Establishing a new medical practice is one of the most rewarding and daunting experiences for a healthcare professional. One of the most important decisions to make is selecting the right IT professional to set up IT systems and processes for your practice.
The importance of effective IT systems and processes within the healthcare sector cannot be overstated. Choosing the right IT system for your practice will streamline daily operations and increase cash flow. While choosing the wrong one causes endless headaches for staff, creates barriers to providing care and decreases overall profits.
Here are some of the benefits of having the right IT systems and processes in place for your practice:
Streamlining – One of the biggest frustrations faced by doctors and staff in medical practices is not having vital financial, logistical and patient information in one place. Without the right IT system, doctors, receptionists and other staff spend endless hours searching for the information.
All this pain can be avoided with customised IT systems and processes, which streamline all aspects of your practice, including scheduling, billing, financial analysis, patient records, and more.
Automation– Another simple way to take the burden off your front desk staff is adopting an integrated practice management system. This invaluable IT system places control in the patient’s hands. Featuring a patient portal, this system allows patients to request appointments and fill out forms online.
Not only is this system more convenient for patients (they can book appointments when it suits them and request their preferred doctor), it also takes some burden off of the front desk and prevents double-booking.
Billing– Choosing the right IT system and processes for your practice will enable you to keep medical billing in-house. By keeping medical billing in-house, you’ll save money and time, as well as ensure vital financial information is not compromised. Adopting an IT system which allows you to utilise electronic billing will enable you to:
· Ensure claims are submitted in a timely manner
· Increase the amount of claims accepted (by Medicare, etc.)
· Generate financial reports, and;
· Gather financial data to analyse your practice’s financial health
Improving Quality of Care – IT systems play a crucial role in improving quality of patient care. Firstly, they eliminate the need to interpret handwriting in charts and administrative orders. Secondly, electronic record keeping provides instant access to patient medical and prescription histories.
Finally, an integrated IT system provides doctors with the latest medical findings, helping them to better treat patients.
Patient Communication – IT systems and processes can also help improve communication between doctors and their patients. By selecting the right IT system for your needs, you’ll be able to:
· Generate and send patients balance statements
· Pre-determine whether patients will have any out-of-pocket expenses prior to their appointment
· Remind patients of upcoming appointments via email or text message, and;
· Inform patients of test results via email
To integrate the right IT system and processes to suit your needs, call or email the expert team at Ozdoc Solutions today.
