Did you know that physicians spend almost 20% of their time on desk work?
As a healthcare provider, you are familiar with any healthcare practice’s struggles with the principal care management (PCM) program. Your day is filled with long working hours, lots of paperwork, and balancing patient care with managing your practice’s finances. This hectic schedule makes it difficult to provide personlized and holistic care to the patients, resulting in hurdles in improving patient outcomes.
Moreover, principal care management is ever-evolving, and something new comes along every now and then, such as changes in CMS guidelines or new digital healthcare regulations. Because of these constant changes, it becomes difficult to adapt swiftly, which impacts your practice finances and leads to an increased workload. This means providing high-quality care comes at the expense of your time and money.
But what if I told you we have a solution that can help you provide better care? And the best part is that you don’t have to worry about spending extra money and it can save you much more time.
The solution is using cost-effective principal care management software, which is designed to bridge the gaps, such as poor coordination and communication between providers and patients. With this, the software helps you streamline patient management, reduce paperwork, and, most importantly, maximize reimbursements without adding to your burdens.
So, if you are interested in knowing how, then keep reading the blog till the end and find out how and other benefits of using PCM software!
Understanding Your Needs and Defining Your Budget
Before hitting the market to look for cost-effective principal care management (PCM) software, you need to assess what exactly your practice needs. This will help you identify your needs, as you will cater mostly to chronic patients, you will need features that will help you in providing better chronic care to the patients. In this, having features like remote patient monitoring, telehealth platforms, and other analytics tools makes it easier and more efficient to deliver the needed care remotely.
Furthermore, access your current processes and workflow and understand what roadblocks you are facing. Is your patient registration taking too much time? Or are you having trouble keeping up with billing guidelines? Understanding this will give you more clarity on what pain points you need to address to improve your efficiency.
Also, keeping a fixed budget in your mind will stop you from overspending. Moreover, pay attention to every mentioned cost, such as implementation costs, training, and support costs, or any other hidden costs. If you clearly ask for this beforehand, it will save you money in the long run and help you make the right choice for the best care management software at the right amount of money.
Evaluating Essential Features and Functionality
When you are deciding on the features of your principal care management software, there are some core features that you must consider. These features are the ones that make your practice and PCM program more efficient and effective. Some of these features are patient tracking and monitoring, care plan management, and automated reporting and documentation.
Let’s understand the benefits of each for your practice:
- Patient Tracking and Monitoring: This feature enables real-time documentation of patient interactions, scheduled follow-ups, and ongoing care management activities. Having a track of everything leads to reduced missed follow-ups, enhanced patient engagement, and ensures continuity of care.
- Care Plan Development: Personalized care plans are at the heart of effective chronic disease management. With a care plan development feature, providers can create, update, and track patient-specific treatment strategies tailored to their condition. Implementing this feature improves patient adherence, enhances care coordination, and optimizes treatment outcomes.
- Automated Reporting and Documentation: Documentation is one of the most time-consuming processes in any care practice, but it is essential for billing, reporting, and many other things. But, when you automate this process, it reduces, if not eliminates the need for manual entries and saves time for healthcare providers. It also brings benefits like increased billing accuracy and helps maximize reimbursements.
These features are important, however, integration with the electronic health records (EHR) is also as important. Check if the software is compatible with your existing EHR system, this will ensure that you won’t have to take any workarounds with it. Because taking incompatible software will reduce efficiency and increase your financial burden further while reducing the value principal care management software has.
Moreover, you need to look for software that has a user-friendly interface, as it makes the software easy to use and improves engagement rates. Also, users quickly adopt the software with less resistance, and daily operations are more efficient.
PCM Software Evaluation Checklist
Download Free ChecklistComparing Pricing Models and Identifying Hidden Costs
Investing in PCM software is a major decision, and understanding pricing models is important before you take the next steps. There are multiple models in the market, however, there are three that are used more frequently. Those are subscription-based pricing, one-time purchases, and user-based or tiered pricing the value principal care management software brings to your practice depends on this.
So, let’s understand their pros and cons one by one:
- Subscription-Based Pricing (SaaS): A monthly or annual fee is required for continued access to the software. The plus point of this model is that it often includes regular updates, support, and cloud storage, making it a predictable expense. However, the costs can rise as your practice grows and you require additional features and more cloud storage.
- One-Time Purchase: In this, you only have to pay once, and you get full access and ownership of the software. While this avoids recurring fees, you may still need to pay for upgrades, support, and additional features separately. This makes it expensive in the long run, and the cost adds up as your practice grows.
- User-Based Pricing: Some vendors charge based on the number of users, patients enrolled, or PCM-related claims processed. This can be cost-efficient for smaller practices but expensive as patient volume increases.
Checking base pricing and comparing options is important, however, you also need to look out for any hidden costs. Before investing in PCM software, check if there are any implementation costs, if the vendor is charging extra for future upgrades, or if there are fees for the training and onboarding process. Choose a system that is scalable and can easily accommodate your growing needs, this will save you money in the long term and avoid paying extra money in the future.
Prioritizing Vendor Reputation and Customer Support
While choosing the right and cost-effective principal care management software is important, buying it from the right software vendor is also more important. Because, when you choose an experienced vendor, you not only get their vast experience but also their expertise. A vendor who has a proven track record better understands clinical workflows and the needed industrial regulations.
Furthermore, researching the vendor’s history, industry partnerships, and compliance with CMS guidelines can help you determine if they’re a reliable choice. You can also check the customer testimonials and reviews to get insights into user satisfaction.
Strong customer support is another critical factor. The best vendors offer comprehensive training, detailed documentation, and responsive assistance to ensure a smooth onboarding process. Check if they provide 24/7 support, live chat, or dedicated account managers to help troubleshoot issues quickly. Also, prioritize vendor reputation, customer feedback, and support quality, this will help you choose a PCM solution that not only meets your needs today but also evolves with your practice in the future.
Streamlining Implementation and Ensuring Seamless Integration
Adopting a PCM software is not a simple process, it is a significant step, and its success depends on how well it is implemented. Here, creating a plan with clearly defined timelines and milestones helps you reduce the disruptions in your care delivery process during the shift. First, ensure that you have established secure communication channels with the vendor and keep in touch with them. This will lead to more coordinated efforts and you will be in the loop throughout the development process.
Moreover, collaboration with the service provider is the key to a successful system setup. By working closely with the vendor, you can ensure the migration of patient records, billing, and other important documents is smooth. Otherwise, there are chances of data loss or duplication during the migration. Likewise, choosing a vendor that offers hands-on implementation support can help you get up and running faster.
Apart from this, ensuring integration with your existing EHR will reduce workflow disruptions and eliminate the need for redundant data entry. Another important thing to consider is training of your staff, this will make sure that there are no mistakes and have a faster adoption of the new software. This will aid in keeping the workflow smooth without any hurdles.
Maximizing ROI and Measuring Success
When you invest in PCM software to get more revenue and to ensure you are getting the most out of it, tracking Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is essential. You need to measure metrics like patient engagement rates, care plan adherence, and billing accuracy to gauge the principal care management software ROI. These KPIs tell you whether the software is streamlining the workflows and increasing operational efficiency or not.
However, the ultimate goal is better patient care and cost-saving, so a well-implemented PCM software must lead you towards it. It should be able to reduce hospitalizations, provide better virtual care, and improve chronic care. Additionally, it should also automatically track the reimbursement trends to ensure you get maximum benefit from the billing and claim submission process.
Furthermore, you have to evaluate the software and workflows to identify the gaps and then optimize them accordingly. In this, taking staff and patient feedback can prove to be important and provide you with needed insights. In short, by continuously measuring the success and refining your processes, you can achieve maximum principal care management ROI, enhance patient care and ensure long-term growth with PCM software.
Conclusion
When choosing cost-effective principal care management (PCM) software, you must consider some factors. First, choose software that will have all the core features, such as patient tracking, automated reporting, and care plan development.
However, while doing so, also pay attention to the hidden costs, implementation costs, and ownership costs. When you are finalizing the software, ensure that you check if it is subscription-based or one-time purchase software. Each software’s features and functionalities will vary, as will the cost. So, choosing software that will be cost-effective for you is crucial.
Are you unsure which software is right for you? Let us help! Click here to schedule a free demo with eCareMD and discover an affordable, efficient PCM solution tailored to your needs.
Frequently Asked Question’s
Principal Care Management (PCM) software helps healthcare providers manage patients with a single chronic condition. It streamlines care planning, tracks patient progress, and ensures compliance with Medicare guidelines. PCM software improves communication, simplifies billing, and enhances patient outcomes by enabling better coordination and ongoing monitoring of the patient’s condition.
To determine if Principal Care Management (PCM) software is cost-effective, compare its price to the value it provides. Check if it reduces administrative work, improves patient care, and increases efficiency. Look at ROI, hidden costs, and user feedback. A good PCM system should save time and money in the long run.
Hidden costs in Principal Care Management (PCM) software often include setup fees, training costs, data migration charges, add-on features, and ongoing maintenance. Some vendors also charge extra for customer support, system updates, or integrations with other tools. Always read the fine print to avoid unexpected expenses.
Free Principal Care Management (PCM) software can be a good option for small practices or startups with limited budgets. However, it may have fewer features, limited support, and security risks. If scalability, compliance (HIPAA), and reliability are important, investing in a paid solution is usually a better long-term choice.
PCM (Principal Care Management) software should have HIPAA compliance to protect patient data, ONC Certification for EHR standards, and HITECH Act compliance for security. SOC 2 ensures data privacy, while GDPR matters if handling European patients. These certifications help keep patient information safe and meet legal requirements for healthcare providers.
PCM software improves patient care by streamlining communication, tracking patient data, and ensuring timely follow-ups. It helps doctors monitor chronic conditions, reduces errors, and enhances care coordination. With automated reminders and real-time data access, it ensures patients get the right care at the right time, leading to better health outcomes.
When choosing affordable Principal Care Management (PCM) software, look for essential features like patient scheduling, automated reminders, secure data storage, EHR integration, billing tools, and compliance with HIPAA. A user-friendly interface, customization options, and good customer support are also important to ensure smooth operations and better patient care.
PCM software integrates with existing Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems through APIs, HL7, or FHIR standards, allowing seamless data sharing. This ensures real-time access to patient records, reduces manual data entry, and improves care coordination. A well-integrated system enhances efficiency, minimizes errors, and supports better decision-making for healthcare providers.
PCM software pricing models vary and include subscription-based (monthly/yearly plans), pay-per-use (charged per patient or service), one-time license fees, and freemium models (basic free version with paid upgrades). Some vendors also offer custom pricing based on organization size and needs. Choose one that fits your budget and usage.
To compare PCM software providers, and evaluate their features, pricing, user experience, and customer support. Check reviews, request demos, and see how well they integrate with your existing systems. Ensure they meet security and compliance standards like HIPAA. Choose a provider that offers reliability, scalability, and enhances patient care.
