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Medical Software
There are software programs and packages available that automate virtually every aspect of medical office record keeping including gathering and maintaining patient information, billing and health insurance claims, and appointment scheduling and patient reminders.
Medical Software Features
Different types of medical software have different sets of features. These are some of the basics.
Patient Management – This software securely stores information on patient medical history, diagnostic and progress notes, tracking of laboratory tests, prescription records, physician memos and reminders, demographic information, method of referral, patient health insurance providers, and supplemental information.
Billing and Claims – Medical billing and accounts receivable software stores information on patient health insurance claims and payments. Features include the ability to generate, submit, and track health insurance claims, record payments, track patient charges and payment history, generate patient invoices and statements, set and modify fee schedules, add interest charges to outstanding balances, and create various accounting reports.
Practice Management – Practice management software can automate a number of office tasks to improve efficiency. Various types of practice management software can generate physician referral letters and prescription and patient instructions, track inventory of medications and medical equipment, assist in drafting employee appraisals, and create reports to analyze the performance of various functions of the medical practice.
Scheduling and Appointments – Scheduling software can search for next available appointment time, coordinate patient appointments with the availability of physicians, exam rooms, medical equipment, and specialty staff, automatically schedule recurring appointments, and call patients with automated appointment reminder messages.
Medical software packages generally integrate all of these features for efficient office workflow.
Training, Support, and Updates
When considering a medical software system, it's important to consider the type of training and technical support that will be provided.
Medical software systems are designed to be easy to use; however, some staff training is usually required. Most companies that sell these software systems offer some type of training package included with the software.
Most companies also offer ongoing technical support for their software systems as well as periodic software updates. In some cases, dial-up assistance may be available. This means if a technical problem cannot be solved over the telephone with a staff person, technical support may be able to deal with the problem remotely by interfacing directly with the affected computer system.
Medical Education and Knowledge Base Software
In addition to software for managing a medical practice, there are also software packages for medical education and training and databases of medical knowledge for research, analysis, and reference.
Some of these products were developed through major universities or teaching hospitals and are geared toward medical students. There are also a number of web-based search engines that will look through millions of medical journal citations to find specific medical information.
By Carla Wakeman
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