When it comes to medical offices, every day is different! Software technology is helping medical offices stay ready for what lies ahead. More importantly, the right software helps your practice be flexible and better managed. In this article, we will discuss the top 7 software used in medical offices. These programs not only improve efficiency and accuracy but also enhance patient care and overall office management.

We’ll break down medical-specific software and then move on to more general software that medical offices can utilize.

Medical Software

There are tons of options and providers when it comes to software used in a medical office. Let’s start with the most common:

EHR (electronic health records)/EMR (electronic medical records):

EHR are digital files of patient records. Usually, these records are limited to care with a specific provider. They are narrower in scope in the information that they cover. EMRs are more comprehensive digital files of the patient’s health records. An EMR gives the history of most/all of a patient’s records and is highly useful for practices.

Both of these options cover many of the same functions. Most medical professionals will group them together. They provide a ton of benefits including:

• Improved sharing of patient information: EHR/EMR software makes it easy to view and share information between care providers.
• Enhanced patient care: Your practice can always stay up to date on the latest development with patients. This means you can make the right call with the right information.
• Reduced errors: EHR/EMR systems eliminate sloppy handwriting and can notify staff when patient documents are missing information.
• Automation: EHR/EMRs can automate workflows and use custom-made templates for patient documents. Some systems can even tackle other tasks such as scheduling, billing, e-prescription, and more.
• Improved communication: These software solutions allow doctors and other staff to communicate and make the best decisions.
• Increased Revenue: You can use PMS to help improve billing accuracy, reduce claim denials, and speed up the payment process.

To find out more about EHR/EMR check out our article here:

Practice Management Software (PMS)

Practice management software is an all-in-one platform that medical offices can use to tackle tasks such as scheduling, claims automation, analytics, and a whole host of other features which you can find out about right here. Where EHR/EMR is about patient records and making it easier to treat patients, most PMS is focused on running all the operations of a medical office. This can be game-changing software for small clinics that are looking to improve their business fundamentals. PMS can benefit practices though:

• Streamlined Workflow: Work on multiple aspects of your clinic all at once, from marketing to scheduling all in one application. You can automate tasks and simplify workloads with just a couple of clicks.
• Better Patient Communication: Most PMS systems contain patient portals and can intercept communication from multiple different channels (email, text, etc.)
• Centralized Information: PMS software makes it easy to share information between departments and specialties with centralized storage for documents.
• Customizable Workflow: You’ll be able to make customized workflows, documents, and procedures in most PMS software.

Billing Software

Medical billing software is vital to the health of your clinic. As such, it is one of the top software used in a medical office. Not only can it help you process claims quickly and easily, but it can help you scale your business. Some of the best benefits include:

• Automating the billing process: Billing software can save time and improve efficiency. Staff no longer need to manually enter billing information into a system.
• Improving accuracy: Software can help reduce errors in billing, which can save money and improve customer satisfaction.
• Improving cash flow: Medical offices can reduce their debt by using software to collect payments more quickly.
• Providing insights: Billing software can provide insights into billing practices, which can help them identify areas where they can improve.
• Improving compliance: Billing software can help medical offices comply with billing regulations, which can help avoid costly fines and penalties.
• Improving patient satisfaction: Patients can easily view and pay their bills online, which can reduce frustration and improve the overall patient experience.
• Increasing efficiency: Billing software can help medical offices manage their time and resources more effectively, which can lead to increased productivity.
• Reducing late payments: Billing software can send automated reminders to patients about upcoming bills, which can help reduce the number of late payments.

Both PMS and EHR/EMR may contain some form of telehealth software and e-prescription software. They may also contain the ability for medical dictation; however, all of these services could be their own software solutions as well. The reason PMS and other medical software is a great choice for medical offices is that they provide a ton of features for practices. Most software used in a medical office fall under one of these categories.

Scheduling Software

Scheduling software is an absolute necessity for medical offices. Patients and staff need to be able to schedule appointments with ease. The right scheduling software used in a medical office can make the difference between a patient choosing your services over others. Here are some of the major benefits of using scheduling software:

• Automating the appointment scheduling process: This can save time and improve efficiency, as staff no longer need to manually enter appointment information into a calendar.
• Improving patient satisfaction: Patients can easily schedule appointments online, which can reduce frustration and improve the overall patient experience.
• Reducing no-shows: Scheduling software can send automated reminders to patients about upcoming appointments, which can help reduce the number of no-shows.
• Increasing efficiency: Scheduling software can help medical offices manage their time and resources more effectively, which can lead to increased productivity.
• Improving billing: Scheduling software can help medical offices track patient appointments and generate billing statements, which can improve the accuracy and timeliness of billing.

Overall, scheduling software can be a valuable tool for medical offices. It can help improve efficiency, patient satisfaction, and billing accuracy.

Customer Relationship Management Software

Customer relationship management (CRM) software is a tool that can be used to track customer contact information, sales leads, and customer interactions. CRM software can also be used to automate tasks such as sending email campaigns, tracking customer satisfaction, and generating reports.

CRM software can be a valuable tool for medical offices because it can help them improve their efficiency and customer service. For example, CRM software can help medical offices:

• Track and manage patient contact information: Medical offices can use CRM software to track patient contact information such as phone numbers, email addresses, and mailing addresses. This can help medical offices stay organized and communicate with patients more effectively.
• Manage leads and appointments: CRM software can help medical offices manage leads and appointments. This can help medical offices ensure that they are following up with potential patients and that they are scheduling appointments in a timely manner.
• Automate tasks: CRM software can help medical offices automate tasks such as sending email campaigns, tracking customer satisfaction, and generating reports. This can free up medical office staff to focus on other tasks.
• Improve customer service: CRM software can help medical offices improve customer service by providing them with a better understanding of their customers. For example, CRM software can help medical offices track customer satisfaction, identify potential problems, and resolve customer issues more quickly.
• Increasing sales: CRM software can help medical offices track and manage sales leads. It can also help medical offices automate sales tasks, such as sending emails and scheduling appointments.

Policy Management Software

Policy management software can greatly benefit medical offices by streamlining and centralizing policy-related tasks. This can help you stay compliant with regulatory laws and make sure all of your documents are protected. Most importantly, policy management software is useful for mitigating risks. Some of the main benefits of policy management software include:

• Streamlining the policy creation process: Policy manager software can help medical offices create and manage their policies and procedures electronically. This can save time and improve accuracy, as staff no longer need to manually create and update policies.
• Centralized repository: Medical offices must maintain and manage numerous policies, procedures, and guidelines. Policy management software provides a centralized location where all these documents can be stored, accessed, and updated easily. This eliminates the need to search through physical or disparate digital files, making it easier to find and review relevant policies.
• Reducing risk: Policy manager software can help medical offices reduce risk by providing them with a way to track and manage all of their policies and procedures. This can help to ensure that all employees are aware of the policies, and it can also help to prevent accidents and injuries.
• Consistent formatting: Policy management software can enforce a standard format and structure for all documents, promoting consistency and making it easier for staff to locate and understand the information they need.
• Automated workflows: Policy management software can streamline policy creation, review, approval, and distribution processes by automating many of these steps. This can save time and resources, as well as help ensure that no steps are missed in the process.
• Regulatory compliance: Medical offices must comply with various regulations, such as HIPAA, OSHA, and Joint Commission standards. Policy management software can help track and manage compliance requirements, identify gaps, and notify responsible parties to take corrective action.

Online Fax Service

Most medical offices use or receive faxes every day in some form or another. Online faxing which is HiPAA complaint makes sharing documents easy. Some of the best benefits of online fax software are:

• Enhanced security: Online fax services typically provide encryption for both sending and receiving faxes, helping to protect sensitive patient information and maintain compliance with regulations like HIPAA.
• Cost savings: Using an online fax service can help reduce expenses associated with traditional fax machines, such as phone lines, ink, paper, and maintenance.
• Accessibility: With online fax services, medical staff can access and manage faxes from any device with an internet connection, allowing for increased flexibility and mobility.
• Organization: Online fax software can help streamline document management by allowing users to easily store, search, and organize faxes electronically.
• Environmental friendliness: By reducing paper waste and energy consumption associated with traditional fax machines, online fax services can help promote an eco-friendlier office environment.
• Scalability: Online fax services can be easily scaled to meet the changing needs of a medical office, making it simple to add or remove users as necessary.
• Automatic notifications: Many online fax services offer automatic notifications for incoming faxes, which can help ensure that important documents are not missed and are promptly attended to.

Picture Archiving Software

Picture archiving systems are vital systems for medical offices. These software systems help store image information for future use. They may contain images such as X-rays or MRIs and others from medical tests. Some of the benefits include:

• Organization: The software keeps all the images neat and tidy, so doctors can find them quickly when they need to.
• Space-saving: Since the images are stored digitally, they don't take up any physical space like old-fashioned films or prints would.
• Sharing: If a doctor needs another expert's opinion, they can share the images easily through the software, instead of mailing or hand-delivering them.
• Security: The software helps protect patient privacy by keeping the images secure and only allowing authorized people to view them.
• Easy access: Medical staff can look at the images from any computer or device connected to the system, which means they can review them even if they're not at the office.

Ready to Find the Right Software for You?

360Connect has your back. We help medical offices find the right software for their needs every day. Just fill out our 1–2-minute form and we'll contact you to verify your information. From there, you can receive up to 5 quotes all for free! It's that easy!