 June 2002 • Volume 8 • Number 6 |
Technology is your friend. You know it, yet you've delayed purchasing practice management software that would automate functions such as billing, tracking appointments and filing insurance claims -- which would give you more time to spend on patient care.
Or maybe software you bought in the not-too-distant past has already become outmoded.
Either way, AAFP is here to help.
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With so many medical software packages to choose from, it can be a challenge to select the right technology and software for your practice. To help steer you through the selection process, AAFP has collaborated with Microsoft to evaluate nine practice management systems, all of which work on the Microsoft platform. The evaluation is available online at http://www.aafp.org/practice/techguide/. A link is also available to install Acrobat Reader, which is required to view the guide.
The evaluation, made public by President Warren Jones, M.D., of Ridgeland, Miss., at the AAFP Annual Leadership Forum here on April 26, offers a comprehensive listing of each system rated for a variety of criteria.
The guide will enable physicians to make better-informed choices about information technology, an area where some doctors may feel ill-equipped to make a decision, said Jones.
"This is really one of the better benefits we've offered members in a long time," Jones said. "I talk all the time with family docs who say they're being asked to do more and more with information technology. This project gives us a lot of the background we need to do that."
Reviewers looked at criteria such as functionality, reliability and current customer satisfaction. In addition, the guide includes information on the financial viability of each product's vendor.
The report sparked immediate interest at the forum among physicians who were planning to purchase systems. John Sattenspiel, M.D., of Salem, Ore., said that even though his practice is small, his staff is getting bogged down by paperwork.
"You can't effectively maintain quality, accountability and good preventive care with paper records," he said. "Besides, our liability risk increases as we continue to use paper records."
The research for the report took place over two years. FP Robert Flaherty, M.D., of Bozeman, Mont., served as AAFP's technical adviser. Vendors evaluated for the guide were Compusense, e-MDs, Greenway, InfoSys, MedStar, Millbrook, NextGen, PerfectPractice and Visionary.
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Copyright © 2002 by
American Academy of Family Physicians.