Why Custom Patient Management Software Is a Smart Choice

Although lucrative, healthcare is challenging, especially when managing a facility. For starters, you are likely short-staffed. You are also probably strapped with legacy systems prone to cyberattacks.

This makes healthcare custom software development a good partner. This article discusses why it is a smart, cost-effective business choice. It also tackles the following:

• Major differences between patient management and care.
• Various areas that the platform optimizes.
• What makes compliant custom software.

Now is the best time to invest in quality, bespoke solutions. Read below to learn how to maximize its features and benefits.

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Defining Patient Management vs. Patient Care 

Not all types of software are alike. Some focus on patient care, others on patient management. What are the differences between these two? 

Patient care refers to the direct clinical services provided to patients. These include diagnoses, treatments, medications, and procedures. Healthcare organizations provide these to address a patient’s immediate health needs. 

On the other hand, patient management focuses on a patient’s healthcare journey. This includes the following critical organizational tasks: 

• Scheduling appointments.
• Managing medical records.
• Coordinating care between different providers.
• Facilitating insurance and payments.

Patient care centers on treating medical issues. Patient management ensures that the healthcare facility delivers crucial organizational support and logistics.

Why the differentiation? Healthcare providers sometimes conflate clinical and administrative functions under “patient care.” In reality, only some tasks involve hands-on medical treatment. 

Distinguishing these two terms allows providers to better assess workflow pain points. It also identifies areas where custom healthcare software development could streamline administrative functions. This frees up more time and energy for the critical work of direct patient care.

How Custom Software Improves Patient Management

Caring for patients should always be your priority. Improving the management process with custom software achieves these benefits:

     1. Increased Efficiency and Productivity

One of the biggest patient management challenges is inefficient, resource-wasting administrative processes. A 2023 industry report revealed that physicians spend over 15 hours weekly on such tasks. At least 10 hours are for electronic health record (EHR) documentation.

The increasing patient volume and the lack of personnel also burden the staff. Usually, a medical assistant devotes 30 minutes to confirming upcoming appointments. 

Custom patient management software automates many types of manual workflow to boost efficiency:

• Automated appointment reminder calls and emails reduce time spent on the phone. 
• Electronic intake forms remove paperwork and capture patient data upfront.
• Centralized patient databases give authorized staff real-time access to information, without hunting through files. These include medical records, lab results, and care plans.
• Automated prescription refill management flags patients due for refills. It also sends reminders through push notifications. This eliminates many manual prescription tracking tasks.
• Customized templates and macros let providers document patient encounters fast. It decreases repetitive data entry.
• Automatic faxing and routing of paperwork streamlines order fulfillment. It also improves care coordination between providers.
• Automated inventory management tracks supplies, places orders, and sends alerts.

With these automated features in place, stakeholders can save countless administrative hours. The entire facility spends more time doing its primary job: giving excellent patient care. 

     2. Enhanced Patient Experience  

Patients today expect on-demand convenience and personalization from their healthcare experiences. Unfortunately, disjointed administrative processes often fail to meet these expectations. This leaves patients frustrated. 

Custom software offers innovative features to give patients greater transparency, engagement, and connectivity. Consider an accessible, easy-to-use patient portal. Developers often link them with workflow tools. Patients then immediately see providers available at their preferred schedule.

They can also do the following:

• View all their lab results and doctors’ requests or orders.
• See upcoming follow-up schedules and choose to reschedule or accept them.
• Know the medications to take.
• Determine accepted insurance.
• Access their billing statements with a full breakdown of costs and approved claims.
• Determine care plans if the patient has many doctors.

Reimagining patient management through custom technology means delivering convenient, seamless experiences. Patients feel empowered because they have more control over their health. 

In turn, your business enjoys improved satisfaction and better engagement. 

     3. Robust Regulation Compliance

Healthcare is one of the most regulated industries. Globalization and cybersecurity threats further make compliance necessary but complicated. 

Developers follow at least two extensive regulations:

• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) rules for data privacy.
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which mandates accessibility.

Custom software development secures data in many ways. Role-based access controls restrict protected health information (PHI) access to authorized staff only. Usually, this depends on their job duties. Custom software also maintains the following:

• Detailed audit trails.
• Logging any changes made to patient records.
• Encryption of data in transit and at rest.
• Permission and control settings for patients.
• Automatic timeout features that log users out after a period of inactivity.
• Advanced authentication methods, such as multi-factor authentication.
• Backups and disaster recovery protocols to prevent data loss.

Some experienced software development agencies provide more than designing custom platforms. They also help clients draft policies to further secure data. One of these is bring-your-own-device regulations. 

They also keep themselves updated with changes in industry rules. They then roll out more secure platform versions over time. 

With ADA compliance, custom portals follow best practices. These include incorporating screen reader support in its features. Interface navigation via keyboard only is also added. 

Staying current with evolving healthcare regulations is easier with flexible, customizable systems. 

     4. Cost Savings

Healthcare organizations work hard to manage costs, but it is challenging. An April 2023 report shared that hospital expenses grew by 17.5% between 2019 and 2022. This was due to inflation, labor shortage, and higher patient demand. Further worsening the situation are inadequate government reimbursement increases.

Custom software offers impactful cost savings in three ways:

A custom healthcare platform can only do so much for your business. It takes more than this to resolve deep-seated, persistent financial healthcare issues. 

For example, organizations might need to design programs to avoid staff burnout. Even governments might have to support the industry in increasing resource availability. 

Tailored software shines in developing high-performing, cost-efficient healthcare systems. 

     5. Customization Based on Practice’s Needs

Every healthcare organization has unique needs, workflows, and ecosystems of solutions in place. Unfortunately, generic software often requires you to conform your processes to rigid limitations.

In contrast, custom healthcare software aligns with the practice's preferences. It even integrates with the existing tech stack through flexible configurations. 

Developers work with stakeholders through iterative design sessions. These steps help them understand workflow requirements better. They then tailor the system to match these needs. 

Customization also optimizes the following:

• Data collection forms, such as intakes and questionnaires, capture all necessary practice-specific information. 
• Clinical decision support tools standardize care delivery. 
• Reporting tools and analytics align with the practice’s specific key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Data integrates with existing EHRs, lab systems, medical devices, and other solutions.

Healthcare moves too fast for ill-fitting software that cannot adapt to the practice. Customization boosts your efficiency today and makes you scalable for the future.

Summing Up

Quality patient care should always come first for healthcare providers. Healthcare custom software development streamlines administration and lowers administrative costs. When done correctly, it improves compliance. Most of all, it lets your providers devote more time to care with less burnout.

Do you need a tailored software solution? Contact Digital Authority Partners (DAP) to schedule a free consultation.