In today’s world, almost all of a company’s day-to-day activity has moved to digital processes; there is no document, correspondence or office activity that is not done in a computerised and online manner. The result is an accumulation of huge amounts of information and data. If, in the past, offices and clinics used to keep records in warehouses, then today all information is stored in the cloud or on the local server. Thus, unlike in the past, greater accessibility is possible and there is an option for efficient use of past work without digging into an endless pile of binders.

However, the amount of information stored today is so large that even the transition to digital documentation fails to prevent the loss and inefficient use of information accumulated in the clinic. Thus, skilled professionals who want to control their clinic optimally can use dedicated clinic management software that can help them deal with the amount of critical data and information they have.

What is important to know before choosing clinic management software?

So, you have decided to become more efficient and purchase software to run the clinic. Here are some important things to consider:

You may be required by law to maintain the privacy of your patients, especially if it is sensitive medical information. Therefore, you may need to take reasonable steps to maintain the privacy of your patients. At face value, it seems that software that contains medical information will need to be secured and professionally built to meet the requirements of the law and HIPA standards.There is a very wide range of programmes that allow for many features and at varying costs. Therefore, you should choose software that enables clinic management tailored to your needs and thus is cost-saving.The choice of clinic management software makes it possible not only to become more efficient from a therapeutic-clinical point of view but also to become more economically efficient, to better control the expenses, and debts of patients and to reach new patients more easily. Thus, using the software can enhance all the business and administrative elements of the clinic.

What should be included in the software?

For clinic management software to be effective, it must include several necessary features:

Patients’ medical information – Professional software should include a ‘patient file’ containing all the important and relevant details about them such as previous treatments, sensitivities and allergies, and personal details such as age, place of residence and telephone. The ‘patient profile’ can also include non-clinical aspects such as debts or past payments of the patient.Appointment management option – a system that allows you to easily book appointments at the clinic, brings in new audiences to the clinic and helps maximise the hours worked. A good Medical Practice management system should enable remote management, regardless of the day and time, as well as be accessible from home platforms such as a home computer or smartphone. Today it is fundamental to send WhatsApp or SMS messages from the system to the patient and thus maintain fast and efficient contact with them. This is especially important if a doctor wants to send prescriptions directly to the patient’s mobile allowing them to go to a pharmacy of their choice with the digital prescription.An efficient system should allow the clinic to manage its financial affairs in a centralised manner that will allow it to avoid errors in inventory matters and patients’ debts. Also, by building a ‘patient file’ and associating it with medical aid or insurance, the clinic has a Go to Guy to which it can turn in cases of deficiencies or problems with the insurance.

How does the software help run the clinic?

Each patient in the clinic has a different background and a unique form of treatment. Therefore, the number of details that can be collected on each patient varies. It can start with the medication he is receiving, past surgeries and up to whether the patient has paid for the treatment, which health insurance company or medical aid he is insured with and a wide range of other details.

Clinic management software helps to build a kind of ‘portfolio’ for each client so that all these important details are not forgotten or disappear among the mountains of information. This way the therapist can keep a treatment history and easily access the treatment reports, send reminders to patients and staff, keep track of patient payments and even keep track of equipment inventory that exists in the clinic and whether it needs to be renewed.

Digital prescription generation, signing and sending are imperative in the process. Improving security (no copies) and efficiency and allowing a direct route between doctor and pharmacist as well as Prescription Management, at the time of dispensing.

These are the benefits of clinic and clinic management software

Even at first glance, it seems that each of the advantages of the software is a basic element that has existed in the past in a form scattered across various computer programs (such as Excel, Word, etc.). It is now possible to centralize all the information in one secure place and control the large amount of information accumulated in the clinic to improve the service it provides to patients and improve the internal work processes.

Imagine a situation where each of these information specifications is in different software; Had the clinic been run according to an Excel document, it would have had to manually update any changes, and manually track inventory and payment flow. This method is a sure guarantee of causing chaos and confusion from the natural course of running the clinic.

The need for management software intensifies when it comes to a small clinic with independent therapists who do not employ many staff members. In this situation virtually any burden of running the clinic in the unprofessional and administrative aspects falls on the doctor himself. Consider how much investment of time and effort a Doctor Owner of such a clinic would have to put in to coordinate all the information, be in touch with customers and order inventory when instead he should have seen more patients or finished a few hours earlier in the week.

In larger clinics, the amount of information for management increases accordingly and so even if there is an administrative employee, they must be equipped with the required tools allowing them to perform the work more efficiently and save time.

Is the software secure?

As noted earlier, the preservation of medical information may oblige the holder to maintain it and the information stored in it by appropriate means. The Protection of Personal Information Act, for example, defines medical information as “sensitive information” and reinforces the need to protect it.

For this reason, clinic management software must be secure and protected from hacking and cyber-attacks. If you run a clinic using software, you should know that you must be equipped with a programme that meets the requirements of the law.

Why you should choose PaperTrail

PaperTrail Is an efficient and convenient solution to all the different requirements we have discussed. The software enables management of the patient database, creation of their medical file and consolidation of their financial info in one place. In addition, PaperTrail has advanced prescription management software so that all relevant information can be found on one convenient platform. PaperTrail also maintains a secure interface that meets government standards and is used to manage government records in the required form and level. In addition, the PaperTrail user interface is convenient and intuitive and will help you achieve the desired results in managing your clinic comfortably and quickly.

In conclusion, as we have presented in this article, different clinics can improve the way they function by implementing simple technologies at the base of their work. The motivations for purchasing management software can range from a desire to manage and provide more personal care to patients that are intuitively based on past treatments, or a desire for better control over the clinic’s financial expenses and income. Alternatively, your goal may have been to reduce the burden of day-to-day management or regulatory requirements. In each of these cases, clinic management software can help you a lot and improve your professional levels.

This article was first published at https://topclickblogs.co.za/papertrails-clinic-management-software/