Every single piece of technology deployed within a medical practice is there to make things easier for the practice and its patients. Whether it’s a medical, dental or optometry practice, there are three key benefits to moving away from paper-based systems to an automated approach as provided by a practice management solution.
Johan Roos, Senior Manager of Business Development at Altron FinTech, says the three primary drivers for medical practices adopting automated management solutions are the ability to manage their collections, submit claims to medical aids and keep track of their inventory, tracking what comes in compared to what goes out.
“Medical practices are unable to escape the advances offered by technology. People want to do as much as possible online – including scheduling their medical appointments. By the time they are sitting in front of the medical practitioner, he or she has to have access to the patient’s file. And all of this is so much easier with a practice management solution in place.”
Furthermore, after the appointment, the patient doesn’t have to worry about submitting a claim to their medical aid, the practice will do everything for them, sending the claim through. Should a shortfall be identified, the client can make a payment arrangement and load a debit order there and then, if needed. Roos explains: “Payment shortfalls are becoming such a big part of the medical space because of the economic situation we find ourselves in. People are downscaling their medical aids, which may mean that not all of their procedures are fully covered. Practices need to find a way to manage this as seamlessly as possible, both for themselves and the patient.”
In brief, a patient wants to walk into a practice, be attended to efficiently, have the medical aid claim done for him or her, and know what’s owed.
Roos explains that to enable all of this – and more – the practice can deploy hardware solutions in the form of terminals, combined with web-based software that allows payments, collections and practice management. When a medical practice wants or needs to take a staggered approach to modernising its solution, Roos recommends that they start with a practice management solution. “As this is web-based, the practice can even use its own hardware.
“A fair percentage of patients that come into a practice are on a medical aid that will cover the consultation. At the very least the practice needs a practice management solution that can link to all of the medical aids so that it can process the payment and claim. However, if the medical aid won’t cover the full cost of the consultation for some reason, the practice needs to know that while the patient is still present, a payment can be initiated.”
“As mentioned previously, an increasing number of people are either downgrading or cancelling their medical aid coverage altogether, resulting in payment shortfalls. Previously, practices would not have been able to assist patients unless they were able to pay the amount owing there and then. However, with a payment management solution in place, the practice can see cash patients and help them to make a payment plan. A collections solution allows a practitioner to supply the patient with a service – such as a new pair of spectacles or extensive dental work – and then allow them to pay off the amount owed over a few months.”
The biggest challenge faced with the deployment of this level of automation is practitioners who aren’t comfortable using technology, paired with concerns about cost. Roos says: “While younger practitioners are all tech-minded and open to a solution that will reduce the amount of paperwork and automate their workflows, the older generation tends to prefer paper-based practice management as it’s what they’re accustomed to. For anyone in the medical field, time is money and concerns are expressed around how long the deployment and training process is going to take, particularly for those less familiar with current technology.”
He says this is an interesting market to operate in currently as there’s a clear divide between practices that are quick to onboard the latest technology that can make them more efficient, and those that adhere to the tried and tested (for them) paper-based workflows. “However, once they realise the efficiency of having patient files in digital format, being able to update them while the patient is in front of them, with billing and claims happening automatically, they see the true value of practice management software and cost becomes less of a consideration.”
These concerns can be addressed to some extent by providing practices with a medical bundle suite that includes collections, a practice management solution and incorporating a loan option (through a third party) that allows the practice to upgrade equipment or make a loan to a patient to pay for their treatment. In the latter instance, this could be for the patient to pay for things that aren’t covered by their medical aid, such as an elective procedure, or when they simply don’t have medical aid coverage.
Roos explains the benefit of this type of bundled service to the medical practitioner: “Service is key for people in this sector. They can’t wait for the onerous processes that a financial institution might inflict on them or their patients. They want access to someone that they have a relationship with and who can assist them there and then, as well as real-time reporting of their daily transactions.
“Because time is so crucial for doctors, they can’t wait for banking systems to come back up or issues to be resolved. When all of these services are bundled together, the practice sees the true value of its investment.”
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