I get asked often in regards to what the key things to consider are before diving in to pick a clinic management system.
First of all, the notion that “every software is the same” is something you should eliminate. Not everything is created equal.
Software is created differently and it’s supported differently as well.
The things I list below are the usual critical things you need to ask before you pick the right clinic management system vendor for you.
What Are You Really Going to Use It For?
Ask yourself: “What was the reason that drove you to go electronic?”
- Is it more about your patients’ notes? Then the clinic management system you pick should have a robust EMR inside so you can create and organize your notes.
- Is it about the tracking of billed services? Then the system should have a billing module that will fit your needs.
- Did you want to streamline your workflow? Then the software should be able to adapt to your workflow, generate accounts for your staff, control permissions and more.
Whatever you will be needing the system the most for, then that’s something you have to look at in the software to see if it fits your needs and your workflow.
The User Interface Should be Friendly and Easy to Use
Earlier, I said that not everything is created equal. This is more evident when it comes to the user-friendliness of an app. Some will have all the functions you can imagine but it’s really ugly as heck.
Not only will it affect your experience (Is it hard/annoying to use? Do you enjoy using it? Do you feel angry when using something so crappy?) it also hurts your productivity.
You’d want to pick a user-friendly software that you and your team will love to use because you will be using it day in and day out for years to come.
Cost
Cost is highly varied mainly because of the different business models that are being used.
Some software have a 1 time set up fee + 1 time price for it’s product then an offer for $X for future upgrades and $X/yr for support.
Some software have a subscription model, basically a recurring monthly fee at a lower price. This is what we offer at SeriousMD.
Here in the Philippines, I’ve also seen doctors hire freelancers in their neighbourhood to build from scratch or just grab a 3rd party “form creating” software. Definitely not something I would recommend as it’ll end up giving you more trouble and more often than not, it’ll end up as a lost investment.
Reports
Of course, you’ll also want business features that will help you. One of the most common things that the system must have? A break down of all the bills created. How much should the cash be at the end of the day? Which patient hasn’t paid? Is inventory getting low?
As a doctor, you might also need reports based on your patients. Maybe you’d like to do a quick research about your patients? Maybe to present data for a talk you’re going to be doing?
Be sure to check what kind of reports the software can do.
Support
At the end of the day, the integrity of the software lies on the support that is offered. Are updates being released? Are bugs being fixed? Are questions being answered? Are my needs being addressed? Is it possible to integrate to another software?
Support is critical, even if you don’t really ask for help much, it adds peace of mind that you can actually talk to somebody to address issues, other concerns and even your suggestions to improve the app further.
That’s it!
Picking a clinic management software shouldn’t be hard nor confusing. Understand what you need and pick the right one that fits your needs.
One last thing: no matter the software, you’ll need to set aside time for training your team. The software will do the rest but people need to be able to use it first. From my experience, a couple hours will do to get everybody up to speed.