Compare Medical Practice Management Software Systems

Running a medical office gets complicated fast.  You have to worry about your patients’ appointment times, many different files, deal with multiple insurance companies and if you have multiple doctors you have to deal with their area of expertise.  Medical practice management software is a great way to stay organized, as well as keep up with all of the patient confidentiality laws.

HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) has many rules and regulations to keep patient information confidential.  HIPAA now requires all patients’ records to be digitized—and most medical practice management software options allow you to do this easily.  In many cases you will be able to bill insurance companies instantly, and be able to manage any errors in insurance billing much more quickly.

When looking for software, you should figure out what type will work best for your office.  There are three types of software to choose from, desktop-user software, client-user software, and Internet-based software. All are great options, it just comes down to what is the most user friendly for your needs.  Another question you should ask yourself is do you want to host the software in-house or outsource.  If you decide to host the software in-house make sure you have enough server space and have the IT support to handle the software.

When looking at the many different software options to choose from, one thing to think about is the functionality of the software itself.  Does it take many steps to get your patients’ information in the computer?  Will it have a long training period before your staff can manage it easily? Talk to all potential vendors and weigh what features can make your staff work the most efficiently.  Do you need to have the software manage your billing as well?  Having the software bill insurers easily can streamline the process for everyone involved.

One of the best ways to know the software works well for your office is to test it out.  Many companies can set up trial runs with your office.  This can be extremely helpful, and can get your staff familiar with the software before it is fully implemented.  Also make sure your company has technical support available when your will need it.  If something happens, will you be able to contact them for support?  When negotiating the contract, make sure all of these points are covered before you sign anything.

Other things to think about are how many users will be accessing the software and how many computers will the software be able to be accessed on.  Many medical practice management software providers bill per user.  If you are on a tight budget, see if you can limit the amount of users who will be dealing with the software.  With that being said, also make sure you are taking into account how fast your office is growing.  If you plan to have double amount of patients in 3 years, you should factor that in as well.

Once you have narrowed down your search to around two or three vendors, ask each of them for references.  If your vendor will be hosting the software on their system this is even more important.  They basically will be part of your team, and just like you would ask for references for someone interviewing for a job, you should do the same for the vendors.  Getting a firsthand account of how the system works, and how well the vendor did in a crisis situation can help immensely. 

It is also a great time to be investing in MPM software, “the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is setting aside about $20 billion in stimulus money: up to $44,000 per physician who meets the government’s criteria for investing in electronic patient records,” reports the American Medical Software.

Find medical practice management software vendors in your state by searching our Local State Directory.