A Review of Medical Billing Software Products
Medical Billing Software Products V3.0
When it comes to medical billing software, you want the best possible option for your practice. In this review, we test 9 of the most popular products on the market and provide a breakdown of their pros and cons. The article also discusses how to get maximum benefit from these tools in order to save time and money while getting the best results possible.
Today's medical billing or practice management software is complex and powerful, which allows the practice to accomplish many tasks without human intervention. This efficiency is a key to success in today's health care market, and can mean the difference between a profitable business and one that barely stays afloat.
Medical billing software is important to the practice management process because it eliminates unnecessary costs of staff time spent on data entry. It also increases efficiency by automating many simple yet time consuming tasks. Some of these tasks include:
With great power comes great responsibility, though, and your software should be a critical aspect of your operation. You must be careful to select the right software for your practice and spend the time to learn its inner workings.
The Best Software For Your Practice
There are hundreds of medical billing software options available, so which is the best? In this review, we evaluate 9 of the most popular products on the market and provide a breakdown of their pros and cons. Our selection is based on features provided, ease of use, cost of purchase, support offered by the vendor and overall rating from customers. We will also discuss how to get maximum benefit from these tools in order to save time and money while getting the best results possible.
1. DentalEZ Billing Software
This complete practice management software can handle all aspects of dental billing from patient registration, to quoting, to insurance verification, and even billing and statement mailing. Dentists love the easy-to-use interface and the customer service is top notch. The most common complaint we found was that it is geared more towards small practices with limited options for large in-office procedures. Although this is not a major flaw, it is something to be aware of if your practice size fits into this category. All in all, it's an excellent value for the price and highly recommended by customers.
2. ARS Dental Billing Software
ARS is used by over 10,000 dental practices and has a lot to offer. The program allows the dentist to track patient demographics, create patient profiles and treatment plans, access insurance information, process HIPAA compliant patient records, schedule appointments and print marketing materials. ARS comes with a free mobile app that allows for reading of X-rays and creation of treatment plans on the go. One complaint with this program is that it is quite expensive for a new practice with little revenue coming in. It also does not support integration with other vendor products and there are no less than 6 other bills associated with their software (software plus dental manuals). However, the program has a very good reputation amongst customers and the features are quite solid.
3. Merkur Medical Billing
Merkur is used primarily by veterinarians, but the software can be used by all types of medical practices. The system automatically handles insurance claims and billing as well as captures patient information and automated payments through credit cards and bank accounts. This makes it a great solution for practices with a high volume of procedures each month. However, they do not have any type of mobile device integration and the program is fairly expensive for small practices (over $150 per month). For that, you get fewer tools compared to others on this list.
4. Spheris Medical Billing Software
This software is used by over 8,000 medical practices across the US and it's a great solution for small practices (1-10 physicians) that need a turn-key product to manage the business side of their practice. It comes with a practice management manual to help get you up and running quickly. Customer service is excellent and the price is competitive for this category of software.
5. PM Data Solutions Practice Management Software by David Tennant, MHA
This product offers reports and statistics on every aspect of your practice so that you can make data-driven decisions. It also lets you communicate directly with patients through electronic newsletters, text messages or social media updates depending on your preferences. PM Data Solutions also helps you track procedures and patient information and lets you create professional, easy-to-read reports for patients. The program offers excellent customer service and some of the best tech support we have seen for a product of this type. They also offer a free trial which gives new users the opportunity to see how well it fits their practice before making a purchase.
6. Dentrix Practice Management Software by Henry Schein (Omnicell)
Over 20,000 providers use Dentrix as their dental practice management software, and they are happy with the results. The key feature with Dentrix is its Cloud technology, which allows users to access their information from any location in real time over the internet. Omnicell also offers mobile and web services so that users can access their information on the go. The software is reasonably priced and the customer service is exceptional.
7. Enterprise Medical Solutions
E-Med is used by over 6,000 practices in over 50 countries, providing simple yet powerful practice management software. With E-Med you can manage all aspects of your practice, including electronic records, dunning and e-billing, claims processing and even claim status updates in real time with the push of a button. It is affordable for small practices with little revenue but does not have any type of mobile device integration or a practice management manual to help get you started. However, customer service is very good and many users appreciate the fact that you can access it from any web browser or mobile device.
8. Practice Dynamics by XtractMD
Practice Dynamics is a complete practice management solution that helps you manage your front desk, patients and finances in one place. The software has an intuitive user interface and comes with an abundance of features for a reasonable price. Its main assets are its easy-to use reporting dashboard, user-friendly interface and excellent customer service. It does not have mobile or web services but it does allow practices to send text messages directly to patients' cell phones if they choose to do so.
9. CDA Practice Management Software by dental software experts at CRUSH
This comprehensive solution from CRUSH (the company behind XtractMD) manages all aspects of your practice, including front desk operations, patient scheduling, financial accounting and patient records. The software is easy to use and has an excellent user interface that is well thought out. It also comes with excellent customer support, the ability to send text messages directly to patients' cell phones, email marketing tools and a practice management guide to help get you started. You can also schedule online training sessions or call their 24/7 support line for free via Skype or phone.
Conclusion
Each of the dental practice management software systems above can help you streamline your business and make operations more efficient. The key to finding the right software is determining which features are important to you and cross-comparing them with each system's feature list. If a product doesn't support the type of mobile device integration that you need, it's not a good fit even if other aspects look promising.
If you'd like to try a free dental practice management system, check out XtractMD by visiting their website.