Review of Practice Management Systems -- 2006

From the October 2006 Issue

Last year’s submissions for the practice management review were wide and varied. A couple of products were receiving final touches to major updates, while a few others had obviously been neglected by their owners for several years. The majority of products, however, could be heard screaming for attention — there was a drought of inspiration in the software world. I’m happy to report that the plain of software production is showing signs of rain and fertility. Many products have seen accelerated growth since last year’s reviews.

While there are likely to be several contributing factors to this growth, the best explanation I can think of is user response. This year’s entries have added integration to new products such as Microsoft Small Business Accounting, improved document management techniques, and utilized better designs for Internet-based record-keeping. Better thought has been given to layout, and it appears that many developers have taken user responses seriously and developed their products to those specifications.

Because our firm recently upgraded to a new practice management platform, I’d like to provide a task list of sorts for you, as a potential user, to do beyond reading the reviews. If you already make use of some software package, a needs-analysis will not be enough. It is very important that you identify characteristics of your current software that you like; the new software will already have plenty of “new features” that your users won’t like or will have difficulty adjusting to. Check out the reports that are available. If they don’t meet your needs, can you edit those included or make your own? Evaluate what’s broken or what may break in the next few years with your current processes. This is especially important if you are trying to grow your firm. Try to determine how easy information will port between the old and the new software. Also, make sure that several potential users sit down and try out a demo of the program; they may see potential problems that you do not. One last suggestion: Make sure you have an updated copy of your needs/wish list available in case the vendor decides to stop supporting your software implementation.

Hopefully, this checklist will get you and your firm started on your quest for a new practice management package. Feel free to add to the list as needed. If you or the vendor can’t pass this test, you’re not ready to purchase.

• We have identified the five (or 10) most important reports necessary for our practice.
• Our current user frustrations will be addressed by [this software package] through the following functionality: (make list).
• We do/do not need Internet or remote connectivity to our package.
• Our time zone corresponds well with the support hours of the vendor.
• The vendor provided a demo of the software we plan to purchase, not one with extended functionality enabled.
• My boss did not get vague promises and answers from a vendor salesperson.
• Timekeeping really is easy in this package based on our organization system.
• There is a strong chance I can train all of our users to use this package the way we intend for them to use it.
  

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