4 MINUTE READ
The formula is simple, but powerful: An Efficient Practice = A More Profitable Practice. And, of course, the opposite is also true – a practice’s inefficiencies eats away each and every month at practice profits.
The reality is that many providers build a marginally successful practice through inefficient and unrefined processes, where disparate “systems” that are not cohesive cause more work, more errors, and more problems. Too much time is spent in repetitive tasks or re-submitting forms or following up on patients’ missed appointments. Indeed, some providers are completely unaware of how much money they’re actually leaving on the table. A wildly profitable practice, on the other hand, maximizes both time and life balance, leveraging every ounce of efficiency wherever possible; from patient parking to checkout, and everywhere in between.
So what’s the key difference between the two? Integration. An integrated practice leverages technology and automates tasks in a way that disparate processes simply cannot. There are a great many benefits to a solid, supportive practice management system. But is it possible that your current system may be stifling your practice’s development? A good chiropractic software system should be tailored to suit your individual needs and should help you streamline your business to achieve prosperous and steady client growth. Let’s take a look at some of the telltale signs that your current approach may be stalling your success.
YOU HAVE SOME SOFTWARE – BUT IT’S NOT SCALABLE
If you find yourself creating more and more workarounds and running up against the boundaries of the fact that your billing software doesn’t talk to your SOAP Notes software, it may be time to look at an alternate system that can support the amount of growth you envision for the future of your practice. Integration between the two impacts everything from the patient experience to reducing billing errors.
Do you find yourself needing multiple software systems to handle other areas of your practice? Having to transition from system to system and missing out on the continuity between inventory, patient flow, and scheduling (to say the least) can slow down your practice. If you’re constantly working to reconcile information between your multiple software systems, it may be time to trade up and opt for a more comprehensive solution that allows you to get back to the task of managing your practice instead of your processes.
YOU’RE NOT GETTING SUPPORT
When you are dealing with multiple, disparate systems, whether paper-based or software-based, getting the support you need when there are issues becomes daunting. And this is especially true when it comes time to provide evidence of patient outcomes, or when dealing with interoperability issues with other healthcare professionals. For those with billing or notes software, do you find their respective support “departments” to be exquisitely hands-off? And where do they stand when it comes to helping your practice stay compliant with the endless changes and requirements from HIPAA, Medicare, federal and state authorities?
An integrated EHR software system should be ready with updates to keep your office compliant with government mandates, able to provide a comprehensive support package, able to prove a commitment to the chiropractic industry, and most of all, available to support you when you need them across every single function of running a practice.
YOUR CURRENT APPROACH IS NOT CUSTOMIZABLE
If you constantly seem to be trying to fit a square peg into a round hole when conducting business without the aid of a fully integrated EHR software system, you may be suffering from a lack of customization. This means a greater number of time-consuming workarounds, sub-par patient service interactions, and challenging internal processes. If you can’t seem to get your current system to fit your unique practice, it might be time to find a competing software system that supports your workflow and can streamline rather than stifle your practice.
