Why Your EHR and Practice Management System Should Go Hand in Hand

Practice management software and electronic health records (EHR) are inextricably interlinked in modern private practices. It makes perfect sense as so much communication with patients using a medical CRM is dependent upon their medical history and circumstances. Perhaps it’s recall for monitoring of a pre-existing condition or advertising recommended procedures like seasonal flu jabs. Whatever the reason, let’s look at how linking health records with your practice management tools is the right way to go for your clinic.

What Is Practice Management Software?

Medesk Practice Management Software

Practice management software is ultimately a collection of all the tools you need to run a clinic from both an administrative and clinical perspective. It all boils down to combining clinical work and admin workflows under one roof so that the patient experience is as smooth as possible. The idea is that the way you engage with each patient depends on the content of their electronic health record and the results of how you have interacted with them in the past.

You can use practice management software to support clinicians, the reception desk, and the management team alike by:

• Offering smart online booking for individual practitioners and departments
• Integrating task delegation based on the needs of the patient, e.g. asking an assigned doctor to give a reassuring callback
• Create templated documents for automatic issuing of prescriptions, sick notes and referral letters
• Track a full range of clinical and other key performance indicators

Read more: How Private Practice Software Helps to Improve Your Approach to Patient Acquisition

Clinical and Admin Teams: Two Halves of the Same Coin

There’s a lot that goes into running a private practice and when it comes to clinic management software UK based practices are somewhat spoiled for choice. It is vital that you understand the significance of all the activities carried out by both your clinical and admins teams as one cannot thrive without the other. You can imagine the chaos that would ensure if clinical teams were left to handle every last bit of paperwork!

Make sure that your clinical and admin teams can contribute to each other’s success by using a practice management system that:

• Links all outstanding tasks to specific appointments and patient records
• Books patients into the diary without the risk of calendar clashes, double-bookings and more
• Supports the automated production of prescriptions, referral letters and other documents
• Maintains an audit trail so you know exactly who did what at all times

Read more: Best Tips to Manage Your Medical Practice

Support New Patient Registration for Rapid Service Provision

Many aspects of client relationship management (CRM) tools cross over into private healthcare to create a unique way of communicating properly with patients. A patient CRM module should be an integral part of any practice management software UK based practitioners use in the private sector. Effective communication is the key to any relationship in medicine whether it’s doctor-patient or clinic-patient, so let’s look at how you can make it easy for patients to understand the value you deliver.

Use patient CRM techniques to get new patients onboard smoothly and make sure you:

• Anticipate your patients’ needs by pre-screening as a core part of the online booking process
• Explain your pricing model in appointment confirmations so patients know what to expect
• Track patient acquisition channels so you understand what interested people in your practice in advance
• Send automated reminders with bespoke information to convince patients as to why it’s worth attending your clinic

Read more: Top Tips to Manage Expectations with a Patient CRM

Analyse Your Overall Performance and Get Ready for CQC Inspection

One of the integral parts of any good practice management software UK based clinics stand to benefit from has to do with analytics. Only by examining the performance of the whole practice, clinical and otherwise, can you expect your business to meet and exceed the standards set by the CQC and other regulatory bodies. The Medesk Analytics module automatically gathers a whole gamut of information based on your use of the platform. That’s not to mention what you can achieve when you use a practice management system with analytics in mind from the start.

Track your clinic’s performance and learn where your strengths and weakness lie by:

• Using colour-coded tags to prompt colleagues to take certain actions
• Track appointments and services rendered to ensure you meet your legal obligations
• Build CQC as you go along simply by using the Medesk platform as intended
• Understand your patient cohort like never before with demographic, appointment, and financial breakdowns

Read next: Medical Practice Management: How to Benefit from a Systematic Approach