 |
 |
 |
 |
Business Software Solutions that Meet the Needs of MediSpas and Medical Aesthetic Practices
Introduction
When I was first approached to write this article, I thought it would be a simple project. I write a lot anyway and since I’ve personally worked with various software programs in the industry through my consulting business, I thought I knew them well. What started out as a straight-forward article turned into a major research project full of mind-numbing features and functions. The choices and information available was frustratingly complicated to say the least.
Times have certainly changed. So many software programs have been introduced to the marketplace within the last decade. The dizzying array of features and functions s almost enough to send you back to pen and paper. However, making no decision will hinder you as a business and making the wrong decision can cost you time, money and effort.
How in the world do you, as a busy physician, make an educated decision on the right software for your practice? I have some of the answers here.
Know Your Needs
The needs of the insurance-based reconstructive surgeon are different from the plastic surgeon and different from the medi-spa. For example, let’s say you’re a plastic and reconstructive surgeon with a ratio of 30/70% cosmetic/reconstructive so you need a program that includes CPT codes and can handle your insurance billing efficiently. But then you decide to move towards a cosmetic-based practice so now you need a software program that can help you organize and track marketing efforts. Down the road, you open a medi-spa to cater to your minimally-invasive patients and now inventory control and staff commissions are important to you.
Before you invest your time and money in a program, be sure it can cope with your changing needs effortlessly. Marie Olesen from Inform and Enhance (Now Mentor) stated, “It’s most important to understand the business objective for the software acquisition before you begin your research. Physicians are acquiring software without understanding the business components of it other than record-keeping.”
Questions to Ask Yourself
When looking for a new practice management software solution for your aesthetic practice, ask yourself the following:
Who’s Hosting?
Do you want to own the software and deal with it yourself or would you prefer the vendor host your information on their own server? Nuemd offers this type of online solution and reports having the highest levels of security (use the same as the Federal Reserve), are HIPAA compliant and they take care of the entire infrastructure, along with updates, for a subscription fee. You simply log on each day to their servers that hold your information and perform your front and back offices functions. That means no need for costly equipment, servers, back up or IT personnel. Interesting…
What’s not Working Currently?
Have your staff keep a wish list of features and functions you don’t have currently that you would really like and need. List nuances of your current system – what you like and don’t like, what’s time-consuming, what’s done by hand and what could be automated. Note the times you are missing key data that would help you make better decisions or know where you are at in your processes. Then be sure to go over this list with your vendors so they understand your needs.
Can it Grow My Revenues?
While physicians are drawn to the scheduling and billing modules that are vital in a software program, the sales and marketing components are just as important for aesthetic practices. In today’s competitive arena, you need and want those components to help you accelerate your success and grow your practice revenues. Many physicians buy what they think should grow their sales but it’s just the potential to do it – not the “how to” do it along with the specific tools to use. Find out how the software program can grow your revenues. Does it include the total solution of “how to” tools and processes to help you glean the most revenues per patient or just provide the tools without any further guidance? The tools are only helpful when:
Will it Improve My Patient Relations Process?
Nothing is more important in retail medicine than patient relations. Bonding with the patient is a huge part of your success. A good software system will let you do that easily. It will keep you on track and monitor every step in the patient’s experience with your practice.
Can It Measure Results?
The cost of doing things that actually work such as promoting your practice has gone up. As Ms. Olesen said, “That means you don’t blindly market but don’t be blind to marketing”. Measuring your promotional activities so you know what’s working and what isn’t is vital to your success. You can’t know that without the quantifiable data a good software program will give you. Maria reports, “Software should be a listening tool to tell you how patients are responding to you and your messages and processes.” That means, having specific data at your fingertips. Reports need to include:
This kind of detail is eye-opening. You will learn a lot studying the statistics of your practice. Perhaps you learn one procedure brings in double the revenues than another procedure that takes longer to perform. Or, that you have a staff person that sells more retail than all other staff combined.
You won’t know unless you track and you can’t track without a good system. Be sure it’s easy to get the information into the software so your reports are clean and accurate. You want to make it easy for your staff so they don’t see it as extra work or a hassle.
What Kind of Support Can I Expect?
Many physicians not only need the technology tools but also the consulting services to ensure they get the most from their acquisition. They and their staff may need additional training to either fine-tune a well-running office or get an office running efficiently.
If you know you need help, be sure to buy the software package that offers education as well. That way, you will know how to use it as a business strategy.
How Do I Handle Staff Resistance to Change?
It’s imperative your staff be engaged in the discussion about their software needs early in the process. Get them involved in the initial discussions and demonstrations so they feel part of the decision rather than just stuck with it. You need them excited about this new technology helping them – not slowing them down or checking up on them.
Which Features Do I Need?
For an aesthetic practice to truly be successful, you need the information at your fingertips. Features that are a must include:
Electronic Medical Records
To help you become a paperless practice, this feature will store all medical records electronically. If electronic insurance filing is an important part of your practice, be sure to simplify it with the right software that can speed up the process and ensure the forms are filed accurately so you get reimbursed as quickly as possible.
Patient Management/Relationship Software Be sure it’s easy for staff to input this data and not too comprehensive. You don’t want them staring at the computer screen anymore than they have to since they should be looking at the patient and bonding with them – not the computer!
Billing/Accounts Receivable
Since aesthetic medicine is a cash business, you want to ensure a process of checks and balances so no revenues “disappear”. Your system should account for every treatment, procedure and product provided by every single staff person who performs services and sells products.
You also want to know at a push of a button revenues coming and going out to easily determine your profitability.
Sales/Marketing Your software must include features to retain existing patients. Loyalty programs should be set up and monitored. You need to have the flexibility to segment your patients by age, zip, gender, past purchases and procedures performed so you can send out targeted messages to the right audiences rather than one message to everyone. Proactive alerts are also extremely helpful in aesthetic medicine. They will remind your staff to follow up, to send out reminder cards, to follow up after a cancellation, etc.
It’s important to note the printing capabilities as well. Does it only print out reports or can you save in an excel file to be sent to a mailing house for your larger mailings such as patient newsletters. You do not want to be sticking thousands of address labels and postage on by hand because your software solution only prints out labels.
Reports give you a detailed review of where you are at so you can do more of the same or change course if you’re not heading in the right direction. Reports should include date for referral sources, revenues by procedures and time, sales, commissions, staff performance, no-shows, cancellations, accounts receivable, inventory, projection and audit information such as cash flow. And, being able to compare cash flow at the same time last year will help you monitor your progress.
Inventory
If you carry retail products, inventory control is mandatory to ensure you make the most of that revenue stream. A system that can track, record and report on what has been sold, damaged and returned will keep your books straight and your employees honest. Many of the software programs have the barcode scanning and cash register built right in or you can add a separate module to your existing program.
Add-On Modules
Photos/Image Archiving
To really make the most of your practice management software solution, additional modules are available. Canfield’s Visia Skin Analysis System and Mirror Computer Imaging System can work with your current software to add and archive patient before/after photos and visual patient records. They also enable you to send the photos to mirror for simulation. This helps you to track a patient’s progress, use them for testimonials and identify them easily within their record. Canfield reported they are able to integrate with almost any other software program if the physician is dedicated to make that happen. It will take two IT departments to work together to see it through and that can cost time and money but the benefits can be well worth it when you’re able to piece together an entire patient history, with photos, at a push of a button. Some of the vendors such as ResultSet reported offering a 3D imaging option.
Point of Sale (POS) Cash Register for Retail Sales
You can add a cash register module to better monitor your retail sales and inventory. This is desirable when you don’t have a system in place now or your current software solution is not able to scrutinize what has been sold, what has been returned and what is left.
MicroPharmacy is an add-on solution that offers touch screen technology and barcode scanning to instantly link products, patients and providers. It prints receipts, sales and inventory reports, tracks sale by salesperson and can also print compliant prescription drug labels. It will alert you when stocks are low and can automatically reorder for you. Many of the software solution such as Milano and Mack offer POS modules that include barcode scanning, cash drawer and credit card integration.
Other Neat Stuff
How to Choose the Right Vendor for You
Reputation and credibility you can trust
Be sure you are working with a company that will around tomorrow and next year and years after that. You are not buying just a practice management software program. You are buying a relationship with a software vendor that needs to support you during the sale, the installation, the learning curve and the changing environment year after year.
Demonstrations
Most of the software vendors have an online demo they can walk you through or you can view on your own. I highly recommend going through it with your staff people so they are comfortable with its ease of use. For the more comprehensive software solutions, I would advise the representative visit your office for a detailed demonstration tailored to your needs.
Check references
Hopefully, the software vendor has a large install base of satisfied customers. Talk to other practices similar to yours and ask them what they like and don’t like about the system. Find out what they would do differently if they could and what they wished they had that they don’t. Ask them if they would buy this same system again given the choice and then why or why not.
Some of the vendors, such as Milano, use an unbiased third party to track satisfaction on a yearly basis.
Installation
Be very clear how your current patient information will be extracted from your old system and inputted into your new software solution privately and accurately. Conversion software is a must so your current system can convert to theirs and start fresh without losing data.
And, keep in mind the learning curve. It will be slow-going initially while you and your staff are getting used to your new system. There’s almost always a learning curve, no matter how intuitive the system is, so install it during your slowest times when staff has more time and patience to learn something new.
Ongoing Training
Training and retraining are important aspects of your purchase. Turnover can be high in this industry so you need to understand the costs involved to train new staff members.
Training could include: onsite, online/on demand, videos, DVDs with workbooks and/or visits to the vendor’s facility. The vendor may have a trainer that visits the office or works with you over the telephone and based on your needs, develops a framework with you so they have a foundational understanding of the daily operations of the practice so they can give you personalized training. Millenium Essentials by Harms Software, for example, offers training DVDs, broken down by chapters that you can watch at your convenience and learn at your own pace and Milano offers live webinars.
After Sale Support
You want and need a company that is there for you after the sale. You want them to want your feedback and suggestions for improving upon the software. Be sure you understand if they offer 24/7 internet support and/or 15 hours/day telephone support and from which time zone. Test them to see if they answer your telephone calls promptly and informatively.
Questions to Ask the Vendors
Be prepared when speaking with the software providers. Plan out your questions ahead of time to ensure their sales presentations cover these important questions. Or, visit their websites, conduct a demo online or in person and review their product literature to learn the questions to the following:
How Much?
The prices range dramatically. You can get a simple, templated solution for as little as $1,999 all the way up to a customized, comprehensive solution for $40K plus additional modules that can run over $100K. The medium price was between $8,000-$15,000.
Since most of these systems are modular and include a menu of additional services, get all pricing and terms in writing so you know what is included, what is extra and how often you pay for things like:
Get Help
Work with technically-savvy professionals in the industry who can help you weigh through the features and benefits to pick the right system for you.
Choosing the right software solution for your aesthetic practice can be a daunting exercise. It may be helpful to hire an unbiased software consultant in the industry to help you sort through your choices. Be sure they understand your specific needs so they can research, in detail, all available choices to find the right solution for you. This could save you thousands of dollars, many hours of your valuable time and, hopefully, eliminate buyer’s remorse.
Good luck in your search!
Side Bar: The following vendors were contacted to provide information for this article:
ClienTrak
MDoc/MSpa
Mentor Solutions
Micropharmacy
Milano
Millenium
Mirror Imaging and Skin Analysis
NexTech
NueMD Online Software
Orchid Medical Spa Software
ResultSet
Catherine Maley, MBA is President of Cosmetic Image Marketing. Her San Francisco firm specializes in growing aesthetic practices using PR, advertising and customized marketing strategies. Catherine is author of Your Aesthetic Practice: a complete guide/What Your Patients Are Saying. You can order the book or other services by visiting www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com or calling (877)339-8833. |
 |
 |
 |
 |