How
to choose the right Medical Practice Management System
Many medical practices are changing computer
systems in an attempt to remain competitive in today's
evolving medical climate. In the past computers where
only used for insurance and patient billing. In today's
medical environment there is a greater need for timely
medical information to keep your clinic competitive. If
your current system has not kept up with required changes,
you’ve probably outgrown it. A backward computer system
could be affecting your clinic’s bottom line. In an American
Medical News magazine article, Neil Baum, M.D. a urologist
and speaker on physician marketing issues offers the following
criteria to indicate your current computer system should
be updated.
"The first evidence of outdated
hardware and software is when your office staff complains
that the system is so slow they can not keep up with patient
flow."
Many old fashioned UNIX based systems
use only one computer processor and dumb terminal instead
of modern computer networked systems like ones offered
by Harbor Technology Group. Reports on dumb terminals
substantially slow response times.
"You might consider a new system
when your existing system cannot handle critical functions
such as reimbursement reports from a specific provider,
managed care plan, an insurance carrier or procedure."
Many old systems simply have not kept up with the
changes in healthcare. For example, managed care reporting
capabilities are included in our Basic Package that enables
you to track capitation plans, encounter analysis and
display patient co-pay at time of visit.
"You should consider a new system
if the support for your existing system becomes painfully
inadequate, unresponsive, or continues to provide incorrect
answers."
Other Reasons To Change
Buy a new version every few years.
Some vendors will sell you a software system, charge you
for the updates every year and then tell you that the
version of the software that you purchased and are paying
to maintain is now old and no longer supported. Their
solution is you pay them a discounted price to purchase
their new version of the software. We have customers with
support agreements who’ve used our products for over 15
years. If you visit their office you will see the same
up to date version of our product offerings as the client
we installed yesterday.
No Staying Power
The computer software business is easy to enter. All you
need is a programmer and a first customer. Supporting
medical customers over time is entirely different and
much harder to maintain. The problem is the medical software
business is constantly changing. Last year’s programs
don’t always work with today's insurance regulations.
We’ve replaced systems from software companies where the
programmer is also the salesman. If he is on a sales call
he can't answer your support calls. After a while, its
too much aggravation, and he decides to do something else.
Meanwhile you are left with a system that has no support.
Harbor Technology been in business since 1996 and has
a well staffed support department that handles customers
calls between 9am and 8pm daily.
Sold The Company
Many medical vendors (usually UNIX based) have sold their
software and customers to another medical software vendor.
The new company buys the practices to convert them to
their software. The rational is that the practices have
no choice and are forced to convert to the new system.
If your system does not offer these important functions,
call us at (800) 258-7150. It may be time for a change.
(Editor’s Note: Excerpts from this article have been reproduced)
Why a Practice Management System
From Harbor Technology
What can Practice management
software do for your medical practice
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