How to Select Physical Therapy Practice Management Software | WRAP | Part 3

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physical therapy software selection part 3By Yuval Lirov, PhD and Shecanna Seeley, PT

Reality Test Your Assumptions

So now Shannon has expanded her options and we can ask Shannon how will she assess them?

Our Confirmation Bias is the main problem at this decision-making stage: we prefer data that confirms our selection. We spotlight only favorable data.

Consider the Opposite, to Avoid Self-Confirmation Bias

The best way to avoid the Confirmation Bias is to instigate a disagreement. For instance, disagreements are built-in in our legal system. The judge is made to consider two opposing points of view.

If Shannon is considering eliminating the system and outsourcing her billing to a 3rd party (2nd option), she should appoint a devil’s advocate on her team to argue a case against eliminating the system or outsourcing her billing.

To collect more trustworthy information, Shannon may ask rejecting questions, such as:

  1. How many times did your cloud-based system lose access to internet?
  2. Have you received complaints about your follow up billing person being rude?
  3. have you received patient complaints about wrong patient statements?

Zoom Out, Zoom In

Shannon would do well if she reviewed the Outside View, which is performance statistics about the software and billing service vendors she is considering. That’s in addition to interviewing specific clients – the Inside View, a close-up. Relevant software statistics cover the entire gamut of software ratings across

  1. Functionality,
  2. Quality,
  3. Ease-of-Use, and
  4. Support.

Relevant billing service statistics cover the Key Performance indicators, such as

  1. Percent of AR Beyond 120 days,
  2. Average Delay Until 50% of AR Paid,
  3. Percent of Clean Claims Paid

Shannon would waste her time asking experts for predictions about how well specific products would do in her practice, but she would learn tons of useful information if she asked experts for average performance data about the same products in an average practice. At best, Shannon would look for both a comparison of her practice to industry standards and a forecast of her potential revenue if she hired a service.

Ooching = Running Small Experiments to Avoid Predicting the Future

Ooching is counterproductive in situations that require commitment.  Installing a computer system or hiring a billing service requires changes in your office processes, and so they require major commitment and training.  The best Shannon can do is to:

  1. review on performance statistics and other client testimonials
  2. test the performance of new software and new process in one of her offices first
  3. visit other clinics, learn from experience

Read the next part of this series on physical therapy software selection on our bestPT blog next week!

References:

1. Chip Heath  and Dan Heath,   Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work, Crown Business; 2013
2. Yuval Lirov and Shecanna Seely, “How to Select the Best Physical Therapy Software for Your Office,” Impact APTA PPS, August 2013, pp. 46-50.