Patient Scheduling Software- What to Look For

Almost all doctors' practices have moved away from a paper based system of scheduling appointments. They have found that patient scheduling software makes the process of setting appointments much faster and allows them to superbills to give to their biller or billing service to generate bills for insurance companies and patients. However, choosing the right patient scheduling software is important for several reasons.

One of the critical points of the right software is being HIPAA compliant. This means that the software must have adequate security safeguards in place to ensure that only authorized members of the staff are able to see patient information, and then only the information they need to perform their job function.

Flexibility is also important. Often, it is necessary to allow multiple users on a network within the office to view scheduling information in addition to the receptionist. One feature that many medical practices find to be good for increasing their revenues and productivity is having a waiting list feature on the software. Essentially, this keeps a list of patients waiting for appointments and fills each cancellation with someone on the waiting list. It even alerts the receptionist of the change so that the patient whose appointment has been moved up can be notified.

The patient scheduling software should use the correct terminology for the medical practice. It should refer to patients as patients or clients, not just as customers. It should also include an integrated method of tracking patient info, such as insurance carriers, deductibles, and copays to make it easier to collect the correct amount from patients at the time of their visit.

The ability to generate superbills and encounter forms is also very helpful in processing the patient's visit and ensuring that every service that was provided is properly coded and billed.

One of the best points of a good patient scheduling software is being able to sync information with quickbooks if you happen to use that in your medical practice.  This provides an extra level of security for both practice and patient, as well as streamlining the process to be more profitable to the practice.

Ease of use is probably the single most critical aspect of any patient scheduling software. It should be built on solid database technology so that the receptionist can enter a person's name or pull them up from the database easily to get repetitive information pulled into the proper fields for that day's encounter rather than having to enter it all manually every time the patient is seen.

It should also be easy to pull up a particular person and see when their next appointment is scheduled for when they forget and call in to be reminded. Daily, weekly, and monthly views offer the flexibility needed to make such a query easy to handle in just a few clicks of the mouse so that other functions within the office are not slowed down. 

Selent and Associates Incorporated
ScheduleVIEW.com
23263 Harborview Rd
Port Charlotte, FL  33980  USA

Toll Free: 866-877-8555 or 941-255-3126
FAX: 503-907-7680

General E-mail: info@scheduleview.com
 

Questions or ready to order ScheduleVIEW(tm)
Appointment Scheduling Software? 
Please call:
Ph: 866-877-8555 or 941-255-3126 

Fax: 503-907-7680

Scheduleview.com

23263 Harborview Rd

Port Charlotte, FL  33980

We use the monthly view to find openings at a glance, and the drag-n-drop confirmation feature is great protection!  The ability to print the chart is really good for my guys because that's how they're used to viewing their schedules. - M.A. , Satellite Installation