MacPractice Team / Field Representative

Rick Thacker - Midwest

Written in the fall of 2004

Buying my first Mac when they first came out was one of the joys of my life. Being a practicing dentist for over 23 years, another was being one of the first clients for DentalMac software in 1985. After using the program for several years, I became involved with sales , training, and support in the Midwest region for DentalMac, MediMac, and ChiroMac software, and continue to do so, supporting many offices still using the software across Kansas and Missouri. I also began a long-running process through the years helping with design and testing of the programs as they went through many upgrades and changes, all from an "in office" point of view.

Through all of this almost 20-year period, the ONE person that I knew that I could count on to get things done when they needed doing was Patrick Clyne. He has literally been at the forefront of software development, programming DentalMac, MediMac, and ChiroMac to do things years before other programs could do them. And now, since he has started MacPractice, I KNOW that Patrick and his experience will guide his programming team to new heights in the medical/dental software field as the new MacPractice software is developed.

After several years in the DentalMac/MediMac sales force, I met a young man about 15 years ago named Mark Hollis, from New York. His sincerity, reliability, and intensive demeanor were truly inspiring. Throughout the years, Mark has been another constant in the ever changing Medical/Dental software field always there to take care of his customers, and always searching for a more efficient way to get things done in the practices of his clients.

Because I have known these two people for as long as I have, I know that their heart lies in the satisfaction of seeing their clients treated in the best way possible. And to do that, they have to begin with a GREAT software product coming out to replace MediMac / DentalMac / ChiroMac. One thing I know they WILL have the product and then some!! But more importantly, I know that they will deliver what they say, do it with the utmost honesty and integrity, and treat their customers right!

---

Biography

Dr. Rick Thacker attended the University of Kansas School of Business, majoring in business administration and accounting. He then attended Northwestern University Dental School in Chicago, where he received his D.D.S. in 1981. Dr. Thacker purchased his first computer, an Apple ///, in the early 1980's, and began to computerize his office billing using a custom, self-written database. Later he added an Apple Lisa computer to his office, before moving to the Macintosh in 1985. Adopting DentalMac in 1985 as one of DentalMac's first customers, Dr. Thacker became an early tester for the product, and eventually agreed to become the HealthCare Communications Kansas/Missouri territory manager.

Dr. Thacker was involved in the design of the current DentalMac product, working closely with Patrick Clyne to improve the program as it has evolved. He was instrumental in the planning and integration of the current scheduling module when it was added to DentalMac / MediMac / ChiroMac years ago. He has been a continuing alpha and beta tester for the products throughout the years. Dr. Thacker has taught, and continues to teach, computer courses for dental staff members, training them on maximum utilization of their computer systems. He was a regular speaker/presenter in the original DentalMac "Getaways" throughout the United States. He has given computer lectures/programs at the District of Columbia Dental Society Meeting in Washington, D.C., the ADA Meeting in San Francisco, several Kansas Dental Association Meetings, and has lectured extensively at UMKC School of Dentistry on "The Electronic Dental Record".

Through the years, he has continued to provide training and support to dozens of DentalMac/MediMac clients throughout the Midwest, and a select few on the West Coast. He has a full-time general dental practice in Russell, KS, and continues to use DentalMac F/X in his own office on a daily basis.