How to investigate medical software

Since MPM software will affect everyone in your office, it's important to involve multiple people in the evaluation and purchasing decision. Physicians, office managers, receptionists, and billing managers will all have different viewpoints and important concerns: taking any major steps towards a purchasing decision without involving every role is likely to lead to problems down the line.

If you've started looking, you've probably noticed that there are an overwhelming number of software providers to choose from. One way you can quickly narrow the field is to see what practices like yours are choosing. Find offices similar to yours in size and specialty and visit their offices to see the software in action.

One reason there are so many different types of medical management software is that many are targeted towards specific types of practices: small family practices have considerably different needs than large hospital staffs, as do orthopedic practices and dentists. Medical equipment companies and billing services have even more specific requirements. Try to find software that matches your specialty and office size by asking these types of questions:

• Does the system handle scheduling quirks unique your practice?

• Does the system recognize all the procedure and diagnosis codes your practice uses?


(photo: john-norris)

• Can the system handle multiple offices and multiple doctors?
• Can information be accessed from multiple locations?
• Do you need inventory tracking or the ability to manage several separate accounts?

It's essential that you see the software in action first-hand. In-person demos are preferable, but live online demos are almost as good. Many vendors allow you to log in to a sample account or will send you a sample CD to let you try the software yourself: take advantage of these opportunities. Have all the interested parties from your practice go through their most common activities to get a sense of how easy the software is to use - watching "canned" demos does not give you the same in-depth look at the products.