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Over the past decade, technological advances in healthcare have enhanced the patient experience. Not only that, but they’ve made administrative healthcare tasks easier and more convenient for providers, too. Now more than ever, healthcare practitioners are looking for more ways to improve the patient experience and meet the expectations of digital-savvy patients.
According to recent research from McKinsey, patients are looking for simple and user-friendly tools from their medical providers, and nearly 93 percent of healthcare practitioners believe mobile healthcare apps can improve patient outcomes and experience.
Healthcare apps have enhanced every aspect of patient care, including booking, intake, appointments, payments, billing, prescriptions, and everything in between. To make sure your healthcare practice is providing the best value, here are seven essential apps.
1. DrChrono
While it initially launched as an electronic health records (EHR) app, DrChrono has evolved into a fully integrated healthcare platform that streamlines administration by enabling medical providers to schedule appointments, fill out patient intake forms, and manage billing directly from their iPad or iPhone.
“For the cost of an iPad, you can have a fully functioning office — billing, medical records, etc. — without the need for an IT specialist. It’s really an all-in-one solution for everything a medical practice does,” says Dr. Nadeem Vaidya, an ophthalmologist from Retina OC in Irvine, CA, who uses DrChrono to run his practice.
And since DrChrono syncs with Square, you can easily accept payments directly within the office using Square Reader for contactless and chip or Square Reader for magstripe. You can also manage inventory, digital receipts, and sales reports using the features available to you in the free Square Point of Sale app.
DrChrono makes life easier for your patients, too. Its OnPatient Portal allows patients to manage their healthcare needs.
2. IntakeQ
IntakeQ has teamed up with Square to provide a seamless automated intake solution. With IntakeQ, you can easily set up patients in your system before their first appointment. Your patients can self-book their first appointment and provide a credit card to hold the appointment. With the Square and IntakeQ integration, IntakeQ plugs Square directly into your electronic forms, allowing you to effortlessly (and safely) capture and charge clients’ credit cards.
When patients complete this sign-up process, they immediately receive electronic intake forms that they need to complete and submit. By completing the intake process prior to their appointment, they have shorter in-office wait times and eliminate paperwork. Once patients are officially set up in the system, they receive appointment reminders. On their appointment date, their credit card gets charged automatically and they receive a receipt.
From beginning to end, the intake and payment processes are streamlined, making life easier for you and your patients.
3. QuiqMeds
QuiqMeds is an enterprise-level solution that enables you to fulfill prescriptions at the point of care by automating the ordering, tracking, receiving, dispensing, and billing processes in a secure and auditable manner.
Studies have shown that 33 percent of written prescriptions are never filled. With point-of-care prescription fulfillment, you’re not only ensuring patients get the medication they need, but also you’re there to answer any questions they may have about their medication.
With its Square integration, the QuiqMeds app has a secure point-of-sale solution that allows providers to collect patient copays from anywhere. At the same time, this simplified patient-facing payment system makes the checkout process easy.
Jose Sanchez, the chief information officer at Miami Beach Medical Group, uses QuiqMeds at his office for prescription fulfillment. “QuiqMeds enables better patient care, patient satisfaction, and medications compliance,” he says.
4. Commerce Sync
With Commerce Sync, you can connect your Square sales-related transactions to your accounting software. When it’s activated, Commerce Sync automatically starts importing your sales information (including your non-taxable sales, discounts, credits, and refunds) into Square for QuickBooks Online.
Once all your information is automatically transferring, you can easily pull reports from your accounting software to keep track of your business’s financial health. By maintaining your sales and accounting information in one ecosystem, you’re more efficient and have more time to spend on issues related to patient care.
5. Zoho Invoice
If you’re running a small healthcare business — or any small business — Zoho Invoice starts at a reasonable price point and simplifies online invoicing and billing, so you have more time to focus on growing your business. On top of that, you can customize invoicing templates and automate tedious recurring tasks, such as invoicing workflows and payment reminders.
Zoho Invoice also integrates with a number of partners, including Square, which makes payment straightforward for your patients. If you have a Zoho Invoice account, you can set up Square as your payment gateway directly within your settings.
6. Square Payroll
As a small healthcare business owner, you have a lot to manage. And of course you want to prioritize patient care. By keeping your internal management tasks, such as payroll, easy and cost effective, you free up more time and money to enhance the patient experience.
Square Payroll offers reasonable and flexible pricing plans to accommodate your healthcare business size and structure. A full-service payroll provider, it provides worry-free compliance and access to benefits, and it syncs with your point of sale so you can import timecards with just a click.
7. Deputy
Another thing you manage as a healthcare business owner: employees. For your business to run smoothly, you need your staff to be scheduled, on task, and up to date with the latest information.
Deputy is a workplace management solution that streamlines employee scheduling, time and attendance tracking, task management, and communication. It integrates with Square so you can optimize your schedules against real-time data, then export timecards to your payroll software in just one click, saving you time and money. If your employees call in sick and you need help right away, Deputy can also find you a replacement with just a tap.
The app provides an easy-to-use experience for your employees as well. When they get to work, your employees clock in with a photo and immediately get their tasks for the day or messages with must-know information. If they need to swap shifts, they can do so right from their mobile phone.
