Administrative duties are a responsibility every practice must deal with – sometimes reluctantly. Not only do tasks like coding and documentation take valuable time away from treating patients, but they can also lead to a loss of revenue if not handled properly.
In fact, the 2013 Practice Profitability Index found that the majority of practicing physicians spend more than 20% of their time on administrative tasks alone.
Thankfully, a quality practice management (PM) system will give you the tools necessary to reduce your practice’s administrative burdens.
Electronic Signatures
Many providers aren’t sure if electronic signatures are allowed under Meaningful Use and HIPAA standards. Fortunately, both federal programs accept e-signatures on electronic documents.
An efficient PM system will let you set up an electronic signature under the settings tab. This will save you from having to manually print out claims and medical notes just to brand them with your practice’s signature stamp.
Automatic Insurance Checker
Manually calling payers to verify patient insurance eligibility can be a time-consuming task for employees. Eliminate this tedious process by adopting a PM system that automatically checks patient insurance information after an appointment is booked.
But make sure it’s “automatic.” Although most PM systems feature an eligibility checker, only the best do it on their own. CareCloud Central, for instance, performs this task within one to four days.
Appointment Reminders
Patient no-shows can be frustrating to no end. They throw your schedule off tilt and even hurt your practice’s profitability.
While many PM systems can call patients and leave a message reminder about an upcoming appointment, exemplary systems use email and text messaging to communicate reminders as well. When dealing with patients, the more forms of communications you use, the better the chances are of them showing up for their appointment.
Patient Portals
A patient portal can be a great resource for your patients. It allows them to find educational materials, pay bills, and even schedule appointments. Therefore, patients have less of a need to call your practice.
Choose a PM system that comes with an integrated patient portal. It beats buying an independent portal offering since syncing software from two different vendors is often difficult.
Ultimately, practice management systems are key to getting organized and improving patient satisfaction. If your practice’s workflow is hindering your ability to treat patients, maybe it’s time to reconsider the system you use to run operations.
Do you know what you need when setting up a new medical practice?