Migrate from Dental-Exec to Mailchimp

Dental-Exec patient records map directly to Mailchimp subscribers. Each patient record with a valid email address becomes one subscriber in the target Mailchimp audience. Patients without email addresses are flagged for manual review — either add an email in Mailchimp manually or archive the record.

Direct map. Dental-Exec first_name property maps to Mailchimp's built-in FNAME merge field. If Dental-Exec stores first and last name in a single 'patient_name' field, we split by the last space character during extraction. For edge cases where multiple spaces exist before the last name, all intermediate whitespace is collapsed before splitting to ensure accurate separation.

Direct map. Dental-Exec last_name property maps to Mailchimp's built-in LNAME merge field. Same split logic applies if names are stored in a combined field — we identify the last space character and use everything after it as the last name. Empty last names are preserved as empty strings in Mailchimp and are not flagged as errors, since some patients may have incomplete name records.

Direct map. Dental-Exec email field maps to Mailchimp's required EMAIL address field, which is mandatory for every subscriber record. Records with malformed email addresses — such as those missing the @ symbol, containing typos in common domains (gmal.com, gmaiil.com), or using placeholder text — are flagged in the migration report for correction before import. Records with duplicate email addresses pointing to multiple patients are also flagged for resolution.

Direct map to a custom PHONE merge field created in the Mailchimp audience. Dental-Exec phone formats — with or without formatting characters like dashes, parentheses, or spaces — are preserved as text strings exactly as they appear in the source system. SMS consent flags must be set manually in Mailchimp after import, as Mailchimp requires explicit opt-in verification for SMS marketing under its terms of service.

Dental-Exec address fields map to Mailchimp's address merge field group (ADDR, CITY, STATE, ZIP, COUNTRY). If Dental-Exec stores these as a single combined address field, we parse them using line-break and comma delimiters. Incomplete addresses are preserved as partial field values.

Dental-Exec insurance fields have no Mailchimp equivalent. We create a custom INSURANCE merge field in the Mailchimp audience and populate it from Dental-Exec's insurance carrier and plan name fields. This enables segmentation by insurance provider for targeted benefits outreach campaigns.

Dental-Exec tracks last appointment date per patient. This maps to a custom LAST_VISIT date merge field in Mailchimp. Practices use this field to segment for recall campaigns — contacts without a visit in 6+ months can be targeted for reactivation automations.

Dental-Exec treatment plan status (e.g., 'Proposed', 'In Progress', 'Completed', 'Declined') maps to a custom TREATMENT_STATUS pick-list field in Mailchimp. Each Dental-Exec status value maps directly to the Mailchimp field value. Practices can segment by treatment status to follow up on proposed or in-progress care.

If Dental-Exec captures referral source information (e.g., 'New Patient Form', 'Yelp', 'Insurance Directory', 'Referring Dentist', 'Google Ads'), this data maps to a custom REFERRAL_SOURCE text field in Mailchimp. Post-migration, this information helps inform which acquisition channels drive the highest lifetime value and can be used to segment campaigns by origin — for example, targeting Yelp referrals with specific new patient offers or thanking Insurance Directory patients with welcome content.

Dental-Exec production tracking, provider output metrics, and case acceptance rates have no Mailchimp equivalent. These remain in Dental-Exec reports. FlitStack does not attempt to create a custom object for this data in Mailchimp — it would serve no purpose in an email marketing context.

Dental-Exec appointment schedules (date, time, provider, operatory, procedure type) do not map to Mailchimp because Mailchimp has no appointment scheduling module. Practices that need automated appointment reminders, confirmation requests, or recall messages based on scheduled appointments should use a dedicated dental scheduling integration such as Demandforce, Solutionreach, or Lighthouse 360 post-migration. These platforms are designed for healthcare appointment workflows and sync bidirectionally with Dental-Exec.

Dental-Exec billing ledgers, insurance claim status, outstanding balances, and payment history have no Mailchimp equivalent and are not migrated. These records stay in Dental-Exec or are exported separately as a financial archive if needed for compliance or tax purposes. Mailchimp's e-commerce integrations support retail transactions and product sales, not healthcare billing or insurance claim processing, making it unsuitable for clinical financial data.