Using practice management software provides a number of business-related benefits. According to Chiropractic Economics, the top five for chiropractors specifically include: 1) speedier reimbursement for treatment sessions; 2) financial savings due to increased staff productivity (which occurs with software-related process automation and integration); 3) streamlining of relevant office functions; 4) more simple records management; and 5) having a record-keeping system that is scalable as your business grows. While these five advantages paint a picture of an effective and swift office, sadly, few practice management software systems can deliver on all of these benefits.
That’s why it’s important for practice management software to have certain capabilities that maximize the productivity of your office as it grows. This requires that the software have these four basic, yet absolutely essential elements: EHR/EMR capabilities, billing options, ease of scheduling, and report-based functioning. Now let’s take a closer look.
1. EHR/EMR Capabilities
Under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, prior to 2015, healthcare providers were eligible to receive financial incentives for “meaningful use” of electronic health record (EHR) systems. However, this same act calls for penalties if no EHR is in place after that date, which means that you can save your practice from government-imposed fines by ensuring that your practice management software has EHR or EMR (electronic medical record) capabilities. What type of EHR/EMR capabilities?
Integration Ideally, the EHR/EMR portion of your software should integrate and automate as many documentation tasks as possible, thereby improving productivity and patient care. This means at a minimum, providing patients with a waiting room kiosk that allows for quick and easy check-in. Many kiosks allow patients to record their chief complaints, medical history, outcomes questionnaires or other intake forms.
Your EHR/EMR should also be capable of sending reminder alerts to providers to support their clinical decisions and patients to follow up on their care. Provider alerts would remind users of when patients need a re-exam or when treatment is contraindicated. Patient alerts would send reminders for follow up appointments or updated health information.
Additionally, the software should integrate with reports to show statistics on diagnostic and treatment data. Such clinical reports help providers coordinate care plans over a broader patient base. They also prove to insurance auditor the quality and effectiveness of your care.
Lastly, the EHR/EMR system should manage patient health summaries through both online patient portals and document management tools. Patient portals allow patients to view and download their health records online 24/7. Document management tools allow users to scan paper records or digital files to the patients EHR. Together, patient portals and document management tools keep provider and patient care on the same page. (more…)
Have you ever driven somewhere you’ve never been before and gotten lost? Of course, you have. We all have at one time or another. And does this make the idea of trying to find a new location on future trips cause you anxiety or stress, possibly even to the point where you’re ready to cancel your plans so you don’t have to go? These are some of the same feelings healthcare providers face when it comes to switching their electronic health record (EHR) or electronic medical record (EMR) systems.
Whether based on past experiences of software transitions that didn’t go well (such as when you get lost and suddenly realize you’re in the bad part of town) or by hearing tales of horror from other medical professionals of how their switch went wrong, the idea of transitioning from one record-keeping system to another can sometimes be enough to make you break out in a cold sweat.
Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be this way. Switching EHR and EMR software can actually be a fairly smooth and seamless process, a drive in which you safely arrive at your destination with your wits and body intact. That is, as long as you follow four basic steps. (more…)
The Institute for Healthcare Communication (IHC) states that studies conducted over the last 30 years have found “that the clinician’s ability to explain, listen and empathize can have a profound effect on biological and functional health outcomes as well as patient satisfaction and experience of care.” Additionally, after reviewing results from 29 different survey-related studies, researchers Rashid Al-Abri and Amina Al-Balushi concluded that patient satisfaction is “an important quality outcome indicator to measure success of the services delivery system.” What does this mean in real-life terms? Simply put, your ability to communicate effectively can significantly affect patient happiness and patient happiness is directly related to your healthcare business success. So, the question is: how do you create a more positive patient experience via better communication, thereby improving your chiropractic practice as a result? Fortunately, using an electronic health record (EHR) system can help. (more…)
Have you ever walked into a business, saw something, and thought, “Wow! I don’t like that. I’m never coming here again!” Yet you never said a word to the person working about what it was that put you off? If so, you’re not alone. According to Erika Andersen, founding partner of Proteus International and author of Be Bad First—Get Good at Things FAST to Stay Ready for the Future, giving feedback is a struggle for a lot of people. Worries of how a person will react and not knowing what to say are two reasons people fail to speak up. In the healthcare field specifically, there are some pieces of feedback which patients often choose not to share, preventing you from increasing your patient base. Here are the top ten: (more…)
According to Security Week, there were more than 121 million database breaches in the first eight months of 2015 alone, an amount that is nearly double all of the breaches that occurred in the entire year before. This may make DCs think twice about switching to an electronic health record (EHR) system.
While at first glance this may seem logical, in reality, EHRs provide higher levels of security. Because, unlike paper records, EHR’s can offer backups, restricted access, and improved file integrity. Let’s take a closer look. (more…)
