pros and cons to a practice management system?

I hope you don't mind me responding, I am from a Practice Management Software company, and I do want to promote our software. It doesn't mean I don't have useful information for you though.

As far as the cons that you mention, they don't have to be problems. Many software applications (like ours) do not have upfront costs, and also do not require training. Whilst I will use Cliniko (our software) as a point of reference, there are others as well, so this information should help.

I would recommend look for a SaaS (Software as a Service) pricing model. This typically means that you pay nothing upfront, and just pay a monthly fee to use the system. Many will offer this without any contracts, so you are not locked in. This is a very good risk free way to try software, and not commit any money upfront. If the software is well designed, training should not be required, again possibly saving thousands. With Cliniko, we do not have any training offered, but provide unlimited customer support for free. We trust that our software is easy to use, so are happy to back it up.

I would also recommend looking at getting web-based software. This will mean that you don't have hidden IT costs (servers, networks, etc.), and will also mean you can access your system from anywhere. Another bonus is that it will work on Mac or PCs. If you use a hosted solution, then backups and security should be taken care of for you.

I think the typical "cons" you might encounter can be avoided by making the right choice, I would suggest keep these factors as consideration for choosing:

- Web-based (much less IT hassle for you)

- SaaS (no upfront fees)

- Free trial (get to try before you buy)

- No contracts (you should keep using a system because you like it, not because you are arbitrarily locked in)

- Easy to get your data out (you dont want to start from scratch if you change software)

- No hidden fees (training, setup, data imports, unlocking extra features can all add up)

As I mentioned before, I am from Cliniko (www.cliniko.com) so obviously I think that we have a great solution, but I would suggest consider the above points while evaluating any software solution, and you should avoid many of the cons that may arise.

The practice management software you choose to process patient claims and handle patient administrative records should be an integral part of your practice’s operations. As you assess your needs for this software, determine if an integrated electronic health record is preferred.

Advantages :

1. easily share pictures, images, sounds, video, documents, graphics, maps;

2. you can have a speedy exchange with anyone, almost anywhere in the world; and

3. easily manage your business affairs across the globe.

Disadvantages :

1. if you do not have a proper backup system, one hard-drive crash may result in losing valuable information;

2. because you cannot hear the sender’s tone or voice inflection, messages can be easily misinterpreted; and

3. the volume of transmitted data is becoming very high and becoming increasingly difficult to manage;

Don't know anything about med school in the PI but it shouldn't be a lot different than med school and practicing medicine in the states. Hard? Of course its hard. If it were easy then you could a medical license just like you get a drivers license. Social life? Forget it. You are going to learn medicine not be a party animal. Money? Forget it because the desire to practice medicine should never be predicated on how much money you will earn. Risky? Sure its risky but then again most of life is a risk. Stress? You will have more stress in one day than many people will have in their entire life and the stress doesn't go away until the day you retire or burn out and walk away. Nothing ends with med school You will spend your life being called out at 3a.m to try and save a life that can't be saved or to deliver a baby that dies in the delivery room and you have to tell the mother. You will treat sick kids that cough in your face and throw-up on your shoes, you will tell mothers or fathers that they or their child have an incurable illness and have only a short time to live. You will have to deal with whiners who insist that they are sick when they are not. Your personal life will be in shambles because you are dedicated to healing sick bodies and not to playing catch with your son or going to school plays. You will have to study and learn something new everyday for the rest of your life because when you think you know it all then that is the time to quit and go sell used cars because you've become worthless as a healer. Then there will be times when you are not perceived as a God and your insurance company pays for a mistake you didn't make because it is cheaper to settle than to fight for you in court. But if you are a person that, after going through all of the above and much more, can thank God for letting you save a life, or tell someone that their test results were negative, or see a new born baby take its first breath then go for it and dedicate youself to being the very best doctor you can be. You will find that its kind of like peeing yourself when you are wearing black pants - no one notices but you sure get a warm feeling.

This cons can be manged by extensive research on what your service provider has to offer. You simply need to look for providers who can deliver the most reasonable price package for their programs. Mostly, EMR service providers do offers free demo whereas you can check their services being offered with no strings attached. You can check out one service providers from the source box if you won't mind.