There are many different types of oncology practice management software packages available on the market. This means that choosing the right one for your practice can be quite a lot of for. We know that billing for an oncology practice is very different from regular practices, which is why you should have something in place that is fit for purpose.
Important Factors in Excellent Oncology Practice Management Software
The first thing to look for is whether your oncology practice management software package is based on your server or whether it is on the cloud. Cloud-based systems are often preferred because they are cheaper, more accessible regardless of where you are in the world, so long as you are connected to the internet. This is the type of flexibility that most oncology practice managers are looking for. After all, they often complete the administrative side of their practice at home rather than at work.
Secondly, you should find something that is able to link into your other systems, like your electronic medical records and your verification system. Being able to do this will reduce the chance of human error and it keeps your workload down as well. Many systems are only able to import data from electronic medical records, not linking to record and verify systems. Hence, if you see a system that can do both, you may be on to something really good.
Next, look into whether it has “treatment course” configuration. Because every patient with cancer has to follow a specific treatment course, the billing system is very different from any other type of medical discipline. If you are able to follow your patient throughout their entire journey through the treatment process, you will be sure to be able to bill each element of their treatment, rather than accidentally missing things. It is the weekly charges for radiation oncology that have a particular chance of falling through the net, so it is important that your system can work with that.
The system should also be able to understand the billing cycle you use. In the best case scenario, you don’t have to export anything to an external system. The best systems do not need to interact with anything outside of that system itself, unless it is automatically linked. Any reporting systems should be fully integrated and third party claims should be able to work with your software as well.
Is the software ICD-10 compliant? This came into force in October of this year and involves a range of new codes and rules. If your system doesn’t fit in with those rules, you will struggle to stick to the rules. Older systems that do not comply with these rules tend to be a lot cheaper, but they are pretty much useless.
These are the five important things to think about when you are looking at oncology practice management software. Remember how important it is to choose a system that works well for you because you will be using it for a very long time.
