Medical software features

Comparing specific features across multiple medical software packages can be a challenge. You'll see the same features come up in one application after another, going by slightly different names or with slightly different options. This is where you should fall back on your initial research: make sure you pay the most attention to the features your staff has decided are important.

It helps to be a bit of a cynic: if you can avoid letting yourself be “wowed” by cool features that you are unlikely to use, you'll be able to stay focused on evaluating the features that are important to you.

You're likely to hear quite a bit from salespeople about how much they<br clear="none">can customize their product for you. This is another instance where you should be skeptical. If the application doesn't do what you want it do off the shelf, find another that does. Unless you are buying for a hospital with very intricate reporting and functionality needs, the software you choose should already include all the basic features you need.

General
Every salesperson will tell you their software is easy to use. You need to decide for yourself what “easy to use” means, but here are some examples.

• How many clicks or screens do you have to go through to make an appointment?
• How easy is it to search for patients or unpaid claims?
• How easy is it to customize your doctors’ names, length of appointments, billing cycles, and fee schedules? Can you customize the features you want?
• Do you get helpful summaries of information on top-level screens, or do you have to drill down to see details?

Scheduling
Creating, changing, and viewing appointment schedules may be one of the most mundane but essential features of a practice management application. Some key attributes to look for:

• Will the scheduler accommodate additional doctors or offices if your practice expands?
• Can you double- or triple-book appointments?
• Some applications offer instant eligibility verification: while you are making an appointment over the phone, you can check the patient’s benefits through their payer, making sure that their coverage is up-to-date and includes the procedure being booked. This can be a huge timesaver for practices that deal with many Medicaid patients who have to renew their coverage on a constant basis.

Billing
One of the most common reasons practices upgrade their software is to move to electronic transmission of claims. Not only is this part of HIPAA compliance, but it can also dramatically improve the speed of payments and reduce the number of rejected claims.

• What kind of error-checking does the billing application do? Good “scrubbers” catch basic errors like missing information, as well as less obvious mistakes such as invalid policy numbers or mismatched diagnosis and procedure codes.

• How are claims processed? Some applications process all claims through a clearinghouse. Others allow you to submit claims directly to Medicare, Medicaid, and use a clearinghouse for all other claims, while still others sell add-on modules that allow you to submit claims directly to any insurer you choose. The catch there is that you need a good volume of claims to those insurers each month to make the additional cost worthwhile.
• How is financial information handled? Some systems include full accounts receivable tracking, with claims reminders, collections tracking, revenue reports, and more. If accounts receivable features are not included, look for an export format that matches your existing accounting software – Quicken, Peachtree, etc.

Reporting
It's easy to be impressed by the amount of reports offered by MPM systems: some come with hundreds of reports. However none of them matter except those you will use and act on. Make sure the software you choose can produce the reports you want.

Some examples of valuable reports:

• outstanding claims, by date, payer, and patient
• diagnosis and procedure codes used, by doctor or location
• billing reports, by doctor and location
• efficiency reports that detail your staff’s activities

Many programs also allow you to create your own reports. If you have specific reporting needs, investigate how easy it is to create new reports or export data to a third-party report writing application.

Security
The application you choose should include security measures that meet HIPAA standards and ensure patient confidentiality.

• SSL is a standard method for communicating securely over the Internet. It is a HIPAA requirement as well as a good idea.
• Multiple access levels give you the ability to allow different staffers varying amounts of access: billing clerks, for example, could be allowed view-only access to diagnoses and procedures.
• Change logs keep track of what information users access and/or edit, which can be essential if security is compromised.
• For even greater security, some online systems allow you to restrict access by time of day or IP address, meaning only certain computers would be allowed to access the data at all.