New Software = New Improved Practice

:dropcap_open:T:dropcap_close:here are tons of reasons why chiropractors change the software in their office.  Most of the time, lack of service and software limitations trigger this important decision.  Often, the goal of changing chiropractic software is to eliminate a frustration over the software or the provider you deal with.  If you are thinking about changing your software for whatever reason, why don’t you use this opportunity to make an overall upgrade of your practice? In plain English, this means that while changing your management software you can make some very signifiant improvments to the efficiency and profitability of your office.  Here are only a few examples of what you can do.

 

Automating your waiting room is the best-kept secret of chiropractic.  Doctors who do this automation are never going back to the old system.  Simply explained, let’s imagine your CA is sick today and cannot work at the front desk.  All patients have a Chiropractic Health Card and swipe in at an electronic sign-in device on their arrival at the clinic.  While being in the treatment room, the doctor activates the calling feature. Then, the magic goes on. The system will call the next patient and direct him to the next available treatment room.  Don’t worry, you will not hear a digital voice.  The doctor or the CA records every new patient’s name and the system will use these recordings to play in the speakers.  Every time a patient leaves a room after his treatment, the system will call the next one.  This will release your CA from overseeing this aspect of management and will give her plenty of free time to do much more profitable tasks.

 

Many software programs have an imaging module to store and retrieve all images you may need to improve your patient’s care.  While adjusting your patient, you may press a key and instantly get all his x-rays, compare them, etc. If posture is important for you, you will see how your patient stands and how good or bad his posture is.  All images assisting your treatment will be available at your fingertips.

 

While entering your SOAP notes, your new software will automatically post all the charges to the patient’s file.  Not only will the charges be posted but all transactions will be formatted and ready to be submitted to the insurance carriers. This will be done live, and you will not have to rely on any CA or other billing person to trigger all the charges.  The billing will always be accurate and maximized. Automatic billing from the treatment room is mistake-free and saves a lot of time for your staff.

 

Using an outside billing service can be a tremendous help to your office.  Good insurance billing employees are hard to find and can be expensive.  You also have to pay for benefits, vacation and many other expenses.   Additionally, you need to evaluate your own time needed to manage these employees.  The chance is very high that you will save a lot of money by getting a professional and hassle-free billing system.  If you ever plan to use an outside billing service, then the choice of new management software becomes crucial.  Some of them are designed to be used by these external services, but others simply are not.  The best of the two worlds is to have your software company do your billing service as well.  This means one call can solve it all.

 

There are many other aspects of your practice you may improve.  Automation means improvement.  Changing software is definitely the right thing to think about and make it happen. Those improvements may go way beyond the software itself.  When shopping for new software, please ask questions about how it can help you improve your office.  You may be very surprised, as software providers may suggest things you have never thought of.