If you're shopping for medical practice management (MPM) software for your medical office, it's worth evaluating online solutions in addition to traditional client-server systems. Online practice management software can provide all the features and security you need at a much lower initial cost than traditional MPM systems – here are some of the aspects to consider.

HIPAA, security, and online practice management software
Online practice management software is run by an application service provider (ASP) in their data center, instead of on computers in your office. You access the software through a web browser, or in some cases a dedicated piece of client software.

Because the data lives on remote computers, the first concern for many medical professionals is privacy – more specifically, HIPAA compliance. While it's a reasonable concern, any legitimate online practice management software being sold today has to comply with HIPAA regulations. Information is transmitted over secure connections, users are required to log in to use the system, and in most cases the software even tracks all changes so you can review them later if need be.

In fact, the data centers that host online practice management software are probably more secure than your in-house computers. Those data centers are maintained at a high level of security at all times, constantly upgraded against new viruses and monitored 24 x 7.

How's your IT staff?
More to the point for many smaller practices – do you have an IT staff? Many medical offices rely on a computer-savvy employee to handle basic troubleshooting, but don't have a dedicated IT person on staff. They may also turn to outside consultants for more complicated tasks like setting up a network.

For basic computer and network maintenance, these approaches can be fine, but in-house MPM systems are so central to your everyday activities that they really require that you have a technical resource on staff.

Even larger offices that do have technical employees in-house may find that adding ongoing maintenance of an MPM system is more than they can comfortably handle. Locally-hosted MPM software requires secure daily backups to protect essential HIPAA-protected data, plus regular upgrades and patches.

Online practice management software provides all of these services and more. Professional data centers have redundant servers and heavy-duty backup power generators to make sure your applications and data are always available – in most cases providing much better availability than an in-house server.

Pricing for online practice management software vs. locally-hosted systems
Buying a locally-hosted MPM system is a fairly typical software purchase: you pay a steep per-license fee for the software, additional costs for the training and installation, and in some cases for additional computers hardware to run the system. You'll also have to factor in any ongoing maintenance or customer support fees.

On the other hand, online practice management software is leased, rather than purchased outright. Instead of spending thousands of dollars up front, you'll pay a much smaller monthly fee per user or per transaction. You'll still need to consider setup costs and customer support pricing, but overall, you can expect a much lower initial investment for online practice management software.

The tradeoff is that over the years, the pricing situation switches. While you'll be paying much less up front, in the long run, an online practice management system will cost more than a similar locally-hosted solution.

Which is right for you? There's no definitive answer. It's best to talk to multiple MPM software vendors to compare the features, pricing, and customer service they offer. Submit a free request for practice management software price quotes today and we'll connect you with leading vendors in your area.