Web-based software is one of the fastest-growing trends in health care. It’s hosted on the vendor’s web server, so you don’t need to maintain your own IT infrastructure. You access the service with a simple web browser, so no other software need be installed on your PC or servers. Web-based scheduling is typically sold on a monthly or annual subscription basis. Here are 10 surprising truths about SaaS…
1. It’s more affordable than you think
At first glance, a SaaS solution can appear expensive compared to software; but when you look closer at the total cost of ownership, you will see that web-based software can save you money and eliminate a lot of headaches, too. For example:
- Hardware costs. You often have to buy newer PCs, servers and back-up systems to use the latest software. Web-based systems shift most of the actual computing to the host system, so most current hardware will easily meet the need.
- Additional software. For multiple locations or larger offices, you need application server software, an MS-SQL database and newer operating systems.
- Implementation and maintenance. You frequently need expensive IT consultants to install the software, set up servers and configure your machines.
- Upgrades and support. Once you buy a software system, you must still pay for an annual support agreement and occasional upgrades over time. These services are typically included free with a web-based system.
When you consider Total Cost of Ownership, it can take several years — if ever — before software becomes less expensive than SaaS.
2. You get more speed, power than software
When people think of SaaS, they often think of low-end applications with minimal features. Fortunately, as SaaS has grown in popularity, so has the infrastructure to support it. The .NET technology behind many of today’s SaaS allows for features that are difficult to match with software. And because much of the actual computing is off-loaded to machines more powerful than a typical office PC, you gain speed and performance over virtually any software system.
“Our web-based scheduling system delivers speed and features that even our industry-leading software can’t match,” says Steve Petrie, CEO of SpectraSoft.
3. It never becomes out-dated
Unlike traditional software systems that require you to buy upgrades and updates every few months or years, most SaaS solutions include all upgrades and updates for free. That means every time you log in, you are always using the latest, greatest, most up-to-date version of the software.
4. You get more for less
The high cost of a top software system rarely includes “frills” like upgrades, technical support, data backup and more. These services can easily add 50% or more to the lifetime cost of the software; yet they are usually included in most SaaS offerings at no extra charge.
5. You can get started faster
Once you identify a problem that new technology could solve, you will continue to experience losses and frustration for as long as it takes to get a decision approved and the solution implemented. With traditional software, that can be a long, uphill trek: the prohibitive upfront cost leads to delays… any additional required hardware and software must be purchased… your IT person must complete the on-premise installation…and so on. SaaS solutions can solve your problem fast, since there are minimal up-front costs to approve and little or nothing to install.
6. You get everyone to work as a team
If your practice has more than one location or department, it’s not uncommon that different users are using different methods to solve the same problem. For example, one hospital department may be scheduling patients with an appointment book, while another department is using spreadsheets. With SaaS, everyone in your organization uses the same version of the same integrated system, so everyone follows the same process and can share the same data.
7. You avoid expensive commitments.
The main reason so many practices stick to low-tech, manual methods is that it costs too much to automate. The upfront cost of a cutting-edge software system is often prohibitive. SaaS offers a low-risk, pay-as-you-go alternative that makes it much easier to add new technology that pays for itself in months…instead of years. And if you’re not happy, you can quit at the end of your subscription without having to eat the cost of a huge upfront investment.
8. Avoid the ‘disaster waiting to happen’
Practice owners used to worry about storing sensitive information at a third-party location, or that if the Internet goes down, their SaaS system would be useless. Now they realize just how vulnerable their in-house systems can be to breaches, crashes and down time. In fact leading SaaS vendors maintain security, redundancy and data backup standards that would be difficult or impossible for most health care organizations to match.
9. You can use it anywhere
Perhaps the biggest loss of revenue you face is the “drip-drip-drip” of tiny mistakes — repeated over and over — that add up to a fortune: scheduled patients not seen…visits not documented or billed…and under-billing of treatment.
The first solution is to automate mundane tasks, so your people can focus on practice profitability. Reminder calls should be made by a phone system, not your front desk; CPT codes should be generated by your documentation system, not your therapists, so your practice bills for the full value of the services you render.
Second, integrate data across your practice. For example, PTs shouldn’t have to re-enter patient data already taken by the front desk. When information flows smoothly from front desk to clinician to billing, everyone in your practice works together seamlessly and fewer responsibilities fall through the cracks.
10. It goes with everything
In the recent past, many practices sacrificed the performance of best-of-breed software, to get the integration offered by “suites.” These low-end systems made it easier for scheduling, documentation and billing functions to communicate with each other. Now there is no need to sacrifice. SaaS systems like SpectraSoft’s AppointmentsEverywhere web-based scheduling integrate seamlessly — both with other SaaS solutions like BillNetPRO web-based medical billing and with installed systems like DocuPRO rehab documentation software.
Conclusion
To thrive in today’s challenging reimbursement environment, you need to respond both to what payors are doing, and to the areas of your practice where you can operate more efficiently. The challenge is: you don’t have many chances to get it right. That’s why you need partners — billing networks, technology firms, fellow practices — who can offer their experience in solving these problems.
