Class 113 -
This week's theme was "Keep the End in Mind" - which comes from the Covey - 7 Habits book.. Financial Statements, tax returns, as well as other management reports are your end product. Looking at these first can help you lay out your general ledger and accounting software to save time in tracking this particular informantion. There is nothing more frustrating than picking apart numbers to complete forms...i.e. tax returns, financial statements, loan applications.
Keeping the end in mind is also relative to management reports. I have upload 3 samples that I shared in class. The three reports display very different information from the same data. You will want to familarize yourself with reading and understanding these types of management reports. Variances will alert you to positive or negative aspects of your financial picture. It is important to take advantage of these indicators and make adjustments as needed in a timely manner.
This week's discussion is:
What software have you looked at and compared? What are your precept docs using? Pro's and Cons...be detailed. What is important to you in your search for software?
"Odd" teams are up!
Have a great week...your plans should be in their first draft and as the power point says, you should be revising, refining, and rejoicing! Reminder that they are due in hard copy on my desk (not in the mail)(not post marked)(not emailed) by 4pm CST Sept 30th!
Alexis
Jerry Ejuwa (Group 5 )
ReplyDeleteI have been exposed to using Platinum and Billings Precision. We are using Platinum software right now. I have only used Platinum extensively and only saw Billings Precision shortly. I do know that Platinum is a one time financial investment and Billing Precision still requires a continual fee payment. So far platinum has been very useful and interactive with adding messages for patients, coding patients accordingly based on what process is needed on that visit, Whether it be a new patient, Day 2, Day 3, re-exam and xray, Biostructural exam day, Nutritional consult day, or even Financial and renewal of service days. So far it has been fairly easy to use, especially in attaining the office performance stats.
Tiana Kelchen -- Group 11
ReplyDeleteI'm not going to open my own business so finding software is not a priority. Eventually, I'll probably help open an office but by then software will have come and gone and I'll have new choices to analyze. So far though, I have limited experience and knowledge of software.
I've seen ProSoft and Future Health here at Palmer. Future Health seems like it may be useful in an office setting if you are able to learn the ins and outs of the program. It's not as easy to navigate as one may think There's a lot of choices available in the different parts of the program. However, at homecoming, there was a doctor who said she uses it but she has to write in much of the information because the drop down boxes don't fit her patients. I don't think there's a perfect software, simply due to the nature of chiropractic and the variety of techniques that are out there.
Group 1:
ReplyDeleteAt the preceptor clinic that I am at, we are in the process of implementing EHR using the software ChiroTouch. It is very involved and it has lots of steps to click through in order to “Finish the paperwork” with every patient. It is nice because there is a separate part of the software that the office ladies were trained on like how to schedule patients, billing, how to know what patient is currently in what room, etc. The doctors had a separate training about how to use the software and how to do the notes and how to let the office ladies know information like when the next time to schedule the patient should be.
The pros about this is that you are able to have a system that does not have a problem scheduling for and separating the 3 different doctors that work in the office. The cons are that everyone that worked in the office went through 8 sessions of training for the software over the phone through a conference call while they looked at the software, but after the training, no one felt at all ready to use the software for patient care. What would have been nice is if, through the software company, they offered to send a rep to the office for the first few days of actually using the software in order to help maintain the flow of the office and cut down on the number and length of back-ups that are bound to happen when we premiere this software in a couple of weeks. Also, this software is going to cost the office a lot more money than I thought it was going to cost, but in the end, even with all of these cons, I think it will be worth it for the office. All the paper files will no longer be taking up and space and in the end, I think it will save the doctors time doing paperwork.
Many people in my group agree that it is important to have software that you can easily schedule multiple doctors. Also, everyone agrees that it is very difficult to learn all of the ins and outs a new computer/software system.
Group 17
ReplyDeleteSo far I have looked at and demoed Atlas system and Chirotouch. Atlas system is a very falshy system but quite expensive and a downfall is that they do not plan on being EHR certified. The system was easy to navigate and very user friendly. The Chirotouch system was fairly easy to navigate but slightly more confusing when compared to Atlas. Atlas has a section where you can distribute patient education articles per condition. Although Chirotouch is expensive, it is less than Atlas and they are EHR certified. Chirotouch comes with disability forms built right in whereas atlas does not. Both systems have about the same monthly charges for matience and support. I like the email and text messages you can send to patients for reminders of appointments as well.
I am also looking at future health, platium systems, and the practice solutions but other then that I don't know much about them yet.
My precept doc is using eclipse for just the billing and scheduling. The front desk ladies seem to like the system. The billings lady says the billing is a simple and fast process. The office uses travel cards so the doc doesn't do his notes on eclipse.
What is important for me in searching for software is starting a new clinic and being almost compeltly paperless. Also being able to have patients check in at a kiosk station and have subjective complaints done by the time you see them in the room would be a benefit.
The majority of the group agreed that going paperless right from the start is the way to go. It would be less of a hassle than trying to transfer from paper to electronic records.
I am not looking for software just yet since I am not going to be opening my own practice straight out. By the time I am ready to open my own practice, I will do my research then because what is available then will be different with more options and possible better. As to software options that are available on the market now, I haven’t done much research. Basically all I am familiar with is the ProSoft and Future Health that we have used in clinic. Future Health, while isn’t bad isn’t ideal either. A lot of patient information has to be free-formed because there are not clicking options for that information. All programs are going to have their pros and cons and there probably isn’t going to be any one program that fits your needs exactly because of all the variance in techniques.
ReplyDeleteLike many other groups I haven't looked into the different systems immensely. However, the main 2 I have ran into or heard about are ChiroTouch and Future Health. Both software systems are approved by the government to apply/receive the monetary incentive (up to $44,000! over 5 years). I have shadowed a DC with the ChiroTouch software and he raved about it. I liked that self check-in and subjective notes entry where the patient can type out any complaints and compare how they were from the previous visit. Then when the patient gets into the room the doctor is already a few steps ahead because they're not going to be blindsided by any new problems. On the other end patients may find this approach less personable. The way I saw it utilized worked out great, though. In addition, ChiroTouch offers the financial/scheduling side of the office as well which would help keep everything streamlined and make it easier on office staff. From what I've heard the major downfall for this system is its price tag. But, maybe with the incentive that might be negated?
ReplyDeleteFuture Health/E Connect seems to be very appealing for new graduates and those who want a low overhead due to it's start-up cost: free! This customizable system allow for add-ons which means you can buy more applications as your practice grows and evolves. I know that a lot of students who are used to the paper notes at Palmer are having a lot of difficulty transferring information into FH but that's only because the paper notes don't follow the same format as FH. So I think that has left a sour taste in the mouth for some when really it's not FH's fault. We have had some driver difficulties and thus the system needs to be shut down but that, again, is a problem I can only imagine Palmer Clinics is having due to their patient size and current information load.
Overall I feel like many Palmer grads might lean towards FH because they will have mastered the system within the next few trimesters and its start-up costs. Either way I know that many people who are looking into starting their practice right now are getting headaches about which EHR system they should use so I'm glad you can all just tell me the pros/cons when I open up in a few years :)
Here's a link from Chiro Eco that goes through all the different systems: http://www.chiroeco.com/article/2006/Issue13/Roundup.php
Chris Barber's Response (Group 23)
ReplyDeleteI will be associating when I graduate so I am not that familiar with what is out there. I have worked with prosoft and future health which we have in the Palmer clinics, which I believe may not be greatest forms of software at the current time but I do believe that when I work with them a little more they might grow on me. There are still a few minor problems with the software including that you still have to do alot of adding of information via typing and there are not enough drop down boxes. Also logging in and working on them you get kicked of alot and they are very slow. If I do plan to open a practice in the future I am sure all the software that is available now will be outdated and will have to go through different software and find the pros and cons of each. Software for chiropractic is difficult to make perfect being that there are some many techniques and methods that chiropractors use to care for their patients that any software that will be the best at everything that you need will be hard to find. In the future I will just have to find the one that best fits me and work around the parts that don’t work for me.
group 19
ReplyDeletei've seen a few different systems used in Canada and the States. the four that stick out are chirotouch, atlas, futurehealth, and DC talk.
for sheer speed i've witnessed 2 docs in canada utilize atlas and 1 in the states use chirotouch that saw over 20 patient/hr. a few docs using FH preferred that system but I thought they were limited on how quickly they could go through a soap. DC talk was definitely the slowest note generator, however, it doesn't spit out cookie cutter notes, which some docs get in trouble with.
as for front office and performance metrics all docs preffered their own systems. So it didn't seem as if any one system was really better or worse than the other. it just depended on what you got used to and mastered. DC Talk was the only system i saw that didn't have front office software, so you would have to purchase extra software to take care of office management.
as a group we agreed that system preference was all dependent on the doc utilizing it and no system really came out as being better than the competition. we also agreed within our group and with other groups that it would be much easier starting out with paperless rather than switching too paperless at a later date.
Group 15 -
ReplyDeleteThe majority of our group will associate for a few years before opening on our own. Some of us are looking at management groups such as Chiro 0ne and Dr. Owens AMC Family Management group, which have their own excellent software programs. In the beginning we will have to use whatever system our employer is using. We can see/learn the pro’s and con’s and eventually when we open we can determine which chiropractic software we will use in our office.
There is a web site ww.e-chiropracticsoftware.com that is very informative and compares the different products. Before purchasing one, it is crucial for us to do a very thorough research. We have been told to purchase a program based on what it can offer our practice and not the cost. In the long run trying to buy something cheap can cause a lot of frustrations. Before purchasing the program it is very important that we speak to the office staff and get feedback. They are the ones that will be using the program and their suggestions are very important.
Group 21
ReplyDeleteThe software that I have had the most exposure to is the FutureHealth that the Palmer clinics are implementing. I have been working as a clinical teaching assistant, and the main part of my duties has been learning the software and helping the other interns and doctors work with it. To be honest, I am not a big fan of the FutureHealth software. We have had multiple problems getting the software up and running on campus, but to be fair it is a big task to set up a system on such a large scale with the large number of doctors and interns using the system. As far as the actual software, I feel that overall it is a good base for covering what is necessary for patients, but like what was mentioned earlier the drop down menus and choices do not always pertain to all of your patients. Many times it creates more work than it saves. The initial new patient entry does take alot of time to do correctly, but I think an advantage of this program is that subsequent visits and SOAP notes will be relatively quick and easy to complete.
I do know that the FutureHealth software also has a billing program with it, but I am not familiar with how it works. As with any billing software, the advantage of them may be quicker and easier payment from insurance companies due to immediate delivery of billing and availability of documentation. One other software program that I have talked to a practicing DC about is E-Z Bis software. This DC uses the software in his office and says it is simple and easy to use. I have not seen the software or researched it, but I am planning on visiting his office soon. This doctor runs his office alone, with no front office staff, so it will be interesting to see how he is able to do that and how this software helps him.
When looking for a software program, the main thing I am looking for is that it covers everything I need it to cover, from complete SOAP notes, exams, histories, and billing. I am also looking for software that is easy to use, so that I can make patient visits more efficient. Price is not a huge concern for me, because if the software can help me with a higher collection percentage and get paid more quickly, it will pay for itself.
Jason Mooney group 7
ReplyDeleteThe office I am at right now uses Chiro office. The office staff and I are not big fans of this software. The software is basically out dated and I feel there are much better choices out there. I have looked in to using Future Health for my future practice. They have recently updated there software. They now offer software which is a cloud system which is basically set up like a smart phone. The base package is free put you buy the apps that range from $25-$225 and one at $4000. The con and pro to this system is that everything is on the internet, so you can access it from anywhere and could use an I-pad as your note taker in the office. That is also the con because if your internet continually goes down you will be back to paper notes. You can get a T1 line which guarantees your internet will never go down but I think that cost around 250/mo. The one app that cost 4000 is the ARRA certification app. This app makes you eligible for the for the EHR reimbursement from by the Obama administration. The reimbursement amount is a percent of the Medicare in which you bill in your office. The reimbursement can basically pay for your software in most cases over a three year span but the ARRA has multiple rules and regulations that you can find on the internet. I would suggest to sign up for a webinar on Future Health’s’ website for further detail on their system.
Group 15
ReplyDeleteI have not been exposed to any software programs until recently being trained on Futurehealth here at Palmer. Before I actually looked at software programs, I was not happy about the idea of spending the extra cash. Im still not happy about it. But I liked the program. I am very weary of hidden costs associated with running electronic documentation. Starting a practice is going to be expensive enough without also having to buy EHR equipment. My plan is to get enough cash flow and switch to EHR ASAP. I think it will be beneficial for many reasons... not to mention it is sort of mandated!
Group 15
ReplyDeleteI have had a chance to demo a few programs now and realized that no one is pointing out the obvious differences in the software choices. So I wanted to dumb it down a little so to speak. So the obvious differences are whether or not to get full practice management software or just billing or just notes. Most companies will sell a variety of products doing these things or a combination of these things. I suggest a full practice management solution. That means billing, scheduling and notes. Once you've decided how much of your office you want to computerize, you need to decide on where you want to store your electronic files. Some software stores information on the "cloud" other you store your files on a local server maintained and built by you. "Cloud" storage is simpler but fees are involved with transferring patient files when you decide to change software companies. As always fees are involved with everything. Expect to pay for support, storage, updates and sometimes customization. One company that I do like and haven't heard anyone else mention is PayDC.com it is cloud based and full practice management software. Fees run around $250 a month but that includes updates, storage and support. Set-up fees are around $700 for full software. A few more basics... Billing software should be able to post bills electronically either directly or through a clearing house. Electronic note software will provide you with the tools to defend yourself during an audit.
PS Kudos to whoever said that software is only good if you can use it. Most docs I've seen in field do not use their software correctly.