Why Popular PT Software Companies May Not Be a Fit for Your PT Practice
If you’ve been shopping for a PT software, you’ll notice how much variety there is on the market. The first step is understanding that physical therapy practices have different needs than regular medical practices. Therefore, you need a solution built for PTs. That means comparing features and prices — and thinking seriously about what you need to make your job as a practice owner easier.
With that in mind, here are some reasons why popular PT software companies may not be a fit for your PT practice
They’re Not Designed by Physical Therapists
There are dozens of different practice management software options on the market, but most are not designed with any one type of practice in mind. In other words, they’ve been designed with the notion that all practices need the same basic things — and if they need something additional, they’ll have to find it elsewhere.
PT practices need unique charting tools to track patients’ progress. It’s also helpful if they have targeted diagnosis codes. These things save time and give you and your staff the tools you need to provide the best patient care.
They Aren’t All-in-One Solutions
When we set out to design HENO, we did it because we were tired of trying to cobble together the physical therapy practice management tools we needed from a variety of sources. We wanted all the tools we needed in one place.
While some PT management tools claim to do everything, few of them actually do. For example, many of the products on the market do not have integrated credit card payments. In addition, HENO is the only product that has a fully embedded claims clearinghouse. It’s a feature that can save your medical billing specialist hours of time because it greatly increases the chances that your submitted claims will be paid promptly.
They Don’t Include a Secure Patient Portal
Physical therapists provide a unique type of care for patients with injuries, physical disabilities and other ailments. Because the treatment we provide is ongoing, it’s extremely important to give patients the tools they need to participate in their own care and recovery.
Patient portals have become increasingly important to both physical therapists and patients. They give patients the ability to:
- Schedule, cancel, or reschedule appointments with their physical therapists
- Complete onboarding prior to their first appointment
- Communicate directly with physical therapists and clinic staff
Of course, it’s important to ensure the patient portal you use has the highest possible level of security. Every health care provider, including physical therapists, must adhere to HIPAA regulations and protect their patients’ data.
They Charge for Features That Should be Included
One of the most frustrating things about comparing physical therapy software is that each option has different features. In addition, some have multiple tiers available as well as a list of add-ons that can affect the price.
Some of the add-ons that we commonly see include:
- Marketing tools
- Credit card processing
- Claims payments
We have no issue with add-ons when the pricing is transparent and easy to understand. At HENO, we offer add-ons to send and receive faxes and accept credit card payments, among other things.
However, we do have an issue when companies don’t disclose the charges for add-ons or they mislead customers about which features are included with their products.
They Don’t Work in the Real World
When we recently reviewed some of the most popular PT software on the market, we noticed something. Several of the products we looked at don’t make allowances for the real-world environment of a PT practice.
An example is that some products do not allow providers or staff to save work in progress. As a practice owner, you know that your work can frequently be interrupted by phone calls from patients. If you are creating a patient chart, it’s not reasonable to think that you might get most of the way through your work only to be forced to discard it when the phone rings.
We’ve designed HENO to be useful and practical. We don’t think you should need to duplicate effort or lose your work. We’ve made it easy for your to duplicate and update notes, copy diagnosis information, and save your work. We understand how difficult it can be to manage a practice — and most importantly, we know that your time is valuable.
They Won’t Help You Grow Your Practice
Finally, we’ve noticed that a lot of PT software doesn’t include tools for managing your marketing, tracking referrals, and do other tasks that are necessary if you wish to grow your practice.
We included marketing and referral management in HENO because we recognize that you need an easy and intuitive way to attract new patients. A true all-in-one solution will include the tools you need to grow your practice.
While there’s no shortage of PT software on the market, remember that a software’s popularity doesn’t always mean it’s your best option. You should have everything you need in one convenient solution that will improve your practice.
Ready to see what HENO can do for your practice? Click here to schedule your free demo!
