IT Support & PCI Compliance for Dental Offices in Rochester, Webster & Wayne County
Slow Dentrix. A sensor that drops out mid-exam. A backup nobody has tested. A PCI questionnaire the office manager fills out once a year and hopes is right. We're The Circuit Barn, two local IT owners who already handle this for a dental office, and we'd rather fix it before a patient is in the chair.
Serving dental, orthodontic, and oral surgery offices across Monroe, Wayne, and Ontario counties. Free 30 to 45 minute checkup on site, no obligation.
Dental IT is its own thing
A dental office isn't a normal small business network. The practice software is the whole business, the imaging has to work in every operatory, the card terminal has to pass PCI, and everything on the server is patient data covered by HIPAA. Most general IT shops treat it like any other office and miss the parts that matter.
We work the way a small practice needs: the same two people every time, on site when it matters, remote within the hour when it doesn't, and a signed Business Associate Agreement before we touch anything.
What dental offices call us about
- Dentrix, Eaglesoft, or Open Dental running slow, freezing, or dropping connections
- Imaging software and sensors (Dexis, Schick, Carestream, Planmeca) that disconnect or won't open on one computer
- Server backups that have never been test restored, or are going to a drive sitting next to the server
- Card terminals and payment systems (Clover, CardPointe and CardConnect, Henry Schein and Patterson payment setups) and the PCI questionnaire that goes with them
- Computers still on Windows 10, which stopped getting security updates in October 2025 and is a HIPAA problem on its own
- New operatory PCs, front desk setups, and new hire or departing staff accounts
- The HIPAA security risk assessment nobody has actually done
- Office Wi-Fi that patients share with the server
Software and systems we support
Your software vendor supports the software. We support everything it runs on, and get on the call with them when the problem sits in between.
PCI and HIPAA, handled together
PCI covers how you take card payments: the terminal, the network it sits on, and the yearly Self-Assessment Questionnaire. We figure out which SAQ fits your setup, separate the payment devices from the rest of the office, and walk you through the questionnaire so it's answered honestly.
HIPAA covers the patient data: the risk assessment the Security Rule requires, access controls and strong logins, encryption on computers and backups, tested backups, staff guidance, and the documentation you can show if you're ever asked.
Most of the work overlaps, so we do it as one project instead of two bills. Full details on the compliance page.
What it costs
Free checkup. 30 to 45 minutes on site. You get a one page list of what's fine and what isn't.
Fix-it projects. Flat quote for the specific problems found: a backup that actually restores, a server cleanup, new operatory PCs, PCI network separation.
Managed IT with compliance upkeep. $85 to $125 per user per month, plus $40 to $75 per user per month for HIPAA and PCI upkeep, $500 per month minimum. A ten workstation office with HIPAA is usually around $1,200 to $1,500 a month. Month to month to start, so you can leave if we're not earning it. Details on the managed IT page.
Recent work: a dental practice in Webster, NY
September to October 2026. Details kept general to protect the client.
PCI, from flagged to compliant. The practice's card processor had flagged them as PCI incomplete. We moved the card terminal onto its own isolated network away from the office computers, confirmed the terminal type and which questionnaire actually applied, completed the questionnaire in the processor's portal, and wrote the full packet behind it: security policy, incident response plan, vendor list, risk analysis, staff training with a sign-in sheet, network and card data flow diagrams, and a terminal inspection log. The processor's portal now shows Compliant, and the owner signed the attestation with us walking them through it.
Office-wide slowdown, fixed the same day. The front desk reported the practice software crawling on every computer and getting worse over two weeks. We diagnosed it remotely that afternoon, ruled out the server hardware, storage, network, DNS, and antivirus, and traced it to the practice database on the server, which had been running for weeks without a restart. We restarted it after hours with no patient disruption. The office confirmed it was much faster the next morning, and we set up automatic restarts every two weeks so it doesn't come back.
Backups that actually run. While we were in there, we found the nightly server backups had been quietly failing. We had working nightly backups restored the same night and verified a successful run. This is the single most common thing we find in small offices, and nobody knows until they need one.
Common questions from dental offices
Our Dentrix or Eaglesoft is slow. Is that IT or the software?
Usually IT. The practice software runs on a server and workstations, and when those are old, full, short on memory, or on a tired network, the software crawls. We check the server, the workstations, and the network first. If it really is the software, we work with your vendor's support on your behalf.
Do you sign a Business Associate Agreement?
Yes, before we start. Any IT provider who can touch systems holding patient information needs one with your practice under HIPAA. We'll also help you get BAAs in place with your other vendors.
Do we really need to replace our Windows 10 computers?
Windows 10 stopped receiving security updates in October 2025. An unpatched computer holding patient data is hard to defend under HIPAA. Some machines can be upgraded to Windows 11 in place, some can't. We'll tell you which is which so you only replace what you have to.
Do you work with Henry Schein or Patterson support?
Yes. They support the software, we support everything it runs on. When a problem sits between the two, we get on the call with them so your front desk doesn't have to.
How fast do you respond?
Most issues are fixed remotely, often within the hour during business hours. On site is usually same or next business day. We're a two owner shop and we tell you our hours up front rather than promising a 24/7 line we can't staff.
Is your office actually PCI compliant?
Most small practices aren't sure. Call or text for a free, plain-English checkup. No scare tactics, no contract to sign.
Call (315) 333-0868