We are living in a digital world, one in which your patients will increasingly expect to be able to use technology to access healthcare services, monitor their well-being, and communicate with their GPs, physicians or clinicians. The bottom line is you need to get with the times if you hope to continue meeting your patients’ demands and deliver a competitive level of patient care.
We’ve put together a list of the latest tech trends which you can incorporate to help streamline your practice’s day-to-day operations.
Unlocking patient value with CRM software
Customer Relationship Management – or CRM – software is designed to securely store your patient data plus handle all patient communications,
scheduling, and outreach work. The advantage of CRM software is that it helps keep you compliant and sets you up to make the best of
opportunities to improve your profitability. It is also useful for managing your marketing campaigns as the more you know about your
clients, the more comprehensive your understanding of what they need and how to connect with them, so ensuring your practice goes beyond the
average duty of care to truly offer value for money.
Telehealth is the future
The central feature of telehealth is that the person accessing the health service –
i.e. the patient – is not physically in the same location as the professional providing the service – i.e. the health care
practitioner. Telehealth via video consultations can improve access to healthcare for patients who live in regional, rural and remote areas
of Australia, or in the case of COVID-19 restrictions, will encourage your patients to continue to seek out healthcare. Usability,
security, privacy, cost and integration are all important factors when setting up a telehealth service.
The future is paperless
Running a medical practice by its very nature generates paperwork. And paperwork demands storage room, a lot of it, depending on the size of
your practice. Going paperless is clean, efficient and can help prevent the loss of sensitive patient information. Going paperless not only
means you will be more organised and more easily able to share relevant documents and details, but you’ll also be saving on printing and
storage costs.
Migrating to The Cloud
The beauty of cloud technology is that it negates the need for your own servers, hard drives or disks as all data pertaining to your practice is now stored and managed by third-party cloud service providers. And said providers go to great lengths to combat security breaches and ensure your data remains safe always. Ultimately, migrating to the cloud means freeing up more operating memory (RAM) on your computers’ hard drives which can help extend their lifespan and speed up their processing capabilities, mimimising your computer hardware expenses.
If you’re still unsure regarding the upsides offered by this seemingly ethereal cloud, you could do a trial run using Gmail’s Google Drive,
an excellent tool to get you acquainted with document archiving and sharing. Google Drive’s cloud storage facility is free up to a certain
level of gigabytes and allows for anyone to view, and even edit documents, from anywhere, at any time. Once you are more comfortable using
this technology, you can always explore the cloud storage facilities offered by paid third-party providers. Cloud-based accounting software,
like Xero, delivers high level business accounting visibilty quickly and efficiently.
Online outreach
The trick to reaching and recruiting new patients is to meet them where they are at and because this is primarily online, you need to
cultivate your digital presence so that potential clients can find you more easily. Start by investing in a bespoke website and expand your
digital marketing strategy to include Facebook advertising, Google AdWords, and so on.
Establish a patient portal
The motivation behind creating a patient portal is to put more power in their hands and make life easier for you and your practice staff. A
patient portal enables your clients to access their personal records, get swift answers to their queries, book appointments, and more. Say
goodbye to misplaced communications, misunderstandings, and no-shows.
What now?
Need more advice regarding how technology can aid your practice? SMART Business Solutions are on hand to assist in getting your practice up to speed, ensuring you are better positioned to meet your patients’ expectations and deliver the quality of healthcare that will make your practice great. Contact us today on 03 5911 7000 to get the conversation started.
As Australia's highest marginal tax bracket impacts more individuals, a growing number of Australians face rising tax obligations due to "bracket creep," where wage growth outpaces tax rate adjustments. This trend is expected to persist, with tax-efficient strategies the backbone for financial advice to help individuals secure long-term wealth.
Discover 9 essential financial planning tips to help new and expecting parents manage the costs of parenthood with confidence and ease.
The Taxable Payments Annual Report (TPAR) is a mandatory report for Australian businesses in certain industries to disclose contractor payments to the ATO by August 28 each year, ensuring accurate tax reporting.
