If your Practice Management Software isn’t directly helping to improve efficiency & drive down costs across your Clinic, then what exactly is it doing? In an ever-changing world of technology, keeping up to date with the latest software and the widest functionality can mean the difference between actively saving time & money every single day, or not.
Here we will have a look at some of the key ways in which your software should be improving efficiencies across your practice operations, but it is important to note that having the very latest software is probably the biggest single step that you can take towards cost-saving in this area.
Ultimately that means using a Cloud-based solution which is regularly updated to ensure that the latest technology and functionality is driving your business. This is an essential first step for any modern practice seeking to get the most out of their software and ensure that the very latest, most secure and easiest to use technology is at their disposal.
Perhaps the key benefit of good quality practice management software is in streamlining the entire patient journey through your practice. Every element of the patient experience, from booking an appointment; completing pre-treatment surveys and consents; checking in; being treated; making payments, setting up recalls; and post-appointment care and follow-up should be managed and delivered through your practice software.
With online bookings, e-signing, check-in, payments and communications, allied with digital charting, all available from your software then the patient journey becomes a smooth experience which is managed and measured at every step. Time is saved across your reception team and clinical notes are instantly shareable and secure.
All of this amounts to massively improved patient communication. With the best systems offering Patient Portals as a dedicated secure channel between clinic and patient, your software gives you a trusted platform for clear communication with your patients. With improved communication FTA’s are reduced, treatment outcomes are improved and payments are managed more effectively - all with real convenience for your patients.
Improved communication is not just a feature of clinic-patient relationships. Your practice management software should also promote quick and easy internal communications within your practice team.
Features such as a Task Manager which allocates tasks across your team with automation, reminders and full visibility, work alongside messaging tools to deliver information securely, discreetly and instantly between individuals and groups throughout the practice. This improved communication saves time and reduces the capacity for errors in missed messages and reminders.
At its best, your practice management software should be a key tool in growing your business. A quality system will provide you with rich data around business performance analytics at the touch of a button and through an easy to read dashboard. The ability to see which are your best performing treatments and practitioners in real time and with hard data to support the analysis, really does help you to make informed choices around sales and marketing to grow your business and innovate around income streams.
The digital transformation of your practice also brings a very practical cost and environmental saving. With your software including digital charting, a patient portal, and Design&Sign functionality, you are able to strip paper-based work from your clinic almost entirely. Going paperless brings obvious cost benefits in terms of paper and ink, but also in reduced storage space and time savings around scanning and digitising.
All of the improved communication listed above ultimately results in really enhanced patient engagement. Through using the Patient Portal, you build a genuine and convenient relationship with your patients. Used effectively, your software allows you to target them with specific information around healthcare, pre & post treatment education and selected sales and promotional activity. The trusted and open relationship that the secure digital platform delivers is a powerful tool for patient retention and business development.
As outlined above - the key engine for all of these benefits is a system that allows for regular updates to your practice management software. At present, Cloud-based systems are the only solution that allows ongoing updates to be delivered to customers - generally at no additional cost. Your software is dated from the moment it is delivered to you, so solutions that continually upgrade to the latest, fastest and most secure technology put you & your business in the best possible place to grow and to succeed.
For more information on the most modern and affordable practice management software solutions, please contact one of our specialist advisors.