As a Occupational Therapist and a business owner, it’s important to be adept in tools that take your practice to the next level. Practice management software is the resource that providers may be unaware of or confuse with other digital systems.
Practice management software is a “one-stop shop” for occupational therapists. This tool helps providers move away from scattered workflows that require the use of multiple systems to keep your practice running.
While individual programs such as electronic medical records (EMRs) and client management tools can assist with tasks such as documentation or scheduling, they don’t cover all the bases that practice management software does. The overarching goal of a practice management software is to increase efficiency, improve professional workflow and care in service delivery. When selecting a practice management software to support your business, here are a few things you should consider:
Customer support
No matter how experienced they are, it is not uncommon to hear a health practitioner refer to themselves as “not tech savvy”. Good support can make all the difference in your experience with practice management software. The last thing you want to do is get stuck with an issue you can’t resolve while working on notes at the end of the night, or start planning client sessions only to be met with an error code you can’t get past. Customer support can help with these problems, both big and small.
Billing
Invoices and payments are another aspect of private practice that can get cumbersome quickly. Your practice management software should be able to track your sessions, transfer that info to your billing section, and connect your services with funder info. With Therabyte once you have set up your billing settings, it’s as simple as one-click to generate the invoice and two-clicks to share with your funder and/or client. It doesn’t get easier than that!
Documentation
Since notes are the way we keep track of the wonderful treatment we provide, this should be a key feature. This is the electronic medical record (EMR) portion of the Practice Management Software. Things you want to look for within the system, the ability to:
- create a plan for your session
- easily write your notes
- add PDFs and pictures to your notes
- created templates
- link goals
- feed session information into your billing tasks
- support you in tracking your completion of your client documentation
- all which encourage speed and efficiency.
Telehealth
Having a practice management software that is mindful of this new fixture in healthcare is a huge plus. Secure, private sessions are the centrepiece of optimal outcomes and play an especially large role in the satisfaction of patients who may still be leery of digital health. Therapists should also be able to navigate the platform easily and experience little to no technical issues throughout each session.
Scheduling
This feature is based on your clinic location. Some providers like to control their schedules, especially if they are travelling therapists or have clients with specific scheduling needs. In this case, scheduling may not be a “make or break” feature in your PMS. However, other providers view scheduling as a huge hassle, so they prefer having a system that does the legwork for them. In any case, if you want this included, find a practice management software that offers team scheduling, ability to schedule various types of sessions, and online booking.
As you can see, technology like practice management software doesn’t have to be scary. To maximize the effort and time your PMS saves, this all-in-one solution should have each aspect integrated and in communication with each other.
Therabyte is not only a very user-friendly practice management software, but has just the right amount of features without being overly complicated. Try Therabyte for yourself, sign up for a FREE trial today!
Still have questions, check out our comparison chart for how Therabyte stands up to the competition.
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This blog post was written in collaboration with Brittany Ferri, OTR/L, CPRP. In addition to being a telehealth specialist and health writer, Brittany is the founder of Simplicity of Health, LLC where she provides health education and a range of other services for individuals of all ages.