PrimeSuite, Centricity Practice Solution, Aprima Medical Software, TotalMD and ProviderSuite just to mention a few are the commonly used medical practice management software in North America. Medical practice management software can be termed as the software in healthcare that facilitates the day-to-day operation of this field. Common uses of this software include scheduling appointments, taking the demographics of the patient, carrying out billing tasks and keeping a record of insurance payers. It’s also the responsibility of this software to generate various reports used in the medical practice. Medical practice management software gets to assist various people in the health sector such as specialty medical providers, emergency room doctors, hospital workers and independent practitioners. Some the best medical practice management software in North America includes AllegianceMD, Pabau CRM, NextGen PM and Ultra Charts.
However, to best understand medical practice software, it should not be confused with other software that serves the medical field. Medical management practice software is different compared to medical scheduling software, medical billing software, and electronic medical records software. The main difference between this software and medical management practice software is that the later takes care of the administrative and back-office activities while the former is responsible for tracking patient medical data. Medical management software used in Canada is designed for small and medium enterprises and is categorized into three forms. There is the internet-based software, client-server software, and desktop-only software.
Desktop-only medical practice management software allows only one user at a time, and the system is shared. On the other hand, the client-server software requires a server and hardware equipment. With this system, it’s possible to have several workstations where each user has his credentials. Finally, the Internet-based software eliminates the need of a server as the system operates on the internet. This system is secure and reliable. Medical practice software is usually connected to the electronic medical records at most times, and the two may overlap. However, the integration of these two systems has been considered as a challenging aspect of the medical field.
Common features of medical management software
While the features of a medical practice management software may differ from one version to another, the best medical practice management software has been known to have one of the following features.
Patient billing
Billing is a common feature of the software. The software should be able to assist in the preparation of billing statements, collect and process the payment and also send the bills electronically. The best medical practice management software has a feature of integrating employee payroll with patient’s billing.
Managing the Inventory
The medical management practice software should have the ability to take care of stocking and distribution of medical equipment. The software should, therefore, have the ability to generate inventory reports and also have the ability to eliminate manual entry of data. Other features that this software should portray include mobile access, online code sets, prescription writing and transcription capabilities.
Patient registration
For a facility using the electronic medical record, it should be possible transfer patient information to the software. This is one of its capabilities. Also, system administrators should be able to enter patient information from the patient registration form. Therefore, the software should support patient information such as insurance information, contact information, and patient’s address.
Another strength of this software is its strength when it comes to appointment scheduling. This feature has helped eliminate old methods of patients scheduling such as the use of calendars and excel sheets. It’s also possible to track doctor’s schedules and even remind patients of their appointments. Document management is a feature of the best medical practice management software. This is very crucial owing that hospitals and medical facilities deal with huge information including the paperwork.
The software can cost from $100 to $10,000 and above depending on its capability and the size of the medical facility. Lastly, the software can be used for claims management. This is where the medical practitioners get to verify whether the data being submitted to the insurance bodies meet the minimum industry set standards. With this software, it’s possible to verify whether the information presented is correct and track how the claim goes. There are just a few of the features of a medical practice software.
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