Thousands of people across the North America seek the aid of a speech therapist everyday. The reasons for seeking treatment vary, but the one thing speech therapy patients have in common is that their information will be entered into a speech therapy EMR software. And as a speech language pathologist, you’ve probably noticed that not all EMR software are created equal. So, we’ve compiled this short list of the top 7 features that a your speech therapy EMR must have.

 

1. Speech therapy client records

 

As mentioned above, every patient that visits your clinic will be added to your your EMR software and given their own client record. Speech therapy client records not only help you store patients’ demographic information, but they also give you a place to store key information about their insurance claim, their payment information, and their guardian information.

 

2. Integrated claims submission

 

Submitting an insurance claim to payors in 2016 is a lot different than submitting a claim in 1996. Many payors now give clinics the option of submitting their claims online. A good speech therapy EMR software works with these third-party applications, and in some cases, allows you to submit your claims to payors from directly within the software.

 

3. Electronic billing

 

In addition to invoicing payors, you’ll occasionally need to invoice patients too. Speech therapy EMR software like Practice Perfect will let you keep track of every single invoice you’ve ever produced by safely storing them on the patient or payor’s record. And if you’re making an active effort to cut down on your paper usage, electronic billing enables you forgo the printer and email your invoices directly to your patients.

4. Integrated clinical notes

 

Some payors require claims submissions to also include detailed clinical notes that acknowledge the treatment received by a patient and keep track their recovery progress—and it becomes the therapist’s responsibility to hold on to these notes. Practice Perfect actually includes a feature that will prevent you from attempting to invoice a payor with incomplete progress notes, making it easier to keep up with their requirements.

 

Click here to read our article “Pop culture’s place in speech therapy for children”

 

5. Electronic scheduling

 

When most people think of electronic scheduling they think of a digital calendar to record their appointments in, but they’re so much more than that. Electronic scheduling has fashioned itself into a necessity for today’s speech therapy EMR software because of its ability to manage schedules for multiple providers across multiple locations. Electronic scheduling has further extended its usefulness by including online scheduling portals where patients can book their own appointments from the comfort of their home.

 

6. Portability

 

 

One of the first think that our potential clients tend to ask us is if our EMR software is accessible through the web, or if their clinicians will be able to look up patient profile on their iPad when they’re on the road. The sheer amount of internet enabled devices on the market has created a demand for a versatile EMR software that can be accessed through a bunch of different platforms. So when you’re out there looking for a good EMR speech therapy software, be sure to mention portability.

 

7. Great technical support

 

When you’re working with a software that’s as robust as Practice Perfect, there are a lot of bases that need to be covered. This can be a daunting task, which is why it’s important to choose an EMR software that is as committed to customer service as it is to helping you build a better business.

 

Click here to read about 6 EMR tools for the modern SLP

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