It’s a unique time to be a small business owner because of the amount of technology right at our fingertips. It can be overwhelming to know that there is so much out there – where to start? How can it help me?
When I mentor hygienists and work with my patients, I’m not just a healthcare provider – I need to be “in the know” about the latest and greatest ways to improve what I do and what I teach. In this article, I have highlighted three modern “techie” conveniences that have transformed the way I run my practice and work with my patients.
SnoreLab App – Snorelab is an App that I like to have my adult patients download to their smartphones or tablets when we get to the sleeping phase of my therapy program. The App is designed to record, measure, and track snoring so that patients can get feedback each morning. It helps them stay in control of their breathing and snoring, and provides me with real data to see when their symptoms improve. As a myofunctional therapist, I want to know if my patients have really changed their habits and health. This App has helped me achieve that when it comes to snoring.
Adobe EchoSign – It’s so important to stay on top of the legal and contractual agreements we enter into with our patients. Adobe EchoSign is an online cloud based system for sending documents, collecting e-signatures, and storing all those important contracts. Making sure I have the right signatures in the right places is very important to me, so I use Adobe EchoSign each time I start a new treatment program with a patient. The patient has full access to all their documents as well, so there is never any confusion about the costs, details, or even whether or not they are alright with their photo being used for educational purposes.
Worktime Tracker App – When you don’t have a boss, and no one is checking whether or not you have “clocked out” for your lunch break, it can be hard to know how much time you actually spend working. That’s why, when I discovered the Worktime Tracker App, I was excited (and a little nervous) to finally be able to track my own hours. Worktime Tracker allows you to track hours spent on specific subjects or projects, which I find very convenient and helpful. I can track how many hours I spend working one-on-one with patients, vs. how much time I spend writing chart entries and doing admin work. It’s a great tool!
These are just a few helpful hints from my bag of tricks. I also use a cloud based accounting system and patient tracking and charting system, so that I can access my data from anywhere and all the security and HIPAA compliance is covered.
What's great is that all of these techie tools are either free or very inexpensive. Part of being a savvy business owner is finding effective ways to do things without breaking the bank. I cover all of these techie tricks and much more in my private and group mentoring programs if you want to find out more.