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If you’re currently searching for the right primary care management software for your primary care practice, you’re probably juggling several questions. The most important is probably, “How on earth do I figure out which software is best for me?”
We get it. The list of primary care management software solutions is long. Plus, they come with dozens of features you need to weigh up before you buy – functionalities that you may not be sure you need to run – and grow – your business successfully.
And that’s where we come in as a rescue 🆘In this blog, we’ll walk you through 11 essential features of primary care management software you should look for in a primary care management software, so you can decide on the best option for you.
Buckle up and discover what those key features are!
What is primary care management software?
By definition, primary care management software is an advanced technology tool designed to assist physicians in managing day-to-day operations and administrative work so they can focus on what they love:
Providing patients with the care plans they came for.
Softwares like these can handle everything from bookings to client medical records, invoicing, and sending patients emails for follow-ups and reminders.
Seems impressive, doesn’t it?
🏥Top features to look for in primary care management software
While every software varies, there are several non-negotiable practice management software features every effective practice management system should have to get the job done.
1. Appointment scheduling 🗓️
Appointments are the lifeblood of healthcare facilities, so having an online appointment scheduling tool that will help you manage your diary – seamlessly – is one of the top features to consider when looking for primary care management software.
With a tool like this, you can
- Get a full view of your day for simple appointment management
- Schedule, reschedule, and cancel appointments with a single click
- Send automated confirmation and reminder emails once an appointment is booked
- Send intake forms automatically before the appointment so patients can complete online forms before they arrive for their appointment
- Reduce no-shows by sending patients automated appointment reminders. Crucial, as almost half (49%) of medical groups reported increased patient no-show
- Send automatic appointment notifications with pre-care instructions
2. Online booking 📖
Online booking gives patients the freedom to book appointments 24/7.
Healthcare practices benefit greatly from a practice management software solution with an online booking system, as it frees practitioners from having take bookings over the phone or go back and forth via email.
In other words, it’s much more efficient.
It’s also preferred by patients of all ages. Stats show that 92% of Boomers, 99% of Millennials, and 97% of Gen X would use self-service scheduling if offered.
3. Patient Portal 🖥️
A patient portal is the key to winning back time for your time… while enhancing the patient care and patient engagement experience.
Patient portals are secure, online spaces where your clients can book, cancel, and reschedule appointments, completely independently.
If you wish, you can also allow patients to review pre- and post-care instructions, check lab test results, and even update their medical information – all without needing to call or visit the office.
This instantly frees up your front-of-house team.
In other words, a client portal put your patients in the driver’s seat and allow them to self-manage their patient journey. This boosts engagement while also taking the administrative burden off your staff.
4. Digital client records and EHR integration📂
As a primary care physician, you also need a cloud-based management system to store all your clients’ health records. This keeps them safe, secure, and accessible anytime from any device. This also means that you’ll be getting rid of a lot of paper, too 🙂
An all-in-one solution, with EHR included, is what your primary care needs. You need software with an EHR integration into it to allow you to have
- Comprehensive records about a patient: All your patient’s information will be stored in one place, including treatment notes, photos, communications they’ve received, financial-related data for that patient, etc.
- Paperless patient records: All patient information is stored in digital format (so you don’t have to keep piles of documentation collecting dust), which you can access from any location and device.
- Up-to-date patient health information: Patient records will flag allergies and contraindications so that you’re always aware of critical medical details.
- Intake forms and questionaries are automatically pulled into the client record. When patients complete forms ahead of their appointment, their responses are automatically updated in their patient card notes.
5. Billing and claims management 💳
Your primary care practice needs billing software with built-in medical billing and invoicing features to quickly create invoices online, check payment statuses, and manage insurance claims.
A tool like this will allow you to:
✔️ Manage who should be charged for an appointment: The easy way is to add insurance providers, create client relationships, and even manage remittances from one person.
✔️ Connect insurance companies in your system: You can add various third parties, including insurance providers. All patient information is securely stored in the client record.
✔️ Select the insurance provider at the point of sale: Do you have clients whose treatment is paid for by their insurance company? Charge the insurance provider at the point of sale.
✔️ Tailor price lists for precise billing: You can create custom pricing lists for various insurance providers to ensure your patients are charged correctly based on their insurance terms and conditions. This will erase the need for staff to enter the prices for each appointment manually.
✔️ Send QR codes for patients to pay their invoices online, making the payment process smooth and hassle-free.
6. Automated pre/post-care emails ⚙️
Treatment doesn’t just start and end with the appointment.
What happens before and after treatment is crucial to achieving the best care outcomes for patients, and this is where pre- and post-care instructions come into play. Patients should be informed about what to do before and after their treatment in the form of specific do’s and don’ts.
Sending these instructions via email (rather than communicating it verbally) will ensure your patients get the best results, because they can refer to them as and when needed. Plus it means there is ‘proof’ it’s been communicated, which is always helpful in the case of complaints or compliance issues.
Even better if you send these instructions completely automatically once the appointment is booked, which you can with some software!
7. POS system💰
Manual invoice payments cost clinics an average of $15 (per invoice).
If you have 100 of those each month, you’re looking at $1,500 just for invoicing per year. That’s a lot of money going down the drain!
The right practice management software can save you money by offering patients online payments, sales, and automated invoices, which smooths out the customer experience and removes a lot of manual admin for your team. A win-win, then!
With a POS system in your medical practice, you can automate financial tasks like:
- Sending quotes to leads with a complete pricing breakdown of their treatment
- Sending fully automated payment requests – no more awkward chaser emails!
- Keeping track of all patient payments and purchase history via the client record
- Track invoices, receipts, revenue, and financial performance of your primary care at all times.
8. Marketing Capabilities 📢
A robust management toolkit with built-in marketing features will take the heavy lifting out of marketing for you.
Apart from attracting and retaining more clients, marketing features like these will pick up the slack for you and keep your calendar full of bookings with:
- Targeted email and SMS messaging campaigns that keep your client base up to date with information about your practice, any new services you’ll be offering, and any other important need-to-know information.
- Newsletter templates that will help you create beautiful, branded newsletters for any celebratory day or event – all in a matter of minutes.
- Loyalty programs to encourage repeat bookings. With a loyalty program, you can reward patients for participating in their healthcare. This model encourages patients to maintain continuous care with your practice, where they can earn points for attending regular check-ups, and so on.
- Gift cards will allow patients to gift your services to their friends and family, and effectively market your clinic for you. Use software with a baked-in feature to digital gift vouchers of different values and formats.
- Referral programs to reward patients for recommending you and being an extension of your marketing. You decide what the rewards are, such as special money-off discounts or other perks and promotions.
9. Staff management 🏢
You have enough going on as a PCB (primary care physician) as it is. Right? You need a solution that lets you seamlessly manage and schedule your staff without requiring a separate tool.
Look for a tool that allows you to:
- Create staff profiles and upload your employee data to integrate all the information you gather seamlessly
- Flexible and functional schedule planning modules so you can adjust staff availability and view the latest shifts from any device
- See who is booked up and who can take up more appointments
- Track key information such as average spend per head or hours worked
- Measure employees’ performances and identify who are your top performers
10. Compliance and security ✅
Compliance and security are two things that are critical for any primary care practice.
The fines for HIPAA violations and non-compliance can be extremely high – up to $50.000 per incident – and the reputational costs are even bigger.
Patients want to know that you, as a business, are taking care of their data. That’s why preventing cyber-attacks and having robust security measures in place are also critical.
Robust practice management software can support this. Look for non-negotiable features to streamline various aspects of your operations so you stay HIPAA compliant with;
- Patient data protection: To store all your client’s data and provide customizable staff and patient permissions so that medical information is only accessible by authorized personnel, with the right permissions
- Two-factor authentication (2FA): Having two factor authentication reduces the risk of data exposure and secures client’s login details
- Patient photo data security: If you use patient photos, there is an image detection tool that can notify you of any images you want to keep private – sensitive patient photos should be visible only to those who need them
11. Telehealth capabilities 👥
Telehealth appointments are a great option for primary healthcare providers because they allow more flexibility for patients and for your team to take bookings outside of regular working hours.
91% of patients today say telemedicine would help them stick to appointments, manage prescriptions and refills, and follow regimen recommendations. Besides that, telehealth appointments are great for a few good reasons:
- Improves accessibility: In-person appointments can be challenging for some people (people with disabilities, those living in rural areas, etc.)
- More convenient for patients: Virtual appointments save money and time for patients who live far away, so they save money and hours taken off work
- Reduces friction and no-shows: Allowing patients to have appointments from their living room reduces friction and means you potentially reduce no-shows
Streamline your primary care management with Pabau 🚀
What’s clear is that whether you’re opening your doors for the first time or want to expand your primary care business and boost your clientele, practice management software is one thing you can’t leave off the list.
However, since these solutions exist in all shapes and sizes, it’s tricky to identify what is the best practice management software for you. But choosing the right solution can transform how you run your primary care practice.
This is where we come in. Pabau’s all-in-one practice management software is purpose-designed for med spas and healthcare businesses.
It helps you tackle the day-to-day tasks of your job, reduces administrative tasks, and streamlines workflows, so you can focus less on admin and more on growing your business and providing exceptional care to patients.
Witness the power of a seamless software solution like Pabau, and book a demo today. It can give your business the transformation it deserves!
