Computers, in one form or another, are found in almost every area of our lives. And much like an employee, computers can do actual work for you.

They can simplify billing, make note writing faster and more detailed, count your inventory, graph your statistics, recall patients, do accounting, and much more. Essentially, the more work your computer does, the less money you spend on additional staff.

However, this does assume that you are purchasing your software and are not on an indefinite lease, paying forever.

What is software?

Software is a complicated list of instructions that tell the computer step by step what to do. Without software, a computer is just a useless piece of plastic and metal.

A computer can’t do anything without the instructions given by its software. So it makes sense when upgrading your practice’s computer system to first decide which software performs the functions needed for your office. Then, buy the computer that the software will perform best on.

The first use of a computer system in chiropractic was for billing. Doing your insurance billing by manually typing the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) form on a typewriter was boring, slow, and expensive.

Can you imagine having to roll a HCFA form into a typewriter and space by space fill out the entire form? Can you imagine doing that over and over again on an almost constant basis every month? Thankfully, you don’t have to do that anymore.

The evolution of software

Following the first billing systems, came full practice management systems. These systems included integrated scheduling, inventory control, messaging, patient management, statistics, and more. These were a boon for practices because they could further reduce the number of staff required. This made offices more efficient and more profitable.

Next came electronic documentation, document storage, emailing, faxing, digital patient sign-in, and more. Each step reduced the amount of physical labor. This also changed the type of credentials an employee needed to work in a practice.

These days, it is essential to be computer savvy and a trained specialist in the software used in your practice. The real benefit is how one employee, working in conjunction with a modern computer system, can do the work of four employees from 20 years ago.

Currently, the federal government is recommending that healthcare providers computerize their health records to an even greater degree. Gone are the days of just having to worry about the quality and completeness of your exams and daily notes.

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