The 3 best queuing statistics

Queueing systems can be nice (see a more detailed description of those) and enable you to identify and unblock traffic jams during the work day.  But those systems also generate a tremendous amount of data and to not use that information to improve your practice would be a waste of another resource to enable you to simultaneously improve the quality of patient service and your bottom line.

When you track every patient’s movement at every step of the process during a patient day, you can imagine the amount of data available to you.  Please do not print and review daily detailed reports.  That will lead you to errors with anecodotal stories (this one time, on a patient day, we knocked out shorts in 8 minutes) and confusion from the excess of data.

And please do not make the mistake I made early in my history by generating tons of data and reports that no one in his or her right mind would spend time poring over.  Rather, compile the data (or have us compile the data) into useful pieces and focus on the exception to norms or threshholds exceeded.  

With that, here are 3 of the top pieces of data you can generate from your queuing system:

Queuing systems: the vitals

In the last post, I mentioned that I would go deeper into queuing systems in the next writing.  As mentioned earlier, a queuing system basically tracks each patient as they move from point to point during a visit to the office.  In addition to noting which patients are where in the office, you can also see how long the patient has been in that area.

At My Practice Engine, the primary experience we have had with queuing systems is building one from the ground up.  Our patient flow protocols were already in place and our IT team built queuing into our practice management system around those protocols.  

In sum, a queuing system, when used properly, can provide extremely valuable information.  The key phrase there is “when used properly” because if used improperly, it is a waste of hardware and software.  We had one manager simply go in at various times of the day and mark every patient in the office as checked out.  So, at a specific time of day, 15 people all left at once.  I hope they had someone to hold the door for the rush of folks.  

When used properly however, there are a number of ways to use one.  One extremely simple way is to note the time a patient arrived at the office and the time that person left.  Now, that isn’t the hardcore “queuing” or tracking that the term traditionally implies, but can give you useful information.  Here’s how: 

Podcast: Conversion doesn't have to hurt

When you decide to convert to a new practice management software, the process can be challenging.  New terminology, new processes, data errors and software hiccups can and often do leave staff frustrated, patients disillusioned and doctors feeling like they are stuck in the middle of constant crossfire.  Things don't have to be that way.  You just need to prepare, get organized and listen to this podcast to eliminate the conversion pain.

We bring back Mike Cusimano to follow up on our earlier podcast to discuss how to end your conversion experience with a trip to your favorite after work spot instead of a trip to the emergency room (true story!).  Check out the podcast here.

Of course, if you have additional questions or comments about your planned or contemplated conversion, please do not hesitate to contact us.

4 ways to reduce the cost of your practice management software

In responding to our fascinating podcast on cloud computing, several listeners/readers asked about one key component: cost.  In our cast, we talked about a 5-user cloud computing model costing as much as $1,000 per month in fees.  Of course, $1,000 per month translates into $12,000 per year which would seem to negate the cost savings of eliminating server and upfront software costs.  A more traditional networked setup can run as much as $25,000 to get off the ground.  This doesn’t include the cost of training or the cost to convert from an old practice management system.

Here, in this post, we try to tackle the issue of cost and suggest some ways you can keep the costs of your practice accounting application down.  After all, these systems, while used constantly in your practice, are primarily in existence to gather data and process it for you.  Any true value in your system comes with what you do with that data.

Here’s what we suggest to keep those costs under control:

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Podcast: Should your practice be in the cloud?

On today's podcast, we talk with Michael Cusimano, currently with AT&T, about traditional practice management software arrangements versus cloud-based ones (i.e. practice management systems with the key application and data residing on the internet).

Mike has spent considerable time involved in all aspects of information technology for dental and orthodontic practices.  He and his team built a full-featured practice management software (complete with financial, scheduler, queuing, auto drafts, etc., etc.) from scratch as well as entire technical support team from the ground up.  When we say we bring you people with deep experience in the field, we mean it.

Take a listen to the podcast here.   If you have any questions or comments, click here.

Finally, if you enjoyed our intro music, you can check out a whole lot more from the Flow Tribe by clicking here.