What should a chiropractic office management and billing system provide in terms of front desk processing? Since the front desk is the first point of contact with a patient, this is an important question.

First, front desk software should provide an effective, low cost way to intake existing patients. One successful approach that a software package provides is that patients are given a scanning key tag which they simply scan at a desk for entry. This scanning process automatically initiates setup and processing of the patient's visit. The key tag is often used in other ways such as one key tag being used for an entire family. From a marketing perspective this software company provides the capability to custom imprint a practice's key tag with a logo or important contact information about a chiropractic office.

When the patient scans his tag, if necessary, front desk action notifications occur to alert office staff of a situation that needs to be addressed. For example, if a bill is yet to be paid that can be flagged or if the patient is out of compliance with his practice plan. At the front desk, notifications can be handled as the patient stops by the front desk as instructed at the check-in station.

Other information which could be provided is the number of days left on a care plan, days left in a precertification or care plan, number of insurance visits left, number of cash visits, number of free visits. In effect with the system like this, only the patients will be stopped that actually need to see the front desk after a system checks and verifies over a hundred different variables related to a patient's records.. This frees up staff for other work and provides for a more efficient overall patient flow in the office.

The benefits of using automated patient check in with a key tag are significant. First, less labor is required to process the patient visit. Second, there is less chance of errors that could impact collections, coding mistakes, and other problems. Third, automated check in, often not requiring office staff to be involved, reduces the labor cost associated with check in and also helps to eliminate long waiting periods for patient check in during peak hours for patients.

With a fully automated system such as the one we've described a practice can see anywhere from a hundreds visits a week to a thousand visits a week. The number of visits, of course, a practice sees will significantly impact profits. That's why the payback from investing in chiropractic software can be so substantial.

If you are considering a chiropractic billing and practice management system, you should carefully consider what capabilities you are looking for, read about the features each system offers, and decide what features are important to you. This will help you select software that is a best fit for your practice and software that meets your own budget guidelines.




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