You are always looking for ways to upgrade your business processes. An EMR (electronic medical record) and PMS (practice management software) are both digital tools that can increase the efficiency of operations within your practice. Whereas an EMR is mainly concerned with storing patient data, PMS provides the digital functionality you need to run the financial and administrative areas of your business. At Crystal Clear Digital Marketing, we provide state-of-the-art solutions to help grow your practice and keep it operating at peak efficiency.
The Right Tools
At your practice, both the quality of the patient care you can provide and the revenue you can bring in will be greatly enhanced by using the right software. Maybe the systems you had in place when you started out were appropriate for a fledgling practice, but as you grew, adding specialists and expanding your patient base put a strain on the processes by which you run your operations.
Let us take a look at the role digital tools play within the daily operations of a practice.
Software Solutions to Meet Your Organizational and Operational Needs
Setting up an electronic medical record and obtaining practice management software are two ways many practices upgrade their operations. At a broad view, some advantages of these digital tools include:
- Better organization of your records
- The ability to track your operations
- Better communication with your staff and patients
- Access to charts and analytics to help you make business decisions
- Increased workflow efficacy
- Increased revenue and decreased expenditure
So, what is the difference between an electronic medical record and practice management software? We’ll take a closer look below.
All About EMRs
The Uses of an EMR
An EMR is a tool that can help you organize the care your practice provides to patients. It is a database that stores information pertaining to a patient’s medical and treatment history. This includes notes regarding previous visits, prescriptions, and test results.
Within the EMR, each record is essentially a digital version of a patient’s paper chart. Maintaining an EMR has a huge advantage over keeping paper records because they can be navigated electronically. This means that all information pertaining to a patient’s health is available within a series of clicks.
Some Advantages of an EMR
EMRs make patient information readily available and easy to analyze. With an EMR, you can:
- Track patient data over time
- Save storage space in the office by minimizing paper records
- See when a patient should schedule a check-up or a preventative screening
- Monitor parameters like blood pressure and vaccinations
- Analyze overall care within the practice as it affects a broad spectrum of patients
Implementing an EMR is often one of the first steps a practice takes to computerize its work-flow and avoid the hassle of paper-based systems. In some states, storing patient data electronically is a legal requirement. Practice management software offers your practice the next level of digitalized business solutions. It can streamline all of the operations within your practice and ensure that your processes contribute to the growth of your business.
All About Practice Management Software
The Uses of Practice Management Software
Practice management software is a set of digital tools designed to help your practice with all of its business operations, from lead generation to revenue tracking. It includes desktop software, client-server software, and internet-based software. While an EMR is a means of organizing patient health information, PMS pertains to the financial and administrative aspects of your practice. Our systems go to the next level by giving you marketing advantages and managing your social media presence.
This technology can make a huge difference in the day-to-day running of your practice. With the right software, you can optimize your processes at every level of the relationship you have with patients, from lead generation to revenue collections. Here are some of the most advantageous functionalities:
Marketing Tools
As social media and online marketing provide greater and greater opportunities to attract patients, the best practice management software systems are adding functionalities to integrate with practices’ online presence. Our software allows you to send targeted marketing emails. You can customize them according to what services a given patient desires and whether he or she is a prospective client, first-time client, or returning client. Our tools allow you to analyze your marketing campaigns with sophisticated reports and graphs.
Lead Management
The best PMS systems feature a database that allows you to organize, view, and take action on your leads. You can track where each prospect is within the lead cycle and set notifications so that your staff can take appropriate actions to convert them into clients. You can also note key information pertaining to your prospect’s demographics and areas of interest. Having all of this information at hand will benefit your team as they communicate with prospects.
A Calendar Engineered for Medical Practices
Imagine a calendar that takes into account the specific needs of your practice. The right software will let you schedule appointments at multiple locations and note which providers will be present, what equipment will be needed, and which room will be used. Automated text and email reminders to patients can benefit your revenue by greatly reducing no-shows. This functionality exceeds that which generic computer software (or even business software) can provide.
User Reports and Task Management
You can become a better leader within your practice by bringing clarity to the responsibilities of your staff. With task management tools, you can organize key aspects of your administrative staff so that nothing falls through the cracks. This includes follow-ups with patients. User reports allow you to see the productivity of your staff. Meanwhile, a notification center helps both you and your staff stay on top of key priorities.
Document and Photo Storage
With document and photo storage capability, you can have easy access to the records and data you are responsible for maintaining in your facilities. You will also save space in your office, and your staff will no longer have to spend valuable time searching through physical records. Our PMS provides this functionality with advanced security measures to keep patient and staff information safe.
Quoting and Billing Tools
The integrated billing module offered by the best PMS systems lets you generate quotes and bills quickly. It can also integrate with your marketing by letting you design membership subscriptions and patient loyalty packages. With analytics tools, you can see how patients respond to these offers and determine any modifications you might want to make.
Advanced Analytics
With PMS, you can see the financial and administrative aspects of your practice from a bird’s-eye view. Managing your daily operations via digital tools generates data that can be easily tracked and charted to give you a clear understanding of the sum of your practice’s activity. We offer reports that allow you key insights into:
- Your practice’s finances
- Scheduling
- Staff productivity
- Marketing
- Your revenue cycle
Online Reviews and Surveys
Your analytics can be enhanced by PMS that offers patients the opportunity to submit online reviews and surveys. By reviewing these, you can determine what aspects of your practice need to be tailored to your patients’ preferences. You can also identify areas in which you may wish to expand your operations. Taking action based on the results of these surveys can improve your relationship with patients and increase patient satisfaction.
Internal and External Communication
PMS streamlines your business interactions, both with your staff and with your patients. Through our software, you can automate 85% of your communication with patients, giving you more time to spend elsewhere in your practice. Our system offers two-way texting, automated emails, reminders, and more.
The efficiency and clarity of the dialogue that our system offers will help you foster positive, trusting relationships with your patients. In turn, this will help you convert leads to patients and first-time patients to repeat clients.
What’s the Difference Between an Electronic Medical Record and Practice Management Software?
Both an EMR and PMS are key digital components of your practice’s day-to-day operations. The main difference is that while an EMR allows you to store patient health records, PMS gives you the functionality you need to run your practice and deliver care. The best PMS software will streamline all of your financial and administrative operations. The benefits can even extend to your marketing and the maintenance of positive patient relationships.
The tools provided by PMS can organize key information, provide a straightforward means of internal and external communication, integrate with your social media, automate important aspects of your marketing, provide analytics, and simplify your billing mechanism. From lead generation to task management to revenue cycle tracking, PMS provides comprehensive solutions that will ultimately result in increased revenue.
Get the Software You Need
Contact Crystal Clear Digital Marketing today and find out about our practice management software that can optimize your business and keep your practice growing. We will be happy to give you more information about our innovative Social Patient Center (SPC). Contact us today to speak with a team member and get started!
