Medical software is the technology that helps doctors and hospitals run their practices. You can access patient information and make treatment decisions with digital medical records. Digital healthcare software supports patient-monitoring programs, ambulatory care management systems, appointment scheduling tools, and more. Advanced analytic techniques, such as artificial intelligence (AI), help physicians identify trends in patient outcomes over time to improve results further down the line.
What is Healthcare Software?
Healthcare software refers to information technology programs used to optimize manual workflows and help practitioners in healthcare settings. Healthcare software development is changing workflow and helping to scale healthcare companies. For example, healthcare software can help with patient management, payment processing, record management, and staff performance monitoring. Healthcare software automates tasks, reduces costs, and improves patient care and outcomes.
Most Common Types of Healthcare Software
Different types of healthcare software can assist doctors, nurses, management staff, and other healthcare stakeholders. Here is a list of typical healthcare software applications commonly used in hospitals and other healthcare facilities:
Electronic Health Records
An electronic health record (EHR) is a digital version of a patient chart, but it contains a more comprehensive snapshot of the patient’s medical history. Electronic health records are intended to be shared with other providers, so authorized users are able to access a patient’s EHR from multiple healthcare providers. It strongly focuses on front-office functions like scheduling appointments and gathering patient information. There are few bells and whistles here, but it does have some basic features, such as electronic prescriptions and lab results stored in the cloud, along with other medical information like allergies or past surgeries performed by each patient.
The two most common types of EHR software are:
Electronic patient record software (EPR) is used internally by hospitals to manage and store patient records.
Electronic medical record software (EMR) is used to store information such as medicine types and dosages, previous and planned processes, and data on the patient’s rehabilitation course.
Medical Billing And Accounting Software
Medical professionals use billing and accounting software to bill health insurance companies and track payments. This type of software can be used to track patient accounts and payments. It also generates reports on your practice’s revenue. In addition, medical billing software gives you access to essential data that help make business decisions about patients’ care plans. This is another subset of software solutions devoted to financial operations in healthcare facilities. The feature of medical billing software includes the full range of accounting activities (billing, invoicing, bookkeeping, and so on). Even though standalone products of this type are available in the market, the software is primarily a component of either EHR or hospital management systems.
Patient Portal Software
Patient portal software is a secure website that gives patients access to their medical records and allows them to communicate with their doctors. It can be used for scheduling appointments, submitting claims, and viewing test results. This type of software is excellent for patient engagement because it allows patients to stay in touch with their doctors while moving or out of town.
Hospital Management Software
Hospital management software facilitates hospital administration in the day-to-day processes of the hospital. These programs typically assist accounting, medical billing, claims, outpatient, inventory, bed management, and other procedures. Hospital management software frequently combines with EHR software to help maintain track of patient records simultaneously.
Medical Imaging Software
Medical imaging software analyzes CT, MRI, and PET scans and can create treatment-relevant 3D visualizations. Surgeons, for example, assess a 3D model of a specific patient on an MRI scan before performing procedures. Medical imaging software is used to print and design medical devices such as implants and artificial limbs. As 3D printing has become more common and complicated, this will become a more functional area for medical imaging software. Before beginning orthodontic treatment, 3D modeling software creates and prints a realistic model of a patient’s teeth.
E-prescribing Software
As more countries around the globe transition to electronic prescriptions, e-prescribing software is becoming a necessity for doctors. The software allows doctors to track, renew, and cancel medications for their patients. It also connects to national drug reference databases. E-prescriptions benefit patients and doctors because prescribing procedures are greatly simplified by e-prescribing software.
Medical Diagnosis Software
Medical diagnosis software enables physicians to transfer anonymized patient records to fill any information gaps that prevent them from providing a precise diagnosis. This software frequently employs artificial intelligence (AI) to evaluate all available patient information and generate a possible diagnosis.
Medical diagnosis apps are also accessible to individuals. These apps allow users to determine whether their symptoms necessitate a trip to the doctor. During the COVID-19 pandemic, diagnosis apps like these became popular.
Practice Management Software
Practice management software is designed to make the daily tasks of running a medical practice easier. This includes:
- Organizing your day and planning appointments
- Managing patient information, such as their history and contact details
- Handling staff schedules, workflow, and communication between departments
- Managing finances, including billing system integration with other systems (e.g., accounting)
Practice management software is also great for managing inventory and marketing materials as they’re often available online or through third-party platforms like Google Docs or Microsoft Office 365.
Ambulatory EHR software
Ambulatory EHR software is medical software that allows doctors to access patient data from a remote location. This allows them to communicate about patients in real-time, which means you can get updates on how your patients are doing before they even reach your office.
Ambulatory EHR software also allows you to access your patient files on any device (including smartphones) and at any time—no matter where you are! This makes it easy for people who work long hours or live far away from their offices because they never have trouble finding what they need when they need it most.
Telemedicine Software
Telemedicine software is a way to connect patients and doctors over a distance. This software can be used in rural areas where there are few doctors and other healthcare professionals available. In these cases, telemedicine software allows patients to speak with their doctor via video chat or audio call instead of making an appointment in person. Doctors use telemedicine software to prescribe medications online. The telemedicine software system increases workflow, decreases medication errors, shortens the time it takes to resolve the mistakes, and enhances record filing. Telemedicine also helps doctors by giving them more time with each patient, which means they’ll be able to see more complicated cases and provide better care.
Clinical Decision Support Software
Clinical decision support software helps doctors to make better decisions. It helps them interpret data and make sense of it, which can help them understand how to treat patients in the best way possible. This type of software is a good tool for doctors who aren’t sure about how to treat patients or don’t have experience treating specific conditions, such as cancer or heart disease.
Prescription Drug Reference Software
Prescription drug reference software is a must-have for any medical practice. It helps you stay up to date on new drugs, find the best drug for your patient’s condition and weight, and track which treatment options have been used most effectively in the past.
Revenue Cycle Management Software
Revenue cycle management software is a medical practice management software that helps manage the billing process, accounts receivable, and accounts payable. It also allows you to manage collections, patient payments, and financials.
Appointment Scheduler Software
Appointment scheduling software can help you manage patient data and schedule appointments, as well as track key metrics such as wait times for patients. You might also want to consider using appointment scheduling software if you’re looking for ways to improve customer relations and increase revenues by automating tasks like managing billing accounts and collecting payments from insurance companies or Medicaid providers.
Medical Analytics Software
Medical analytics software helps in analyzing data and making sense of it. It can improve patient outcomes, hospital operations, medical research, and education. Medical analytics software can help doctors to identify patterns in their patient’s health records, such as charting or record-keeping alone. The information gathered through this analysis can be used for diagnosis or treatment plans individually and across your entire practice population.
Remote Patient Monitoring Software
Remote patient monitoring (RPM) collects patient information outside hospitals or other organizations using cutting-edge technology. Medical diagnostics can be performed remotely, irrespective of the patient’s location. In times like these, when the COVID-19 pandemic is restricting many doctors from seeing their patients, this type of healthcare software is beneficial. An RPM system also ensures that patients receive the necessary treatment when and where they need it.
Conclusion
This article has covered different healthcare software options available to doctors. Healthcare software makes life easier for a doctor who’s been in practice for many years. Doctors and hospitals can take advantage of technology to advance the practice of medicine. These software tools can improve patient outcomes, reduce costs and increase revenue. Every practice is different, and we all have our own needs and preferences in what we use. So, do your research before deciding which program will work best for your practice.
