When you manage a medical practice, it often feels like you’re trying to balance plates in the air. There’s a lot to think about, plenty to monitor and numerous ways that things can go wrong. Needless to say, the organization is crucial to the successful daily operation of medical practice.
It’s nice to think that humans can keep everything in order, but in a busy medical practice, it’s just impossible. Even the most experienced practice managers need the right tools to get the job done. So, if things seem to always go wrong, it might be time to consider new medical management software.
In a busy practice, you want efficiency, not a system that causes more problems. So, even if you’ve already got some form of medical management software, it’s worth considering if it’s really the modern solution you need. We need to remember that cloud-based software is relatively new. So, while it’s easy for software manufacturers to regularly update their systems and give customers the instant benefit, that wasn’t the case in the past.
It’s possible your current system was a one-off purchase, with no updates every forthcoming. That means with all the technological advancements since you purchased your software, you’ve received none of the benefits.
You can check out bpsoftware.net to find out more about medical management software or read on to learn about how your practice would benefit from a software overhaul.
1. Cancellation spots not being filled
Most medical practices experience cancellations, however, not all are able to manage them equally. Likewise, most practices have people calling for appointments that they simply can’t cater for. The solution, of course, is putting people on a waiting list in case another patient cancels. Now, it might seem simple enough to write the patient’s name down on a piece of paper next to the phone. But in a busy practice, this simply isn’t efficient. Someone else answers the phone and takes a cancellation, and the link isn’t there between cancellations and a manual waiting list.
With effective practice management software, cancellation lists can be managed in one central position. So, as soon as a patient calls to cancel, your staff can instantly call the next person on the list. The same is possible using your SMS reminder system, which we’ll touch on later. Getting easy, integrated access to cancellations gives you the opportunity to serve more patients when it’s convenient for them. Not only is this great from a patient service point of view, but you’re maximizing profits because clinicians aren’t sitting idle between appointments.
2. Using multiple financial systems
Are you using an array of different software or systems to keep track of practice financials? In medical practice, there’s a lot of financial matters to keep on top of, from collecting patient payments to managing Medicare refunds and even taking care of bulk-billing. Not to mention, there are outgoings as well just like any business.
If you’re using multiple systems to keep track of everything, chances are things are slipping through the cracks. It’s natural that when you put humans in charge of repetitive tasks, they can only maintain a perfect quality record for a certain amount of time. Before long, there will be errors, and as anybody who’s dealt with accounts knows, simple errors can turn into an absolute mountain of work to fix. Even without human errors, it usually means double handling of information and excessive data entry. Quality medical practice software lets you record and reports on all financial matters in one place.
3. Too many no-shows
Do you have a lot of no-shows at your practice? We touched on cancellations before, but no-shows are another problem altogether. There’s always a bit of an unknown as to why people don’t show up to appointments, but there’s also a sure-fire way to increase attendance rates.
Using medical management software, you can send SMS reminders or confirmation messages to all customers the day before their appointment. Even on the day of the appointment, if that’s what you prefer. Of course, you’ll always have the odd no-show, and that’s unavoidable. But by using a reminder system, you’re giving patients every opportunity to confirm their attendance and show up on time.
As part of this reminder system, you can give patients the option to reply with a YES or NO to confirm whether they’ll be attending. If you get a negative response, at least you’ve found out in advance and you can give that appointment time to somebody else.
4. Clinicians spending too much time on patient notes
Are your doctors falling behind in their schedule because of excessive patient record requirements? If they are, it’s time to consider some improved software. The best medical management software allows doctors to autofill a lot of fields, almost like the digital version of shorthand. Note-taking is quicker, easier and the doctors don’t fall behind.
It’s not only an exercise in time-saving, but it helps to improve the consistency of patient records. Quite often in medical practice, patients see different doctors due to availability issues. So, when you’ve got all the doctors using a similar form of digital shorthand, it’s easier for them to pick up where the other doctor left off.
We also see an increase in accuracy, because there’s no confusion. Often, clinicians are so rushed in trying to do all these monotonous admin tasks like note recording, that key points can get missed. Rather than forcing clinicians to rush through their notes, giving them a technical advantage can increase the quality of patient records.
In summary, medical management software is all about improving productivity and efficiency. Almost every business around the world can probably look at themselves and say they could be more efficient. If your practice suffers from any of the above symptoms, it’s time to consider whether your medical software is really doing what it should.
Medical software should be working for you, not against you If it’s not easy to get things done and you’re noticing more problems than solutions, it’s time to shop around for a better alternative.