Having a patient tracking system in place helps you ensure that every patient receives the care they need. With it, you can reduce the risk of delivering substandard care, losing valuable revenue opportunities, or incurring unnecessary expenses.
Traditional paper or dry-erase board-based patient tracking systems can no longer keep up with the growing needs and expectations of modern patients. Ineffective patient tracking can cause delays in delivering patient reports and treatments.
But with the right tools and a sound strategy in place, you can successfully implement a patient tracking system that will enable you to maximize patient retention and minimize errors.
Key Takeaways
- Patient tracking systems are an essential tool to efficiently run any healthcare business.
- You should develop a patient tracking system that helps improve your workflow and efficiency.
- There is a range of solutions to suit every business, from a small family practice to a growing hospital enterprise. Each option has benefits and shortcomings depending on your needs.
What Does a Patient Tracking System Do?
A patient tracking system is a system used by healthcare providers to track the progress of their patients. It typically consists of a database and a series of software applications that are used to record and analyze information about patients, such as their demographic data, the services they’ve received, and their current status. It can also provide a mechanism for healthcare providers to communicate with their patients, such as sending appointment reminders and messages about test results.
A patient tracking system:
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- Identifies patients
- Stores patients’ demographic information
- Tracks the progress of patients’ treatment
- Generates reports and data
In the video below, Laurette Salzman talks about some additional considerations for patient tracking in light of the Covid-19 pandemic:
The Benefits of an Effective Patient Tracking System
Patient tracking systems ensure that your staff is providing the best care to the right patients at the right time. They also help you identify areas for improvement and generate reports that can be used to make decisions about patient care.
The benefits of an effective patient tracking system include:
- Improved workflow
- Reduction in errors
- Increased efficiency
- Centralized information
- Optimized communication
- Effective allocation of resources
How to Create the Best Patient Tracking System for Your Practice
You have a range of options when implementing a patient tracking system. While the simplest patient tracking solutions are text-based, more complex and sophisticated systems can make use of wearable devices and biometrics. The best solution for you will depend on the size and needs of your practice.
Building a Simple Spreadsheet
Price: Low or none
Complexity: Simple
Practice Size: Only suitable for a small practice with few patients
One of the most basic ways to implement a patient tracking system is to use a simple spreadsheet. A spreadsheet is a great way for a small practice to start because it’s quick and simple to set up, easy to use, and can be adapted as your practice needs change. You can use any spreadsheet program to create your system, as long as you can add the columns and rows that you need. This means it can often be created for free using software you already have, such as Microsoft Excel.
All you need to start using a spreadsheet as a patient tracking system is a list of the patients in your practice. Then, you’ll need to add columns to the spreadsheet to keep track of the following information:
- Name
- Date of birth
- Address
- Contact information
- Doctor’s name
- Treatment date(s) and attendance
- Treatment plan
- Prescription / report
Free templates are available online to help you get your patient tracking spreadsheet started.
The drawback to this simple method is that managing your caseload can quickly become challenging, and your system will not effectively scale with you as your practice grows. HIPAA compliance can also be an issue, and you will need to manually extract data for any analysis you want to do. This can make spreadsheets an unviable option for growing healthcare businesses.
Using Existing Patient Tracking Software
Price: Moderate
Complexity: Sophisticated
Practice Size: Can handle a growing practice with unlimited patients
For many practices, existing patient tracking software options offer an affordable and robust option. These systems go beyond the simple storage of patient data achieved by a spreadsheet and offer a wider range of streamlined features to help you optimize and personalize the patient journey. These features can include:
- Sign-in systems
- Online check-in
- Virtual waiting rooms
- Scheduling, or integration with existing scheduling systems
- Patient engagement
- Text messaging and appointment reminders
- Feedback surveys
- Online review management
- HIPAA-compliant cloud data storage
When choosing patient tracking software, you should first assess your current workflow, needs, and any issues or pain points that you’d like the new system to address. This will help you select the system that best meets the needs of your staff and patients.
Commissioning a Custom-Built Patient Tracking System
Price: High
Complexity: Highly customizable
Practice Size: ideal for large hospital complexes and other institutions with many patients across several locations
Large practices with unique or complex patient tracking needs should consider partnering with a solutions expert, like Wellbe, to have an enterprise system custom-built to meet their requirements. While the cost of creating and maintaining a custom-built system can be significantly higher than other options, it offers the opportunity to design software that will integrate with your practice’s existing systems and provide precisely what your clinicians need to optimize your services. This can pay dividends in the long run since your bespoke system will be more resource- and staff- efficient, as well as able to adapt and grow with your organization.
Find the Best Patient Tracking System for Your Growing Practice
The solutions specialists at Wellbe can help you determine the patient tracking system that will scale with your growing practice. We believe in connecting healthcare providers and patients using seamless, personalized care automation to deliver an exceptional patient experience.
Find out how Wellbe can tip the scales in your favor.
The epitome of an entrepreneur, Mark has seen the peaks and valleys of starting, operating, and assuming the risks of a new venture. He’s come up against payroll, had a few bad hires, and even swept the floors early on. Collectively, Mark’s companies have done over $360 million in sales and raised more than $38 million in venture capital, and he has successfully bought and/or sold eight companies.
James believes technology, when creatively applied, can improve our life experiences. Intrigued by the amazing potential for internet and mobile technology to engage us all, James created a business model to reshape personal health management.
Mike Splinter, an electrical engineer and innovator, has played a major role in driving advances in the high tech industry, with more than four decades of executive leadership experience including 12 years with Applied Materials, Inc. where he was served as chairman and CEO, and over 20 years with Intel, where he was executive vice president of sales and marketing, and executive vice president of the Technology and Manufacturing Group.
Mr. Baldwin was most recently Chairman and CEO of Baxa Corporation, a leader in devices, systems, and software for the handling, packaging, and tracking of fluid medications in a critical care setting. Under his leadership from 1997 until its sale to Baxter Corporation in 2011, the company sales grew from $25 million to over $170 million. As CEO, he led the eight-member board of directors and led a minority recap resulting in Goldman Sach’s private equity group owning 27% of the company. He was also an early investor and lead director in Pharmacy OneSource, an innovative software-as-a-service business that had a successful exit in 2010.