Electronic record keeping more important than ever

At the recent ADPA conference in Darwin, Dr Shane McGuire highlighted the importance of "Record Keeping and informed consent". Prosthetists were informally discussing the several clinics in Australia that have been audited by Health Care Providers and had to close down as a result. This goes to show that inadequate record keeping may well be the #1 threat to your business - and so it was no surprise that the BaseDiary Practice Administration Software booth in Darwin was overwhelmed with practitioners wanting to use the system.

Fortunately record keeping doesn't need to be a pain in the neck these days. Electronic patient administration systems such as BaseDiary capture all the essential information automatically and the software is designed in a way that records are stored securely. This provides practitioners with "peace of mind" knowing that if they ever get audited, all relevant information is available at the tip of a button. Paper and pen record keeping has it's limitations for modern clinics and the risks of losing records or the time required to search for records far outweigh the cost of computerised practice administration.

More importantly, record keeping is the cornerstone of any successful and profitable business. Current and historic patient and client information is the basis of your future business. If this value information is available in electronic format, it can be used for attracting future business and for decision making. For example, do you know:

• How your marketing dollars are spent most effectively for attracting business to your practice?
• Which patients should you contact for recalls this month? (and how long does it take you to generate a complete list of recall patients)?
• What is your most profitable treatment and how many of them did you do last month/last year?

By using a good software package and storing information electronically, you will be able to easily determine key information you need to know to run your business. As they say - the trick is to work smarter not harder and software packages like BaseDiary lets you do exactly that.

New technology also makes record keeping much easier for practitioners these days. The phenomenal success of the Apple iPad is a result of its ease of use and versatility which makes the iPad one of the most useful gadgets in a clinic environment. The iPad is an invaluable tool for capturing information quickly (including before/after photos) and storing data electronically - in particular for practitioners who use remote clinics or visit patients. BaseDiary is the only practice administration software that runs on the Apple iPad and it integrates seamlessly with all other systems - this means when you return from a patient visit and switch on your computer in the lab or at home, details of the patient you have just visited are already entered in your system.

Innovative technology, sound business processes and reliable software are readily available these days to make life easier for practitioners resulting in more profitable clinics that are worth more in the future when the time comes to sell your business and let others do the hard work.

For more information about BaseDiary, see www.basediary.com.au.