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"you are the only computer company we have worked with that actually seems to care when things are not working, and gets things done
promptly. We all very much appreciate that." |
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| Recent Cosmetic Surgery Times Comparison Article |
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Today's practice management software keeps back office front-loaded for revenue
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Dr. Joseph and Jennifer Aguiar
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Providing procedures of choice rather than of medical necessity almost demands that cosmetic surgeons employ state-of-the-art software to best leverage customer relationships from first contact to follow-up appointments, sources tell Cosmetic Surgery Times. Along the way, one mustn't overlook optimizing functions such as scheduling, billing, managing retail inventory and tracking employee performance and marketing/advertising dollars to maximize practice revenues.
Nearly all medical practices use some form of practice management software, says Marie Olesen, CEO of La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Center and developer of Inform & Consent and other programs now marketed through Mentor Solutions, which has approximately 1,100 installations. Traditional medical practices operate in cost-oriented businesses, documenting transactions such as appointments, charges, and third-party payments, according to Ms. Olesen. |
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In contrast, she says, "Cosmetic practices are in a 'revenue' business. Because they are in retail medicine, they have the potential to increase revenue and profit by managing proactively." Therefore, she says, cosmetic practices are well advised to invest in software designed to grow revenue, with capabilities including customer relationship management (CRM), imaging, and point of sale (POS) tracking. According to Ms. Olesen, a good rule of thumb is that if 30 percent of one's revenues come from cosmetic services and sales prior to automating these processes, she says, "It might be 45% with them."
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| NEED-BASED DESIGN Effective CRM software, for example, tracks all steps in the transition from prospective caller to patient: who called, made and kept appointments, to who scheduled and completed surgeries. "What continues to be unique about our software is that we're designing or changing its features based on needs determined in the day-to-day running of the practice," Ms. Olesen explains. |
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Another software option, CosmetiSoft (Meditab Software, Inc.; formerly Lynx), allows users to capture data relevant to determining returns on marketing, advertising and p.r. investments right at the point of new patient registration, including how the patient heard about the practice and what procedures the patient is interested in. Receptionists enter this information by choosing from convenient on-screen lists. "Immediately upon registration of a new contact, the system starts gathering information automatically," says Larry Peterson, product developer and Lynx founder. The system then permits patient coordinators to follow patients, making sure they've had consultations and keeping contact with those who don't immediately schedule surgery. "They can also give the patient multiple surgery quote options. The system tracks that very elegantly — from scheduling through billing," using custom templates for each physician, procedure, and surgery site combination, Mr. Peterson explains.
ONE-STOP SHOP Plastic Surgery Tampa and Essentials Med Spa chose CosmetiSoft because it encompassed all the billing, marketing, and POS capabilities the practice required at a competitive price, says Jennifer Aguiar, owner and practice administrator. Previously, the practice used one program for spa and POS functions, another for patient tracking and billing. However, this arrangement proved cumbersome because some staffers only knew one or the other program. Ms. Aguiar says that when she purchased CosmetiSoft, she asked its developer to incorporate some features from her old system, such as gift-card tracking. The company has begun implementing the changes, she reports. "When you're working with a software company," she advises, "you don't want to buy a package that they think is perfect." Rather, pick a good product whose developer welcomes suggestions.
In addition, Ms. Aguiar recommends making sure a product's POS capabilities are user friendly and comprehensive, including a barcode scanner and tracking of taxable versus nontaxable items, a feature which many programs can't handle. "Marketing and referral tracking are very important. You need to know your ROI [return on investment] on all your marketing pieces," and whom to thank for referrals, she says.
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NexTech Practice 2007 offered the most complete solution for Jacob Haiavy, M.D., a Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.-based cosmetic surgeon in private practice. "It makes it easy to integrate marketing with financing, inventory, and patient information," he says. "The nice thing is it's an all-in-one program." Before, separate programs for patient information/scheduling, financing, and marketing meant that "we had to enter the same information into three different programs." His only criticism of NexTech is that rather than giving two days' training, "They should come back six months later and give you another two days to get you to really use the program correctly." Fortunately, Dr. Haiavy says, the company's customer service has been excellent.
"In choosing practice management software," advises software firm NexTech Systems, Inc., "cosmetic surgeons should look for practice management and electronic medical records (EMR) software that covers all aspects of their practices in one program: prospect tracking, patient retention, scheduling, quoting, billing, pre-operative and consent packets; EMR that's seamlessly integrated with all practice management features, letter writing, reports, marketing, inventory tracking, medical spa features and the ability to customize the software." The company's client base includes more than 2,000 physicians in the plastic surgery and dermatology fields. NexTech also works closely with Allergan's Practice Consulting team.
However, counsels Ms. Olesen, be aware that a potential downside to selecting an integrated, one-stop-shop software is that it requires staying with a sole vendor, which could pose problems if a particular module is weaker than a competitor's.
SPECIAL FEATURES Another program with streamlining marketing capabilities is iMars, which has three systems installed and more than 10 under evaluation, according to Henry Tehrani, iMars Systems president. As part of its CRM capabilities, "We provide a simple link from our system to the doctor. The doctor will place that link in their Web site, and if a patient wants to communicate with the doctor, they just click on that link, fill out their information, and that information is directly ported to the practice's desktop and into our database without any human intervention," he says. The iMars system also features a consult tracking function permitting physicians to track which consultants, in-house and otherwise, are actually building bookings. Many outside consultants promise to bring in prospective patients, Mr. Tehrani notes, "But there's usually zero follow-up to see how many actually booked appointments." For Bruce Kadz, M.D., consultant tracking is just part of iMars' appeal. "I wanted to have everything subcategorized by procedure," with monthly and quarterly totals to track seasonal procedure trends so his Beverly Hills-based solo practice could boost or reduce marketing accordingly. The software also allows participating practices to share patient demographic information. Why would surgeons want to share this information? "Not every cosmetic surgeon offers the same discipline," Mr. Tehrani answers. "They all have a variety of disciplines that [may] complement one another." Without revealing patients' identities, patient demographics might help pinpoint fruitful zip codes for liposuction advertising, for example.
EMR, PLEASE Going forward, most users' wish lists include EMR. All vendors contacted currently offer or plan to add this capability near-term. According to NexTech's EMR description, this means that: "All aspects of the patient's paper chart can be completed with the touch of a button. The EMR package includes thousands of plastic surgery, dermatology and medical spa templates, as well as user-friendly functionality. All aspects of the patient visit, from first consult to pre-op, consents and surgery center intraoperative reports, along with operative and post-op notes, are covered for virtually every cosmetic procedure."
COST COMPARISON Although varying configurations and pricing strategies make direct comparisons difficult, costs for cosmetic practice management software range from a few hundred dollars monthly to upwards of $30,000 total. At the upper end, Dr. Haiavy's five-user NexTech system cost $35,000. Mentor Solutions packages range from between $10,000 and $30,000, Ms. Olesen says.
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osmetiSoft typically costs 30% to 50% less than a comparable NexTech system, according to Mr. Peterson. Where many other vendors use component-based pricing, he says, "We basically give a cosmetic surgeon everything his office needs in a complete package for one price." A complete 10-user system, for instance, costs approximately $10,000, plus a support fee of $400 monthly, he says. "In all cases, data conversion from existing systems, if required, is charged separately and usually runs less than about $1,500," he adds. Currently, about 50 practices use CosmetiSoft.
For those who prefer a modular system, iMars' prices range from $1,500 up to $8,500 for a complete package, currently without monthly maintenance or upgrade charges. The system may also be leased for $200 to $300 monthly.
TRAINING AND INSTALLATION Understandably, the type of staff training required depends both on the features selected and staff familiarity with the function being automated. Since most Mentor Solutions purchasers already have experience with scheduling and billing packages, Ms. Olesen explains, "They prefer the lower cost of online training. But for sales management, which might be completely new to the staff, on-site training is a better solution." Either way, she advises selecting a vendor that's flexible.
CosmetiSoft offers eight hours' free web-based training, and follow-up online training at $25 per hour. "When it's time to do training," says Ms. Aguiar, "they remotely log onto your computer. It's like they're sitting at the desk with you, moving the mouse and walking you through it."
iMars Systems is extending the Internet concept. "We are trying to do every installation remotely. That's very new in this business," says Mr. Tehrani. This requires users to grant the firm limited access to a folder in which its software resides. "We remotely monitor that for any kind of errors, updates, or anything else required. The end user will never have to touch any uploads, downloads or installs." The company is also developing remote database repair capability, he adds. |
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For more information
http://www.mentorsolutions.com/
http://www.cosmetisoft.com/
http://www.nextech.com/
http://www.topsurgeon.com/
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