How much should I spend on technology for my practice and my patients? A Doctor's Dilemna

Ask any doctor this question and he or she will give varying degrees of numbers, but all will unanimously say they are willing to spend. So what can a Doctor spend on to improve practice and patient service? Before we examine that lets break down what qualifies a good doctor in terms of attributes other than his or her personal attributes and knowledge.

a. Doctor should have a clean clinic
b. Doctor should provide the patient with his or her medical record
c. Doctor should be able to recollect or see the patient’s history at each visit to give accurate treatment
d. Doctor should be able to provide proper bills and receipts to the patient for the service deemed
e. Doctor should be able to communicate with the patient or another Doctor, his notes and views in case the patient is travelling
f. Doctor should be reachable by the patient in times of emergency
g. Doctor should be able to communicate changes in clinic, timings, services etc to the patient and other stakeholders
h. Doctor should educate the patient on every disease, treatment or procedure as and when required
i. Doctor should take proper consents from the patient before any procedure or treatment
j. Doctor should have all records and accounts properly maintained for the clinic
k. Doctor should adequately reach out to the general public to educate them about his or her clinic and services
l. Doctor should not have an over-crowded waiting room and have a proper appointment system
m. Doctor should give proper instructions on steps to be done by the patient and also a clean legible prescription.

These I think any doctor will safely say should be a must. Off-course there are many things that can be done which can be considered extra or out of the way, but nonetheless those who wish will do them.

So to do the above things in a proper manner what are the things that should be looked at?

1. Having a good clinic or area of practice. It should be neat, clean and inviting.
2. Medical Records with patient history for the patient and also kept with you are a must
3. Prescription which you can access and the patient understand is needed
4. Tracking patient appointments and visits
5. Means to communicate with a single patient or all of them is a whole is also vital

So what are the cheapest ways to this?

While I can give you the conventional methods which seem that they are cheap to do the above things, in the long technology does provide majority of the answers.

• Software can improve your clinic area and make it paperless and uncluttered
• Software can help you maintain all your patient records, history and accounts
• Software can help you give out legible and accurate prescriptions
• Software can help you track your patient appointments
• Website can help you communicate with your patients and vice versa in a simple effective way

So a good software and website does help the Doctor improve their practice. Anyone saying “NO” is simply trying to fool themselves. So then why are doctors so wary of investing in them?
Because they are scarred, either they think they’ll get fleeced or they may not get the desired value out of their investment. A lot in fact are happy in their world and don’t want to change. Too bad the world around them is changing.

Any good investment or quality service comes at a price. Service and Security come at a price. There is a reason why the public hospitals are still trusted in India, they have quality due to the sheer man hours put in by the Residents, Honoraries and Teaching staff. Software companies too similarly put in hours of work into a good product. The end result comes at a price, in this case a value attached to the service that is being provided. We at Plus91 value what we are making in the EMR and Website space. It is time doctors realize this and invest accordingly.

Website for Doctors – Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Website for Doctors went live in January 2010, it’s been about 5 months since then and the progress has been fabulous. Some feedback, knowledge, learning and more importantly positive reviews have been taken back in kind from the project. The experience has been wonderful as a lot of doctors and observers commended us on not only the initiative, which serves all stake holders but the quality of work due to the focus shown.
Below is a point wise analysis of the experience:
a. Many doctors show interest in getting a website, but very few actually end up coming through. This is not due to cost but mainly due to the work involved on their side. I think they do not find time or are just plain lazy to send in the information for the site. Also some think of it like a tattoo which once up might define them hence are afraid to put it up unless it’s absolutely perfect so don’t go through with it.
We counter this, by following up with the doctors on a regular basis. Emails, SMS, Calls, the avenues are many, the idea is to not let them slip away once they have the interest. Many have come back to us after 2, 3 months and gone through with the website.
b. Doctors come in different makes, we have the very enthusiastic kind, who send lots of data and information and follow up each day, these are fun to work with, but can take away some of the productivity. We have the uninterested kind, who seem to have decided to make the website as an afterthought and have to be followed up constantly to send data and take decisions, here the site may take long to get done. Similar to the previous kind are the doctors who want the site, but are too busy to make decisions and send in information. Lastly, we have the doctors who send information on time, take decisions quickly and appreciate the effort, and just like good scotch are rare 
c. Few things we noticed that doctors liked were: a. Choice of changing a selected template with some of their own images, b. wanting to display their attachments and timings on the home page, c. Reluctance to elaborate on the kind of work, specialized treatments they provide (personal insight: think they don’t what really to write), d. They love to put up images (a good thing!), e. they definitely need help in deciding a URL, some choose very complicated ones trying to fit all that they do in it, not really useful for SEO.
d. Bottlenecks at W4D: a. Information flow: Doctors don’t send required data on time or take decisions on time delaying the process, which ideally can be completed in less than 2 days for a basic site. b. Sending incorrect information is also high on the list, with numerous errors and mistakes, either it has to be sent back, or time spent on correcting it if it need be. c. Payments: Generally we do not publish the site unless the complete payment is made, hence when doctors’ delay payments we hold the work or do not make the site live, this is a rare case but it does happen. d. Too many changes or close inspection: doctors some times are over critical of their site, I guess from nature of the work they do. This can delay going live which is from the websites need point of view the most important part. I say get it ready, put it up and improve with feedback and time.
So if any of you doctors do want a website, go to www.websitefordoctors.in and send us a request. It takes 3 simple steps and 4 days to have your site up and running. Provided you follow the rules stated above. I think the more doctors are aware of this avenue the more they will promote it amongst their community. You have 3 flexible plans to choose from in terms of cost, complexity and features, so take a decision and take the plunge.
Some stats from our site: we receive nowadays on average 2 website request a day! We have completed over 30 live sites and 15 micro-sites. For some of the more apt key words we are already on the first page. And as for our work check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAxQ9aW4MzA
What’s been worked on for the future?
• A do it yourself content manager which will let you add information yourself to your site,
• Integration with Plus91 EMR solutions for Online EMR access and pre-visit information capture from patient
• New cool templates on more specialties
• New content which can now be sourced by you on various topics for the site, so no running around
• Patient education videos from PEAS

Improving your Patient Interaction and Outreach

Technology enables, but man disables by not taking advantage of opportunities given to him. A doctor today has many such key touch points to increase and consequently improve their interactions with patients. Some are simple methods, some require a little bit of work, but what is the end advantage of it all? For one thing it makes you popular amongst patients; side effect could lead you to more business. Second it helps educate and provide information to patients and people who may read just what they need thanks to you! A little help goes a long way in accumulating blessings. Third, contributing to the general knowledge resource of the community improves the very community you are part off, it encourages others to follow suit. So now what do you need to do?

1. Reach out to many in the general audience: Start writing, the internet lets you update and express views, either as 160 character bursts on twitter, or a long blog detailing your experience.

Twitter: On twitter you can start putting up bursts of interesting cases you see, new techniques you here about, information about your local medical network which may help people in your area! Go onto www.twitter.com, register yourself and type away.

Blogging: Doing a lot of research which you think people should here about, or have an opinion which potential patients should here about, blog about it. Many people will find it online as they search for an information panacea for their problem and be happy to come across your blog.

2. Letting people contact you: For a start get a website. It helps you disseminate information about your services for people looking for the same. It isn’t advertising, it’s a service, people today face many choices and are hampered by lack of information, improving their ability to find information quickly is beneficial to them. On your website, don’t only talk about you, tell the patients more about what diseases and disabilities you treat, what are the latest treatments, generic advice and maybe even help them going to right person if you weren’t involved.

Use tools like interactive patient forms which can be filled before the patient arrives at the center, saving time and giving you a heads up on the patient’s needs. Use query forms on the website so that people can ask you about their problems, patients their doubts; this gives the feeling to your patients that you are available to them 24/7 without actually being there. Plus91 technologies encourages doctors to have their own websites through their initiative www.websitefordoctors.in, we not only make but also advice and guide you through the process for best impact on your patients and potential clients.

3. Using Software tools: Use softwares which improve communications. Invest in software which doesn’t just keep your records and accounts. The software should come with communications tools integrated and can be used with ease. Emailing of schedules and reports to patients is a must.

The software should also allow using SMSes to send reminders, alerts, prescription reminders etc. This is a new level of service, and patients will be thrilled to know there is always an alert to give them confidence in their moments of doubt.

Online Medical records allow patients to access their records remotely, insist on looking at software which promotes this feature if not today, but at least is compatible with this extension in the future. Plus91 Technologies provides EMR and PMS software products which come coupled with email, SMS and online EMRs. We encourage doctors to use these services to improve their service quality. You can see our products on www.plus91online.com

4. Accessing data and messages on your phone: Today you may be using you phone to send SMSs, read emails and play games online. Why stop there, use it to drive business wherever you are. Neat and simple apps provide you fingertip information, coupled with your own website, or software they can become powerful tools in your hands to handle patients remotely. Access patient alerts via the phone or your actual software to pull up data remotely. Plus91 Technologies already has a suite of products and apps which can run on phone browsers.

5. Contribute to journals and medical website online: Numerous sources are present where doctors submit their stories, research and experiences. The medical and patient community will be greatly benefited by your inputs, a little effort online will show you exactly where you should be adding your data.

6. Using new cool online tools to make education interesting: Nowadays making a presentation, cartoon strip or a cartoon movie to help educate your patients or interested clients is easy. Many tools are available online which let you render very interesting collaterals that can help ease patient doubts and also make it fun. Tools like www.bitstrips.com which we use to make cartoons helps in creating awareness in an educational yet informal way. Putting these up on your clinic facebook page or on your website is the best option.

These are just some pointers on how technology can help you as a doctor to interact with patients and also general public looking for information in your areas of expertise. It’s time to exercise your power using technology, so see you out there soon.

Single EMR - How far are we?

A unique medical record for each person is considered to be the Holy Grail in the world of healthcare IT – especially when applied to a country like India. When is this going to happen? To begin with a unique medical record would not have to be electronic, but logically speaking it needs to be. A physical record has constraints of sharing and updating, so let’s accept that this unique medical record needs technology to create it. This is a challenge – and a unique opportunity as well, as we do not have any legacy issues; and can piggy back onto the UID initiative started by the Govt of India and spearheaded by Nandan Nilekani.

What will this unique medical record contain? Simple - every piece of your medical history. From your birth, all your medical reports, your changing demographic biological profile, your health information, details about your insurance and your doctors, allergies and medications. It is a time-map of your health, created over time by a range of different people, and owned by you. It will be a combination of your EMR and PHR.

How will this help ? Any doctor you give permission to will be able to see your entire history, thus helping him to make better medical decisions. Today hiring companies and insurance companies are two corporate entities which constantly ask for health check-ups, which means a huge amount of time and money will be saved by giving them permission based access to the required part of the record. For the patients, a continuous record gives them the tool to manage their health better; having a constant record of the test gives a clear indication of what is stable and what is not. Many of us here in India rarely have more than even two previous reports stored properly ! On a much more global scale, statistical and empirical studies on medical data gleaned from these reports provides fodder for research. Predicting disease outbreaks, health hazards, improving living conditions - all require solid data to make proper decisions, all coming from the same source, your medical record. After all – all this data should benefit you !

The challenges to getting a unique medical record are plenty:

a. Lack of technology infrastructure. As PCs get smaller and cheaper (not to mention the entry of ubiquitous smart phones which can compute) and internet penetration scales progressively, this will slowly cease to matter.

b. Lack of cohesiveness in IT solutions . A hundred providers provide a multitude of solutions that look, act and store things differently, so how does one make a unique record, forget about integrating the paper records ? The technology itself is providing an answer , using clever new methods to interface and exchange information.

c. Lack of initiative. Patients and doctors have survived for many years without a unique medical record, and unless appropriate incentives are provided, the situation will remain as it is. Educating the public, providing low cost effective solutions; and providing competitive benefits to those that embrace this technology as early adopters it are a few things that can be done to fast track the change in mindset.

The challenges are vast, but the rewards are too big to not give it a good shot. I think we should also be realistic in what we can achieve. Even once the pieces are in place, entering data for even 10% of the population is going to be a massive task. Also the focus should at first solely be on getting people into the system and capturing all that happens after this point, rather than worrying about the past. The past information can be slowly entered later on. I think we need to move forward, rather than waste time thinking about how to get all the past records of a patient on board.

The ambitious UID scheme only provides the identification mechanism. Now it will be up to healthcare IT firms like Plus91 to integrate this UID mechanism into the software they sell and portals they start, using the UID system to tag each record to a unique person. Over time all providers can then either pool the information or provide access across their databases using this UID. I think a cloud like structure where your record is spread across multiple databases of various providers , but with the same unique tag , is a definite short term possibility. So for you accessing your record using a unique interface will feel like it’s a unique record, but in reality it is but 100 pieces of a jig-saw spread all over the Internet.

This is a challenge – and a huge opportunity !

Increasing ROI on your clinic through EMR

Return on Investment is a very savvy term these days with everyone investing in the share market. Doctors too have been on this bandwagon and closer to home they traditionally invest heavily in their clinic and practice. So what do they invest in?

As a Doctor you would invest in a place, interiors, chairs and tables, medical equipment, cabinets, maybe some staff, etc. And the clinic is flourishing and doing well. So what more can be done by you; to increase your return on the investment that has been made? Well one option is by using technology effectively. Off course, this might require an additional investment but it is minuscule compared to the items given above. This can especially be closely tied with two aspects of the practice, increasing base through customer satisfaction and improving efficiency and productivity of the clinic leading to time and money savings. How you ask? Well first we can discuss the usual plus points, then some interesting aspects which tie into the process of the clinic and finally a good example at a radiology setup where EMR can improve ROI.

The usual plus points of an EMR system run something like this:

a. Better Management of Time – All reports and data in one location for easy search and recall, easy patient registration process, quick look up and reference of historical information, easy creation of bills and receipts, MIS reports generated instantly for tracking and decision making

b. Better Management of Space – Less Paper = More space, also less people in the waiting room now that reports are given instantly and appointments are better managed.

c. Better Management of Money – Know where you earn and spend by looking ledger reports across income and expenses, keep track of who refers you more patients, generate reports in Excel, and increase footfalls with better customer service.
d. Better Management of Patients – Integrated SMS and Email features allow you to keep the patient informed, provide reports in double quick time, generate and give old reports instantly, know your patient history before they walk-in.
All the above go a long way in increasing tangible and intangible returns on investment made on your clinic.

So now this was at a very macroscopic level, how about some interesting micro examples?

a. You as a doctor recently invested in a smart phone. A good EMR system will help you make your smart phone clinic smart. Now get SMS alerts about appointments, Emails of reports or images generated by your assistants for you to approve. Use the camera to take images of an X Ray or a Paper report and store it with the EMR instantly, no extra typing required.

b. You invested in an Internet connection, now use the power of the Internet to maximize your business. Imagine an EMR system which allows patients to access their records remotely, no more crowding in the clinic, or sends Email Reports to patient from abroad, may be this can be the start of your very own little medical tourism practice.

c. You recently invested time in creating just the perfect form to help you manage patient history and details so you can improve decision making. Now imagine if this form is a toy, inserting it into an EMR will be like animating the toy, huge return I would say if you were a kid . Use the power of the PC to capture data and display it in forms which help you maximize the benefits of the template you created. Smart little things like auto-completes, graphs, history look ups help managing information better.

d. You invest in staff, trusting them is an integral part of the learning curve. Get the most out of them by making them enter information which is safe and secure in to the EMR system, it is tangible effort. Also they get trained faster in your field using forms and information provided in the EMR system. Our EMR system comes with AV help files which help learning fun and easier. More importantly, save money in terms of possible loss due to the inventory and accounting modules in the EMR system that help you track all inflow and outflow preventing pilferage and stealing. Be on top of your clinic management because after all it is a business.

Now for the Radiology Clinic example I promised:

At a radiology clinic, the entire business revolves around the Sonography machine or X-Ray machine and the reporting system (On paper or on the PC). The doctor has invested in his/her place, interiors, assume a PC (using Microsoft word for reporting), Sonography Machine, along with other fixtures. So how can a EMR system help here?

Well, I am just going to outline a few points here:

1. Many clinics lose patients especially if they are small because of over crowdedness, patients waiting their turn and also for their due reports. Using a good EMR system like Ultrasite from Plus91 would allow them to better manage their appointments and create a good streamlined flow of patients. Also faster and quicker report generation using the EMR system means less waiting time for patients. This ensures that patients do not undergo too much waiting.

2. A good machine generates images, but the imaging and reporting using these images is what creates solid productivity. Using a good EMR system allows you to over time improve your ability to know what size images and how many are required for report generation. Also tools allows you to now directly import or attach images into the patient report, hence minimizing time required to separately print them from the machine. This is also further improved since to access the images you do not need to search for the image and the report separately but they are available at a single location in the EMR system. All this helps to improve the efficiency of the process in using the Sonography machine. It also saves time and indirectly money leading to better ROI.

3. Government rules require each and every sonography machine to be registered and the clinic to generate Forms and Reports for all female sonographies done as per the PNDT Act. This can be long and tedious with doctors investing manpower, time and stationery in creating this. Imagine if you could increase your ROI even on a government dictum. Ultrasite EMR system allows you to generate the PNDT Form Fs and the final report as part of the normal patient reporting and billing process. Save time and resources to invest in other work, increasing ROI. Also strictly followed formats as per the Act and Alerts keep you informed and in check with the Act. Also No Stationery is wasted due to overprinting or spoilage.

4. Radiology centers usually invest in staff due to the nature of their clinical process; now maximize the ROI on this investment, as staffs provide better reports, keep appointments, track referrals and accounts upto date in the software. Reports and MIS generated through the software is good ROI, which would never have been possible on paper.

5. ROI on time? I think almost all the points above lead to better efficiency and time management. So now you can invest this wisely in creating other avenues for growth.

6. And I think the biggest no brainer is for the PC. Most radiology clinics have a PC either being unused or being used to burn, print images or make reports using MS Word. I think to really use the power of the PC an EMR system is a must, in fact not using one is under utilizing a vital resource that you have!

Designing Personalized Clinical Templates for the EMR

The working of a clinic can be divided into two parts. The administrative portion deals with the business part of a medical practice, such as accounting, insurance, billing , and inventory management. The scale and complexity will depend on the size of the clinic, and is much simpler for single physician clinics, as compared to group practices, for example. The other part is the clinical aspect , where the data captured is clinical in nature. Reports can be created using both these types of data.

Traditionally, clinics have focused only on the administrative uses of medical software, using primarily the appointment and billing modules to help schedule patients and collect payments. The ability of the computer to improve the clinical care of the patient has never been explored properly in India so far.
Why is it so challenging to develop software which a doctor will find clinically useful ? This is because doctors are not able to write their own software – and most software programmers don’t have enough domain expertise in medicine to be able to understand a doctor’s thought processes or a clinic’s work flow.

How hard can it be to convert the doctor’s paper form into an electronic template? This can be quite a challenge for many reasons ! For one reasons, there is little standardization in clinical record keeping. Each doctor loves to develop and design his own medical forms. Doctors take pride in their clinical skills, and each of them does things in their own idiosyncratic fashion. Trying to provide this kind of customization is very difficult for a programmer, because it means spending a lot of time understanding the doctor’s needs, and then implementing them in the program. Not only is this expensive, it’s also very time consuming, because doctors are often too busy to spare the time needed to sit down with the programmer. Even worse, many doctors are not articulate enough to explain to the programmer exactly what it is they want the program to do. This is because they have often not analyzed their own work flows and clinical thought processes, and are quite hazy about these. While they are good at doing what they do, they often are not analytic enough to be able to describe this in writing. Thus, while they are very good at finding faults with the program, they are often not articulate enough to be able to provide solutions! This often ends up causing a lot of frustration for both doctor and programmer!

This is why we have developed a clever model which provides pre-filled generic templates; and allows the doctor to customize these to suit his own needs, so that he does not need to call on us for making any changes he many need !
A doctor who needs an EMR should understand the following basic rules, so that it’s easy for us to convert his paper forms into electronic templates painlessly.

1. How many forms he uses ( for example, an orthopedic surgeon may have a special form for each joint)
2. Whether this form will need to be modified for followup visits
3. Because electronic templates are much more flexible than paper forms, they can be designed much more cleverly. A good doctor will help the computer programmer to design easy to use templates. Thus, those parts of the form which are used most often should be brought to the top; while those which are not essential can be relegated to the bottom.
4. Electronic forms can be “intelligent”, so make use of this. For example, if the answer to: Swelling Present? is: No, then no further fields related to this question will be displayed. However, if it is Yes, then additional fields requesting more information about the swelling will be shown.
5. Remember your question flow when designing the template. This will help you to get used to it quicker and will allow you to pay attention to your patient even while you are capturing data . A good computer program will follow your process, allowing you to become more productive.
6. Finalize your templates and stop tweaking and modifying them all the time – this just wastes time. Some doctors keep on changing their templates, and I still haven’t been able to install their program for them!
7. Unlike a paper form, which only allows you to enter information in a linear sequential format, electronic forms have lots of clever options, such as drop down menus. Not only do these minimize your writing, they also ensure that you remember to collect all the information you need from the patient!

Plus91 has a whole range of templates, individually designed for each specialty, using inputs from its panel of doctors. Your best option would be to start with this; and then change it, depending upon your personal preferences. Plus91 technology is flexible, and allows you to make these changes for yourself! Of course, we can also do this customization for you, if you’d prefer us doing so.

At Plus91, we focus on improving both your practice management and clinical workflow processes in an integrated manner. This means that all the data collected, whether it be in the administrative section or the clinical templates , is captured in the same seamless workflow, cutting down time and effort.

10 reasons to get a PC for your clinic or practice

A computer is standard machinery in most offices today. Invariably some of the better run businesses boast a computer setup. A medical practice is like any other business with a few special characteristics, the most notable ones being: it’s a very personal service being provided and knowledge of this complex service is exclusively with a special few who “operate” the service so to speak. So how does something so impersonal and mundane like a PC find a place in this business? Well we have 10 good reasons why it should find a place in your practice.

1. Medico-Legal Protection

The government makes it mandatory for Doctors to maintain medical records for indoor patients’ period of 3 years. Similarly new bills are being introduced almost each day to ascertain the type and duration of medical record storage. Article 1.3.1 of the Indian Medical Council Regulations actually states “Efforts shall be made to computerize medical records for quick retrieval”.

The data in the electronic format is more secure from theft, destruction and loss if the right precautions are taken. Medical records and accounting information is much more stable and well formatted in electronic form. Hence it is advisable to start moving your data onto the PC. It may just protect you from a legal wrangle sometime down the future.


2. Data Security

As mentioned above data is more secure in electronic formats if the correct precautions are taken. It can be easily backed up in secure locations and also electronic formats present today are a lot sturdier than paper!

Medical records, accounting information, medical notes are valuable information for you, your practice and the clinic. It is a pretty simple choice in moving your data into electronic format; in fact a lot of my clients at Plus91 scan and store their old forms and records in our softwares so that they are secure.

A PC gives you an added resource to be secure about the information you generate and posses at your clinic. Even presentations, lectures and medical notes are better off on a PC.


3. Easy Access to Data

Imagine a patient walks in without her case paper, what do you do? Search your paper records for a copy; that is if you even have one! I know doctors who throw a fit when this happens, but I guess a patient cannot be blamed. What about the times when important decisions need data from old visits or external test reports. Don’t you wish you had them at your finger tips?

A computer in your practice gives you the opportunity to achieve this nirvana. With the right tools and a little training you can have medical records, patient history and even access to online resources to help to make better and quicker decisions.


4. Customer Service

A computer allows you to improve customer service in a multitude of ways. From being able to take and manage appointments more efficiently to generating reports and records quicker, a computer helps you improve the clinic’s interaction with the patient.

Patients often come asking for old records, medical certificates, or with a query which you are not familiar with. In all these cases a computer would help you solve his queries and problems faster. How? Medical record - > search and print, medical certificate -> enter patient information in pre-filled format and print, query -> search for information online or a PC resource to make better decisions or find a relevant doctor to refer to quickly on the internet. Now a days with newer technology better customer service can be provided via SMS and email alerts, online patient interaction, easy record transfers, online appointment etc.


5. Communication

A PC is a very effective communication tool. Right from helping you generate notes and records which communicate medical information to tools on the Internet to let you communicate in general. A PC is a friend when you are in need. Every query will have an answer of some sort on the Internet.

It also allows you to communicate with your peers and post your insights for other to read. Medicine, more than any other domain requires you to be in touch with the latest developments. Books like MIMs are slow to communicate and limited in their effectiveness. Every nation which threatens peace is the one who shuts itself from the world. Communicate because it helps you treat patients better. A PC is the biggest leap you can make in this direction besides getting a cell phone.


6. Save Space!

All those paper records, excess staff required to manage your clinic, overcrowding due to mismanagement of appointments can be avoided by getting a PC. How? Digitizing your patient records help you get rid of them. Make your office paperless, it leaves a wonderful impression on your patients.

Use appointment schedulers to manage inflow of patients. More importantly, an efficient software solution will help you run your clinic or hospital on lesser number of staff. So, yes save space by getting a PC.


7. Generate useful information

Every service or product is improved through feedback, study and statistics. Why should your clinic or your ability to treat patients be any different? A PC helps you capture this information in a logical and effective manner. More importantly it helps you use this information in a more practical manner.

Know how long your patients have to wait, find out what drugs you prescribe more and their actual feedback, find out which patients or procedures help you generate maximum business. And do this within your normal working process. The PC not only helps you capture these, but helps you by giving a systematic and readable output which you can use. A PC provides you with effective tools to help increase productivity and efficiency. In fact many doctors use data gathered to publish studies and write papers!


8. Avoid loss and pilferage

A PC helps you manage your inventory. Using simple office tools or special softwares you can track the status of your disposables items, drugs and other inventory. Many times staff and other stakeholders might steal or take away inventory. Having an ordered system prevents misuse and makes one think twice of taking advantage.

Today, software solutions allow you to auto debit items via bills and also generate reports for per item of usage. A PC is a definite step towards preventing loss and pilferage in the clinic


9. Smoothen Operations

A PC will increase productivity of staff and give them something to work on, even during the lean periods. Also the excitement that comes with using a organized system is something which cannot be discounted. A PC helps smoothen overall operation in your clinic.

Data will be available freely, generate records and reports instantly, cut down on manual repetitive work. Add a new dimension to the work you and your staff do each day.


10. Contribute

A PC allows you or gives you the opportunity to contribute to the medical and knowledge domain. Through emails, blogs, articles you may write which would have gone unwritten, or data you use to support new findings, the PC allows you to contribute like never before.

Contribute to your patient by improving service and efficiency through the use of a computer in your practice. Contribute to your own growth by doing something new today, by buying a PC for your clinic and using it to do the things you only wanted to do but never could.

Finally, clinic and hospitals have been running over the years with or without a computer. A computer may not be a panacea to all your problems or a life changing event in itself. What is does do, is give you an opportunity to be able to do all the above things. All via a single window solution that is your computer screen.

10 Reasons for Doctors to be IT friendly and go paperless (well almost)

Healthcare is a business which requires the noting down of large amount of information, transfer of data and making decisions which are again to be captured. So, I guess it is safe to assume that it is a very paper and pen intensive domain, where patient information, reports and daily interaction all happen on paper. Looking at just this one aspect, it becomes clear that IT can play a major part in driving Healthcare if done right.

So what is the downside to all this paper work? I mean haven’t people been doing it for donkeys years. Paper health records have been kept diligently since a century or more, but technology can not only improve the documentation and storage but also improve processes and speed in making, storing, accessing and using this information. So the 10 reasons why a medical setup should become IT friendly in the paperless space are:

1. Be eco-friendly: Less paper used = more trees saved. Extend your care beyond just your clientele.

2. Storage space: Save money on storage space for large number of records and paper based data. As technology improves cost of data storage goes down and that of physical space goes up.

3. Quick retrieval: Retrieve stored, archived data faster on your PC then from filing cabinet. That’s a straight forward challenge. However much data you may have, whatever the number of records, a simple search will help you access the record within seconds. No more walking down dusty aisles of records or browsing through a clutter of files in your cabinet.

4. All Information at your tips: Just today an orthopedic surgeon complained of not having information of the bone replacement he had done for a patient who needs to get it replaced. Certainly makes life tough for the doctor and risky for the patient. So why not go paperless, all your data on your PC, server, backed up at as many places till you feel safe. Information is valuable, and also how quickly can you get it, access information for a patient or an administrative report instantly on your software.

5. Sharing Data seamlessly: Communication is becoming the cornerstone of society. People travel, people use their phones and the internet and the crowd grows by the minute. Getting or giving information which will help make better decisions about a person’s health is a positive outcome of this boom. Its time you got on the band wagon too. Share your e-records with your peers and patients to improve service quality. Improve your productivity by sharing your administrative information and reports with your CA, vendors, pharmacies, pharma companies.

6. Less Chaos: A large setup usually has paper work flowing around the hospital or medical center, usually resulting in a flood. Imagine a place where there is no clutter. A clean and paper reduced office certainly improves the setup outlook. Not to mention more work gets done when you don’t have to sort through and find records.

7. Increased Capacity: A faster records access, storage and retrieval system gives you and your staff more time. It increases efficiency allowing you to spend more time with your patients, and if the word spreads how efficient your setup is, then maybe even see more patients.

8. Do More: Electronic information traditionally allows you to do more with the data you have. Run multiple reports; create informative statistics which help you improve your clinic. Learn how you can improve your business by using resources better. With paper there is only so much data you can sift through. Why work so hard to get what your PC will do for you in seconds. And give it a chance, trust me there are things which you can’t even imagine that your PC might be able to do.

9. Pay Less: Pay less, because what you spend on the becoming IT friendly is certainly less than what you would cumulatively spend on paper, staff, storage and decreased productivity over time.

10. Look Cool: Nice looking software, with some neat PCs, offering efficient service, quality time, and innovative solutions goes a long way in impressing patients. Also with the decreased paper work, the office looks neater and a place you wouldn’t mind spending time at.