With the rise of patient management software, it has become imperative to implement proper systems in health care providing companies not only for convenience regarding treatments, but for allowing a better internal organization. Staying competitive is important for any business, and you have to be aware of the industry’s innovations.
In the following article we’ll explain the most important systems for your company to stay ahead:
Charting functionality
If you own a healthcare practice, charting is critical to use in your software. With a functioning charting system, you’ll be able to access patient information in real time and reduce patient and staff burnout:
- You can document patient appointments and visits quickly, such as lab tests, screenings or any other kind of important information.
- This easy to access charting system will better your knowledge of any patient, allowing for the best possible treatments.
- You’ll have the ability to customize your patient’s archives, making it much easier to know about their eligibility info, along with tracking their corresponding progress in care.
- You can minimize wating times for your patients by knowing right on the spot when and where the testing areas are free.
- This system also allows you to automize the checkouts, followed by the corresponding progress in patient schedules.
- You can easily access any patient’s history and modify it on the go, being highly convenient for your staff.
- From the patient’s point of view, your patient management system must include a means for making appointments, seeing their test results and when in doubt, be able to ask any questions.
By using a proper charting system, you can avoid the fact that 80% of physicians feel they work in full capacity or are overworked, while and 78% report having feelings of burnout, as per a report from the Physicians Foundation.
Insurance verification
By making sure you have the ability to run various insurance check-ups before any patient appointments, your office staff can provide information to patients regardless of their insurance policies and state. You need to automize the process to enable the possibility of using key-entry eligibility requests on the go.
- This allows you to store and retrieve verification results for insurance policies, regardless of them being sent by insurance company or the patients themselves.
- Secondary insurance must include several verification points for a patient to complete, such as contacting their provider and presenting their corresponding insurance card. Upon verification, the software must batch and send the claims to the insurance company.
- The system must also allow its users to see the patient insurance status, to make sure of their type of coverage and if they have any including whether they have any possibility to share costs. The feature will make sure that whole ordeal is simplified and easy for everyone.
- A successful medical practice needs to provide complete patient demographics for a more efficient verification of an insurance and a faster check-in management timing.
Additionally, having a good insurance checker will reduce the time your staff uses for record-keeping, whilst also tracking alerts and authorizations, making it convenient if your staff numbers are on the low end.
Some providers for all of these features include Medical Scheduler and PVerify.
Automates the checkout process
Automating your checkout process will allow your patients to manage themselves more simply by generating custom forms previous to their appointment, while also controlling their insurance policy. Many practices use SOAP-based interfaces.
- Responses will go straight to your database.
- It’s much easier to keep track of waiting times, follow-up appointments, and highly betters both the patient experience and staff convenience.
- You can directly see which exam rooms are available and the exams status themselves.
- Better use of time while also saving a great deal in money.
- Insurance follow-ups will also be much easier to do.
By implementing a user interface for your website, the entire workflow can be automated, such as patient personal info storage, and be safely kept among the records.
It’s important to remember that HIPAA security rule makes it necessary for medical practices to keep patient health info secure and confidential. The software should also include backups and training for the staff for this reason.
Business Performance Analytics
On the inside of your health practice, a good software will permit you to read your business performance.
- The software should include performance progress and the capacity to identify the opportunities for development, improvement and growth.
- You should also be able to identify which treatments, appointments and the corresponding doctors are performing better. This will allow you to know who deserves to be promoted and how to best manage your resources depending on real results.
- All of the relevant information should be delivered to you and the staff in a simple, good and easy to read format for whenever you need it.
- Any f these features have to be handed out in a secure package which can be easily accessible from anywhere.
You also need to keep in mind that communication and task management tools in the system are very important. A focus on this allows you to use online management for all your alerts and reminders, use online video consultations and ideally include processing tools for any insurance claims.
Proper Cashflow Management
You always need to keep a close eye on your cash-flow. A good practice management software should include ways to have your accounting and invoicing under proper control.
- Keep the focus on making sure you can have a fast access to billing and accounts while keeping the information precise.
- Have secure levels of use accessibility, which can be done online.
- The possibility to credit funds to more than one bank account.
- Automate your alerts for reports and important account information.
- You should also make use of a retrospective payment which will reduce the global cost of your service at a later date, improving your cashflow.
A good example of healthcare practices using these systems includes providers like Pracsoft, which includes all of these features.
Sources
Science Direct: A SOAP-based system for the provision of e-services
