{"id":4359,"date":"2013-01-06T18:00:56","date_gmt":"2013-01-06T23:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.poweryourpractice.com\/?p=4359"},"modified":"2013-01-06T18:00:56","modified_gmt":"2013-01-06T23:00:56","slug":"do-need-consultant-for-practice-management-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carecloud.com\/continuum\/do-need-consultant-for-practice-management-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Do You Need a Consultant for Your Practice Management System?"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to MGMA\u2019s 2008 digest, 54.8% of physicians had utilized the services of a healthcare consultant or firm at least once in the last three years.<\/p>\n

Since that time, the amount of practice management systems permeating the market has increased. This begs the question: should physicians use a consultant to help choose a PMS for their practice<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

To help answer this question I spoke with Rosemarie Nelson, MS, a top healthcare consultant for MGMA who specializes in helping physicians streamline practice operations and technology.<\/p>\n

The Envelope, Please\u2026<\/strong>
\nSomewhat surprisingly, Nelson believes using a consultant<\/strong> largely depends on the situation<\/strong>. Although consulting is her livelihood, she doesn\u2019t think that every practice needs a consultant\u2019s assistance when choosing a PMS.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they have done their homework and have been diligent in determining their needs, they probably don\u2019t need a consultant,\u201d said Nelson.<\/p>\n

Nelson also doesn\u2019t believe the size of your practice should determine whether you use a consultant, as she\u2019s worked with practices of all sizes on the issue. It depends more on your knowledge of PMSs and how to integrate one into operations.<\/p>\n

With that said, if you\u2019re not\u00a0health IT hero<\/a> just yet, there\u2019s no shame in wanting some help. \u00a0\u201cIf they feel uncertain, then why not use a consultant?\u201d asked Nelson, \u201cYou\u2019d refer your patient to a specialist, so why not refer your business to a consultant?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nelson notes that consultants have usually seen more than their fair share of PMSs. Not only do consultants typically work with 20 to 30 practices a year, with each possibly using a different system, they also attend trade shows where they are exposed to additional PMSs.<\/p>\n

This gives consultants a better-informed perspective of all the options out there than would be typical of you or any other physician. But Nelson warns that objectivity isn\u2019t always a given.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are consultants and vendors that have some sort of relationship,\u201d<\/strong> she said, \u201cIt\u2019s a real conflict of interest and more prevalent then we\u2019d like to admit.\u201d<\/p>\n

This means that whether or not you use a consultant to help choose your PMS doesn\u2019t solely depend on your unique situation, but the quality of the particular consultant as well.<\/p>\n

Bonus Tips<\/strong>
\nIn addition to answering whether physicians should use a consultant when selecting a PMS, Nelson also provided some general tips for physicians that are still on the fence about purchasing a new system.<\/p>\n

First is acknowledging the reason you\u2019re looking for a new system. \u201cLook at what you\u2019re doing now,\u201d said Nelson, \u201cThere\u2019s a reason you\u2019re looking for a system; acknowledge that reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

The PMS you choose should address the problem, of course, but it should still retain the positive attributes of the system you already have in place<\/strong> if you\u2019re not starting from scratch.<\/p>\n

Lastly, she suggests keeping your patients\u2019 wants and needs in mind when looking for a system. Your PMS should provide you with services that will be useful for the patient, such as appointment reminders and a customizable scheduling application.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to MGMA\u2019s 2008 digest, 54.8% of physicians had utilized the services of a healthcare consultant or firm at least once in the last three years. Since that time, the amount of practice management systems permeating the market has increased. This begs the question: should physicians use a consultant to help choose a PMS for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31965,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-practice-management"],"yoast_head":"\nUsing Consultant to Choose your Practice Management System<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"MGMA consultant Rosemarie Nelson explains when a consultant should be used to help choose a practice management system. 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