How Much Does Cheap EHR Software Really Cost Chiropractors?

Highlights  

• A cheap EHR may cost less upfront, but it comes with hidden expenses that hinder the growth of your chiropractic practice.

• Take stock of your current EHR system to ensure your low upfront price isn’t costing you in cash flow and efficiency.

• ChiroTouch offers you a cost-effective EHR solution that saves you money by streamlining your workflow and increasing your practice’s cash flow.

Cheap EHR software may seem like a cost-effective option, but it comes with hidden costs that can prevent your chiropractic practice from growing. Switching to a cloud-based, fully integrated chiropractic EHR software like ChiroTouch is a cost-effective solution that improves productivity, boosts customer satisfaction, and saves your practice money long-term.

Cheap EHR Software: The Hidden Cost

The average cost of EHR software is around $1,200 per user per year, according to a software industry report. It’s not surprising that many chiropractic practices opt for cheap EHR software to reduce this upfront cost and save money.

Unfortunately, investing in a cheap EHR product often backfires for these practices. They may save money initially, but they end up paying, directly and indirectly, later on. Some common issues that arise with cheap EHR include wasted time, costly mistakes, lost collections, an inefficient workflow, and fewer growth opportunities for your chiropractic practice.

Ineffective Implementation

Implementing a cheap, on-premise EHR system can take up to six to nine months. The transition period causes confusion and chaos for the entire practice, resulting in a loss of revenue.

Wasted Time

With a cheap EHR system, you will likely find yourself and your staff wasting time on redundant tasks, fixing mistakes, and waiting on the software to load or transfer data between functions. This wasted time costs money in labor and potentially patient revenue.

Costly Mistakes

Mistakes cost your practice money. If your cheap EHR system requires you to input manual data, such as patient information, treatment notes, or the billing and coding information, there is a higher risk of mistakes by your chiropractic assistant (CA) or billing team. This can lead to costly errors in insurance processing and billing or even complications with treatment.

Inefficient Workflow

With a cheap EHR system, your workflow is stifled and inefficient. Your staff may need to jump between screens or separate programs to complete their daily tasks. You may have to interrupt treatment to enter SOAP notes when treating patients. This inefficient workflow stagnates daily operations, costing you money.

Diminished Cash Flow

With a cheap, inefficient EHR system, you might also lose out on point-of-sale (POS) and insurance collections, reducing your cash flow. Coding errors lead to rejected claims, which decreases your practice’s cash flow.

If your EHR system doesn’t allow for all forms of payment, you may have to turn away patients at the POS and spend time and effort collecting payment after they’ve gone.

Growth Stagnation

With a cheap EHR product, you can’t build your practice without spending money on add-ons or updates. This stifles practice growth and causes you to put more money into the product before enabling it to support your expanding practice.

Is Cheap EHR Effective? Considerations for Your EHR Software

When purchasing your first EHR software program or switching to a new, updated option, it is vital to consider more than the upfront cost. Incorporate cost-benefit analysis into your decision and focus on the return on investment (ROI) you’ll gain from the right EHR product.

Consider the following questions regarding your current EHR system to determine if you need to switch to cloud-based chiropractic EHR software.

Is your EHR outdated?

Assess whether your current EHR system is outdated. If it requires constant, costly updates or add-ons, or if it doesn’t integrate functions so you can work seamlessly from an all-in-one dashboard, you likely need a new system.

Will it integrate with your EHR?

If you are thinking about switching to a cheap EHR system, check that it integrates with your current system. If not, you may lose important data in the transfer process.

What add-ons will you need to buy to make it work for your practice?

Assess whether your EHR system comes with everything you need or if you will have to buy add-ons to begin working from day one, such as insurance processing or multiple provider or location capabilities.

Is it cloud-based?

Cloud-based EHR systems are accessible anywhere and sync information easily. On-site systems require more IT support and manual updates and don’t sync automatically to eliminate data entry redundancies.

Does it include practice management features that save your staff time?

A basic EHR doesn’t include practice management features, costing you time and money. Choose an EHR software that incorporates practice management features like scheduling, intake, and case management to save your staff time.

Does it include features that streamline workflow and improve patient experience?

Features like patient self-check-in, online scheduling, and POS payment processing help your practice run more efficiently. They also improve the patient experience by allowing more time with your patients. Make sure your EHR provides these types of features that benefit all areas of your practice.

Does it have HIPAA compliance features?

HIPAA compliance is essential to your practice. Look for an EHR system that builds HIPAA-compliant features like secure messaging and templates into the application.

Do you have to pay for a separate insurance processing clearinghouse?

Check that you don’t have to pay extra for claims management or need a separate insurance clearinghouse.

Can you process claims in batches?

Processing insurance claims one by one is time-consuming and inefficient. Look for an EHR that allows you to process claims in batches to save time.

Does it include electronic billing?

Cheap EHR sometimes doesn’t come with electronic billing, forcing you to pay for a separate processing system. Choose an EHR system that has built-in electronic billing.

Will it allow for growth, or will you need to pay more to upgrade or replace down the line?

Look at features such as patient communication services, automated scheduling, and online intake forms. If they’re not included in the base price, be sure to figure their cost and ROI if you think you’ll need them later.

ChiroTouch: Cost-Effective EHR Software for Your Chiropractic Practice

The best long-term choice you can make for your chiropractic practice is to invest in a cost-effective EHR practice management system. ChiroTouch is the cloud standard in chiropractic EHR, offering you a fully integrated cloud-based application that eliminates the complications and potential for error of a cheap EHR.

As opposed to cheap, outdated EHR software, ChiroTouch improves insurance and billing processing, streamlines your practice’s workflow, supports long-term growth, provides security and compliance, and increases your cash flow.

Implementation

ChiroTouch is easy to learn and easy to use. It integrates with any EHR system and takes as little as 24 hours to set up. With our intuitive in-app guidance that knows where you are and what you’re trying to do, most of our users are up and running independently in a matter of days.

Increases Cash Flow

ChiroTouch increases your cash flow by integrating and automating insurance processing and billing. ChiroTouch Advanced includes an integrated clearinghouse and allows you to process claims in batches. You will also have access to unlimited electronic billing, which improves your cash flow.

Supports Practice Growth

With ChiroTouch, you are fully supported as your practice grows. With ChiroTouch Core  for cash practices or ChiroTouch Advanced for insurance practices, our built-in practice management features include everything you need to get started right away.

ChiroTouch is cloud-based, so automatic updates ensure that your EHR software grows with your practice and won’t need replacing down the line. Ancillary services are available that you can add if and when you want them, allowing you to pay for only what you need and not for features you won’t use.

Provides Security and Compliance

ChiroTouch is fully HIPAA-compliant and uses multi-factor authentication technology for complete practice security. You don’t have to worry about cybersecurity issues or communicating security with patients with ChiroTouch.

Streamlines Your Workflow

ChiroTouch is a modern, fully integrated chiropractic EHR practice management system. With features like automated scheduling, information synching, and practice-wide messaging, ChiroTouch streamlines the workflow for your entire staff.

Ditch Your Cheap EHR and Switch to ChiroTouch Today

While purchasing a cheap EHR system seems like the more cost-effective option, it will cost your practice more in the long run. Investing in a fully integrated, cloud-based chiropractic EHR practice management system will bring you a higher ROI over time and simplify workflow for your entire staff.

Schedule a demo today to see why ChiroTouch beats other EHR systems and how it can help your practice save money, increase ROI, and improve your daily workflow.