Tips for Choosing Podiatry Templates

If you are a podiatrist or run a podiatry office, you know how important it is to keep current with record keeping standards. You have to interact with hospitals, surgery centers, pharmacies and fellow medical practitioners. You also need to offer modern patient communication options and comply with ever-changing government medical practice regulations like HIPAA requirements.
Historically, most of the 12,000 podiatrists practicing in the United States practice independently.  You probably have somewhere around four employees in your office – administrative personnel that assist you with scheduling, documentation, billing, claims, and office management.  You’re familiar with the many costs of running your practice: office space, diagnostic equipment, staffing. If you are not part of a hospital or group practice, you may feel particularly stressed by the challenge of managing your office and all that this responsibility entails.
Because of this challenge, podiatrists in general have lagged behind in the switch to (EHR) Electronic Health Records or (PM) Practice Management software. This is true despite the significant monetary incentives for switching from paper or in-house software to Meaningful Use certified software and practices. Like many other podiatrists, you may realize that using EHR/EMR or PM software will save you labor costs and will make your job much easier (and more secure). You just haven’t made the move yet because the switch appears daunting, both to you and to your staff.
However, pressure is growing for podiatrists who have not found effective podiatry software. Some podiatrists jumped too fast, investing in software not tailored for podiatrists, resulting in clunky software and floundering office staff. Other podiatrists are struggling to keep up with HIPAA standards for secure patient record keeping and secure communication.
Small practices struggle to keep up with the expectations of larger health groups such as hospitals, surgery centers, nursing homes and general practices, all of which can afford to invest in extensive, top of the line EHR/EMR systems. These medical partners want to integrate with your practice via the use of EHR/EMR software or PM software, making the need to find the right software all the more crucial.
You’ll want to look for the following criteria when selecting the right software for your office:
Software That Qualifies for Medicare and Medicaid Incentive Programs
Government incentive programs are paying up to $64,000 to podiatry offices that switch to electronic medical records software and complying with Meaningful Use criteria. Look for proof of Meaningful Use certification before investing money in software that won’t help you qualify for these incredible incentives.
Podiatry Templates that Code and Cross Reference for You
Good EHR/EMR software will simplify claims submissions and patient billing. If a template doesn’t make billing easy, move on.
Software That Integrates With Your Business Partners’ Software
Look for software that both offers tailored podiatry templates but also seamlessly integrates with large and small practice software.
Podiatry Templates That Practically Eliminate the Need to Type
Look for software that automatically populates your records with information at the touch of a few keys. The point of using Electronic Medical Records software is the fact that you can reduce how much time is spent on record keeping. If you hire an independent contractor to put together some custom software, he or she will probably come up with some complex system that requires your staff to type as much or more than ever before. Go for a system that has pre-made podiatry templates that are set up to automatically populate with information at the prompting of a few keys.
Templates That Are Easy to Edit and Customize
Ease of use is an important factor to consider. Your staff will adapt to the new software best if the templates are responsive and provide easy-to-select options that both make sense and are flexible. You should be able to code and document medical conditions and procedures with as much or little detail as desired, simply and quickly.
Examples of Podiatry Templates
To learn more about podiatry template options, schedule a demo or check out our podiatry office page.
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