What Is The Best Practice Management Software for Your Clinic?

Choosing a practice management software provider can be a minefield. There are so many things to consider when shopping around. From the number of practitioners at your clinic to the growth plans of your business to invoicing and SOAP notes and it’s important to remember that what might be a great fit for another clinic, might not be what is best for your practice.

Although having software for your private practice is a great move, data protection regulations regarding patient records may make it even more beneficial. The introduction of GDPR last year seen further scrutiny on how your patient data is stored, managed and processed and you’ll want whatever system you choose to help out with compliance here. With implementing a system, you’ll also have the added bonus of enjoying the many benefits that come along with having a great software to make your day to day operations a bit easier.

With so many practice software solutions available, and it’s often confusing to know which one to choose. In this post, we’ll break down the things you should be looking for and what you should think about before going shopping around.

Security

One of the most important issues surrounding practice management software is the security of both the system and patient records. It’s imperative that the solution you choose has proper security measures in place to ensure the safety of not only your data but also your patients’ data. When choosing software, you want to make sure it is:

- GDPR Compliant
- ISO certified
- Encrypts data both in transit and at rest
- Securely stores and backs up data regularly
- Has designated and easily accessible support

It’s all very well purchasing fantastic practice management software, but when you need support and service, is it available? Real-time support by phone, email, web, or online chat is an important feature when you’re considering a provider.

Support isn’t only important when things go wrong, but it is also an important part of making sure things go right when you begin using your new practice management system. If you have multiple staff members who will have to access the software for the different functions they perform – you want to make sure everyone is comfortable with the system and can do their job to the best of their ability with minimal disruption or learning curve.

Having a practice management system that is not user-friendly and impossible to use is worse than not having one at all. Instead of propelling your practice forward, it’s going to end up holding you back. At TM3, not only do we have the best customer support in the industry, but we also have training options, dedicated account managers, our knowledge base and live webinars so you can be sure you are getting the most out of the software.

In addition to usability, you also want to check in to see what services or assistance the provider offers regarding implementation and data transfer. Both patient and practice data must be entered to get the system up and running, which all takes time and effort (and pulls you away from treating patients). Having a practice management system that can offer services to migrate your information either from and existing system or excel sheets can be a lifesaver.

Cost

Before researching for a practice management software provider, have the following information available:

- How many practitioners does your practice have?
- How many locations do you have?
- Do you plan on expanding?

The answers to these questions will help you decide what type of software you need. Some software providers base their quotes on the number of practitioners or therapists who are going to use the system in a bundle package where as others will charge per practitioner to the number.

At TM3, we believe the latter makes more sense, by taking this approach it allows us to work out a tailored cost based on the number of full-time practitioners whilst considering part-time staff and giving all admin staff free access to the system. This means you can streamline your whole office using TM3 because all your employees will have access to the software without increasing your overhead!

Will the Practice Management Software meet your requirements?

Everyone has different needs. Those of a Physiotherapist are different to an Osteopath and a Podiatrist different to a Chiropractor.

The next item to think about when you’re choosing practice management software is features. What do you want your software to do for you?

• To monitor how your practice is performing?
• To check patient retention rates?
• To send appointment reminders to patients via text messages, or emails?
• To bill insurance and self-pay clients easily and intuitively?
• To submit insurance claims?
• To take online bookings?
  
  Additionally, one of the main functions of practice management software is to enter treatment and SOAP notes. How much detail can be recorded on the system? For example, can the exact words that patients use be entered? Can you create your own custom forms to fit your needs? Can you take live images or annotate areas of pain on the clinical notes? These questions are important to ask yourself when you think about what you need your practice management software to accomplish for your practice.

Features to Think About

There might be some features you may not know to think about when initially searching for practice management software for your private practice. We’ve highlighted a few that we think are especially important to note:

• Patient Forms: a way for patients to complete intake forms that feed back to your patient records.
• Intuitive Diary: to ensure that you won’t have to rely on other apps to schedule appointments and prevent no shows.
• Reporting and analytics: a mechanism to give you a snapshot of the health of your practice or clinic.
• Mobile and tablet friendly: to have the ability to take your work wherever you go.
  
  These features combine to create a practice management software that is designed to meet your everyday needs whilst setting you up to succeed in the future by streamlining your practice and helping you to grow.

Demos

Some providers offer one-to-one demonstrations whilst others give free trials of the software. Taking advantage of the options available to you gives you a chance to work with the software – allowing you to explore its strengths and make sure it’s the right fit for your private practice.

At TM3, we prefer to walk you through a demo to allow you to see the true power and capabilities of our software rather than leave you to your own devices to work it out during a 7-day trial. During the demo, make notes as you go so you have a list of questions and comments for us at the end, we believe in joint success, so it’s got to be the right fit for both of us!

Making the Decision

Once you’ve done your research, approached the providers on your shortlist, and checked out their products, don’t put off deciding which software to go for. Once your practice software is up and running, you can take a step back and get to what matters: treating your clients.

Ready to see TM3 for yourself? Simply click here to book a demo and get started.