QuickSOAP*Touchnotes

joannbailey asked: Hello there! Last February I see you blogged that you would have a stand alone iPad app for Massage Therapy Touch Soap Notes. Was this product developed? If so, I would be very interested!

Thanks!

Thanks for your interest. The latest update is that we are on milestone 2 of 5 in the development process with a release date on the App store by the end of summer 2012. The software is really great. It will be totally iPad, no desktop required and will be linkable with other iPads in a common group. Keep checking, I am sorry it has taken so long but we are asking the software to do a lot and it must be perfect.

holmassage asked: Hey there -Is there any more new about the massage therapy version of your SOAP notes?

Thanks for your interest. The latest update is that we are on milestone 2 of 5 in the development process with a release date on the App store by the end of summer 2012. The software is really great. It will be totally iPad, no desktop required and will be linkable with other iPads in a common group. Keep checking, I am sorry it has taken so long but we are asking the software to do a lot and it must be perfect.

Is Patient Education Worth the Time?

Is Patient Education Worth the Time?

by Dr. David Bohn, DC

Chiropractors will talk about educating patients and never question that an educated patient is more likely to begin care and then stick with a recommended care plan. When many chiropractors elect to educate their patients they usually fail to do it in a creative way that attracts and holds attention, answers the questions that really need answered, yet do not nag or annoy their patient.

People today are not like the patients of the 1980’s. Attention spans are shorter, information on any topic is available with just the click of a mouse, and the competition to be noticed and heard is fierce.

This presents a dilemma. If we all agree that if our patient is educated about their problem and the solution we are offering results in a less stressful practice for us and a better outcome for the patient why isn’t this happening?

Perhaps I can offer an example from my own life to help illustrate. 

As an undergraduate college student I drank and apparently enjoyed low cost beer, sometimes to excess. I knew very little about how beer was brewed and really wouldn’t have cared to have it explained. Beer was important to me for the same reasons it is to all 21-year-old men. In chiropractic school a friend of mine introduced me to home brewing. I read every book I could find, spoke with people in the local shop that sold home brewing supplies and eventually mastered understood the importance of understanding the importance of balling degrees and terminal gravity. As the years past my interest and understanding in beer grew to the point that I cannot bring myself to drink a can of mass produced swill that many people find so satisfying.

Well enough about beer, here’s the moral to the story. The more you learn about something, the more interested you become in it and the more of it you begin to buy. You buy more and become more loyal to it until you become a valuable lifetime customer of the product. I will admit to you, I am now a loyal lifetime Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout raving fan although I still enjoy experiencing fine microbrews as I travel. Applying this to chiropractic means that the better you educate your patient, the better client they will be, the more loyal they will be to your practice, the more money they will spend, and most importantly the better they will be able to explain your practice and what you do to their friends and family. This means you will get more referrals and have a better, less stressful practice.

It all comes down to increasing the value of each patient. Not just for 18-24 visits but for the lifetime of that patient, for the referrals and the new problems they may have over their lifetime.

Patient education;

1.   Increase the number of internal referrals your practice receives.

2.   Increases the PVA (patient visit average) of each patient because educated patients comprehend the value of chiropractic.

3.   Educated patients understand the value of maintenance.

4.   They are more likely to remain long term patients in your practice and educated patients are less concerned about fees.

My personal favorite example of quality, creative patient education is the take home report of findings. This would include copies of the patient’s x-rays with lines drawn on it demonstrating the patient’s biomechanical faults. Pictures of the patient preforming each range of motion. A posture analysis showing the patient the abnormalities. A listing of their subluxated segments with the corresponding effected organs and muscles, and a financial case presentation. I also like to provide the patient a copy of their first visit note in narrative format. This take home report allows the patient to fully understand and share their problem and my solutions will everyone.

Dr. David Bohn, DC is the founder of http://www.chiroconceptions.com and has been practicing chiropractic since 1988. For more information on software and other tools to increase your practice visit our website or call 301-777-3710 for more information.

Still Using Handwritten Notes?

Still Using Handwritten Notes?

I get several calls a week from doctors who are still using handwritten travel cards or antiquated computer technology because they either have very little computer knowledge or do not like to change. Well, let me be the one to break the news, computerized notes with EMR/EHR technology is here to stay.

If you are one of those chiropractors who has been putting off moving into the future of documentation then QuickSOAP Notes is the program for you because at www.chiroconceptions.com we specialize in “technophobes”.

Moving your documentation into computerized touch screen technology will increase your compliance, decrease the time you spend doing new patient notes, and can even increase the number of referrals you get from primary care providers and attorneys. Even with these potential benefits many DC’s hesitate on moving forward.

When you buy QuickSOAP Notes we will “hold your hand” and help you get set up. This includes helping you get you computer set up and running and connecting your iPad if that is the way you want to go. QSN’s is intuitive and help videos are available on every screen so you can learn as you go without constantly turning to a manual to find out how something works.

Over the years I have discovered that doctors have a strong interest in updating their practice and their patient management with computerized documentation but have doubts about their ability to learn the software and work on a computer. We have had many self described “older” doctors update to QuickSOAP Notes and adapted to the technology very quickly. The biggest barrier to purchasing and upgrading seems to always involving expanding your headspace first, after that it is all downhill.

It will take a few weeks to become completely comfortable with the program and then it will seem as if you had it made just for your practice.  All of our screens can be customized to fit your practice and you have the option of adding unlimited template screens meaning that you can finally create a documentation that is uniquely yours for less than $2000.

The main thing is don’t be afraid of expanding and growing. All of our staff from our graphic artist to our senior programmer will be glad to help you get the most of your software. You get 30 days of support when you buy and if you would like unlimited support and updates we will be only a phone call away, year after year, for only $295/year. We are happy to take suggestions for new screens or improvements from our support subscribers.

Stop being afraid, we’re here to help. Call us at 301-876-4565 if you would like to move forward and add QuickSOAP Notes to your practice today.

Reminder about your invitation from David Bohn

LinkedIn

Reminder about your invitation from David Bohn

LinkedIn

Invitation to connect on LinkedIn

LinkedIn

A GUIDE FOR LIVING IN 2011 

A GUIDE FOR LIVING IN 2011

 

Health:

1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow ON trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured IN plants..
4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games
7. Read more books than you did in 2010 .
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep at least 7 hours.
10.Take a 10-30 minute walk daily.  And while you walk, smile.
 
Personality:

11. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don’t have negative thoughts on things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don’t over do.  Keep your limits.
14. Don’t take yourself so seriously.  No one else does.
15. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time.  You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past.  Don’t remind your partner of his/her mistakes in the past, that will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.  Don’t hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.  Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don’t have to win every argument.  Agree to disagree…
 
Society:

25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time with people over the age of 70, and under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick.  Your friends will.  Stay in touch.
 
Life:

32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful, or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
37. The best is yet to come…
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy. 
 
Last but not the least:
 
40.    Consider forwarding this guide to those you care about.

EHR Stimulus Funds for Chiropractic Note Programs

On July 16, 2010 the “Final Rule” regarding Meaningful Use criteria and EHR (Electronic Health Records) Financial Incentives was released and has generated  lots of questions and a lot of confusion for many chiropractors about how to obtain stimulus dollars for documentation software (EHR/EMR). Several times a week a chiropractor will ask me if my program QuickSOAP Notes (www.chiroconceptions.com) meets the requirements.

Here are what I believe are the key points regarding EHR eligibility for those of you who don’t care to read the original documents or fact sheets on Meaningful Use and EHR Financial Incentives in their entirety:

• Meaningful Use Criteria which establish eligibility for financial incentives are for EHR Certified programs only. Translation: if your EHR is not certified, you may not receive any financial stimulus.  Many EHR companies are advertising that they are “eligible” for certification, although this is not the same as being certified.  Buyer beware!

• You know only need to complete 20 of the 25 Meaningful Use Objectives/Measures as defined in the Final Rule issued by CMS.  Even though you may “defer” 5 of these requirements, this is still an ambitious list for most practitioners in order to qualify for the funds.

• The completion of these Objectives/Measures fulfills Stage 1 requirements only (which make you eligible for the financial incentive portion).  Stage 2 and Stage 3 objectives exist, but the exact requirements and penalties are not as well defined.

• Chiropractors are Eligible Professionals that may qualify for the EHR financial incentives

• Chiropractors may be eligible for EHR financial incentive payments as early as 2011; payments can proceed for up to 5 years.

• The total financial payments that chiropractors are eligible to receive is a maximum of  $44,000 over a 5 year period or equal to 75% of Medicare allowable charges for covered professional services furnished by the chiropractor in an eligible year.  This is perhaps the biggest criteria EHR companies fail to mention.  In other words, in one given year, you can receive up to $18,000 IF (and only if) you provide at least $24,000 worth of covered services (based on allowable charges) to Medicare patients.  On the other hand, if you have a small Medicare practice, your eligible financial incentives will be reduced accordingly and capped at 75% of the allowable charges for your covered services (which, in chiropractic, is CMT only).  Do the math to see if your practice qualifies for anywhere near the $44K amount.

The Bottom Line

My feelings have not been changed by the “final rule” criteria.  I would highly recommend that most offices switch to some form of electronic health records.  However, this advice is NOT based on the presumption that you are doing so to capture any potential financial stimulus incentives.  Rather, migrate to EHR because of its potential to improve your documentation, level of care and overall record-keeping. I would add that you should search for a program that you WILL USE and not for the best deal or all in one package.