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A large ob/gyn group discovered two keystrokes in its practice management software that helped boost revenue by $60,000 a year.

The group had struggled to collect from patients in the office. Staffers knew only one way to determine what somebody owed—looking up balances from past visits and services recorded in their program, and adding them on a calculator. The process took so long that on hectic days, staffers gave up and let patients leave without paying.

Microwize staff showed the office how to use the “Quick Balance” and “Quick Ledger” features. Suddenly, collecting from patients became immensely easier.

This story illustrates a common scenario: Physicians pay thousands of dollars for practice management software, but staffers don't use the most basic features. It's like buying a Mercedes and driving it only in first gear. Most offices spend less on office décor than on the software that runs their business.

Why the ignorance about software capability? Usually it's because cost-conscious physicians don't spend enough on training. Even when initial training is picture-perfect, offices fail when it comes to teaching new hires about the software or getting the staff educated about upgrades.

In an era of shrinking reimbursements, you can't afford to waste the firepower of your practice management software. The following advice will help you get your money's worth from the technology.

Are you missing out on these functions?

Do you feel limited by an appointment schedule that's an endless series of 15-minute blocks? Most programs come with a default template that consists of 15-minute visits, but you can create templates that better suit your workflow. You can reserve Monday mornings for new patients, giving each a 30-minute time slot, or block out every Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. for a committee meeting.

Without reports, you can't manage

Insurers that take three or four months to pay claims will dry up your cash flow. The typical practice management program can identify these laggards so you can take remedial action. One basic tool is a report that "ages" accounts receivable in increments of 0 to 30 days, 31 to 60 days, and so on. That's not enough detail, though. You need a report showing aged A/R receivable by payer. Slowpokes will stand out like the sore thumbs they are.

The ability to slice and dice data is one reason they call it practice management software. Medisoft can spit out more than 100 standard reports in addition to custom jobs. All this information can overwhelm a staff and induce paralysis. Choose 10 reports that are the most important to your practice and run them on schedule.

Off-site training may be the best bet

Wasted software capabilities usually point to subpar training. Offices often shoot themselves in the foot by holding computer classes during office hours. Employees become distracted because they still have to deal with patients.

New employees need to go to software school, too. The in-house approach—letting old-timers teach rookies—makes sense only if the software vendor has trained a key employee, like the office manager, to teach others. Even then, you should limit in-house training to lower-level employees and cover only rudimentary tasks such as scheduling appointments or patient registration.

Vendor training is a must when you hire a new office manager or a biller. Remember, these persons will oversee several hundred thousand dollars worth of billing. Make sure they know what they’re doing.

Software upgrades also require physicians to invest in ongoing staff training. The pace of upgrades will quicken as HIPAA standardizes how health care information is transmitted electronically, making such transactions more commonplace.

To accommodate doctors who don't want their staff to travel, Microwize offer Internet-based training.

Get Support, Use Support

A support contract is a security blanket. While you may go weeks or months without calling with support questions, it’s important to know that someone is available to help with your billing questions when they arrive. Whether it’s a rejected electronic claim or an error message that stops you cold.

The medical software you use is the most important tangible business asset you have. Treat it as such. Nurture it and it will pay you back many times over.