed.

A major benefit for us has been cloud access. I travel regularly, and being able to securely log in to the system from anywhere without relying on remote desktop setups has made life much easier. It also opened up new opportunities for how we staff the office. In fact, we now have a fully remote team member who works efficiently from another location — something that would’ve been a lot harder to manage with our old setup.

Alongside Fuse, we also switched to Weave phones, which has helped bring some cohesion to how we manage patient communication. The integration between phone, text, and scheduling has improved our workflow, and made it easier for both in-office and remote team members to stay connected and consistent.

Another unexpected improvement: the X-ray integration and image quality are noticeably better. It wasn’t one of our top decision points, but it’s been a welcome upgrade.

Looking back, I’m glad we didn’t rush the decision. I also learned to have balanced expectations. Will there be disruption and downtime? Yes. That happens with most new technology. However, letting that that fear hold you back could keep your from being growing and moving forward in your practice.

Taking the time to compare systems, learn from past mistakes, and move when it made sense for our practice really paid off. If you’re in a similar position — especially with the Windows 10 deadline approaching — it’s worth taking a fresh look at what's out there. Platforms have evolved, and in our case, the timing was right.