In this issue...

Latest PPS Features

Around The World

Employee Focus

Clinic Focus

Bupa Changes

Back Issues

Did You Know?

PPS is used by more than 1500 clinics.

We are the only "patient and practice management" software supplier to have a newsletter and an on-line user forum!

Welcome to the
Private Practice Software Newsletter - September 2009

We have had another busy few months since the last newsletter, and as always there is still lots going on and lots of news to bring you!

In this issue we look at the latest PPS features and details of the latest PPS Version. More...

As PPS grows in popularity around the world, we are always receiving enquiries from companies or individuals to act as local PPS agents. Read about one of our new partnerships. More...

As we continue to grow as a company, we invite you to meet another member of our team. More...

We are always delighted to promote and share the services offered by our clients. In this newsletter we invite "FootFriend®" to offer an insight into their business. More...

The last six months has seen some major changes and upheaval for those clinics that provide services to Bupa. This has meant some changes to PPS... More...

Latest PPS Features

Since the last newsletter, we have continued to work on improving PPS through new version releases. The next major new release of PPS is due out very soon and is will be version 4.0.55. If you have a PPS Support Contract, you will be able to download and install this update free of charge. There are always more enhancements in the pipeline, and we are planning further new releases before the end of the year, so keep your ideas coming in. Here's a summary of some recent new features.

Client / Patient Details You can now optionally use Client ID pictures on the client details screen. Also improvements made to client details printout.
Clinical Notes Improvement to Treatment Episode Management including billing options, limits and warnings on consultations and spend. Options to allow further clinical information to appear on your invoices as required specifically by Bupa and some other insurers.
Custom Forms Incorporate information entered on your form into your own MS Word document. Create impressive printed versions of your forms, or create and print detailed multi-page medical reports with the click of a button!
New Diary Options We've gone colour mad - you can now assign your own colours to: Notes, Blocked Appointments, Appointment Types and DNAs. New diary view and filtering options to view the diary by location or discipline. This includes hiding columns where practitioners are not available. Default duration now included for Blocked Appointments.
New Reports Options New Custom Reports option allows us to develop specific reports to your own requirements. Custom report designs to prepare and send your report results to Excel in your own design format.
Accounts New Account Warning Message that can be used against a client or third-party account. "Funds available on account" can now be quickly accessed and used when completing an appointment.
Confirmations and Reminders When sending confirmations and reminders to clients, you can now quickly check and change the client's e-mail address or mobile phone number before sending the message.
Third Parties Third party selections for billing purposes against Treatment Episodes including spend and consultation limits. Plus, a new report option allows you to run reports for your third party contacts: GPs, Insurers, Consultants etc.

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PPS Around the World

We are delighted to be working with a number of existing local agents in Europe. We work closely with these companies to enable them to add value to their existing services by also being able to sell and support PPS locally.

Our newest addition is "down under" in New Zealand and we delighted to appoint Frédéric Cherri as our local agent. Frédéric has combined knowledge and experience of both IT and as a private practitioner in natural therapy sectors in New Zealand. As a result, he has a good understanding of software requirements especially in the context of the health sector.

Frédéric Cherri

In the past, he has owned and run system integration and web development companies in Auckland. This includes experience in SLAs, software distribution, support lines, bug reporting, call centres and management of sales and support.

Frédéric now runs a successful clinic and training institute including six treatment rooms, and is in the process of recruiting a multidisciplinary team of private health professionals to compliment his services. He also has a great proactive relationship with various local professional organisations and regulatory bodies.

PPS is widely used in New Zealand and this newsletter is distributed to all local clinics already using PPS as well as those that have shown interest in using PPS in their practice.

Frédéric is available to contact locally in New Zealand if you wish to either discuss how he may be able to support your PPS system locally, or if you would like to discuss potentially using PPS in your clinic. His local contact details are as follows:

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Ryan - Always smiling on the support desk!

Employee Focus

Ryan Bulloch - PPS Support

We would like to introduce Ryan - the hard working star of our support desk! Ryan has been with us since October 2008.

In addition to being likened to Chris Martin from the band "Coldplay", Ryan holds the office record for the number of names he is known by to our clients (and the office): Warren, Roy, Ray, Royan, Ronan, Rory, Royne, Rowan, Robin, Bryan, Raj, Glen & even Michelle to name but a few!

Outside work, Ryan is a keen car enthusiast and operates several web sites and forums dedicated to a few specific areas of motor car interest and cars that none of us have really heard of. He also attends various "track days" enjoying blasting his own car around various race tracks and is involved in various car rally events. He is keen to point out that he is a "proper" car enthusiast and does not want to be associated with "boy racers", fat exhaust pipes, neon lights on cars and hot hatchbacks!

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CHIROPODISTS&PODIATRISTS

Click here to visit their Web Site

Clinic Focus - Footfriend®

Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire – recently voted as the place in Britain with the highest quality of life! This lovely market town near Hull and York is home to “Footfriend®” the Podiatry Practice established in the town in 1990 by Damian Johns.

Damian writes:

"Our practice was established in first floor consulting rooms in the town centre but eventually due to growth of the practice moved to ground floor high street premises. Our increased growth not only in patient numbers but also of professional staff brought increasing logistical problems of handling patient records between 2 surgeries, diary management, product sales at reception let alone the storage of records, stock control etc.

"This continued success is probably due to the emphasis on quality and the caring nature of all staff. As such there are many patients who are the 3rd generation of their family who have used our services. We use several forms of local marketing but in many ways “word of mouth” continues to be our biggest source of referrals, be it from family, friends or other health practitioners.

"Footfriend prides itself in high quality care in a professional environment. The practice is accredited by the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists which ensures that high standards are met. Services not only include basic foot care and the provision of quality related foot health products. As a practitioner I also specialise in nail surgery and treatment of musculoskeletal problems.

"By the start of 2008, our bespoke database was increasingly inadequate for managing our needs and extra staff was not an option. I searched high and low for a technological solution to the problem and was recommended PPS.

"Since adopting PPS the change in the practice is in my opinion nothing short of miraculous. Our existing data was converted into PPS saving thousands of man hours imputing data. We opted for an in-house training day to introduce PPS to the practice staff this gave us the confidence to use it straight away.

"We now have all patient records available in each surgery all the time so no hassles trying to locate paper records and have them in the right place at the right time. We have special templates available for records for example if doing a diabetic foot assessment or a biomechanical assessment or simply charting the locations of lesions etc. This together with the user defined texts which we call “click notes” enable quick, accurate and individual patient note taking much faster than ever could be done by hand.

"Billing is linked to the appointment type so when the patient returns to reception the receptionist is able to take the right payments immediately. We recently introduced a receipt printer (a recent new feature to PPS!) and now we even save time from hand writing receipts. Keeping track of payments and debtors is also simple.

"The reporting is brilliant for patient recall letters or searching for all patients of a type, such as patients with diabetes. We now scan documents relating to our patients and attach them to their files so paper is rapidly disappearing from the practice and the problem of storing it. PPS brilliantly backs up to a data stick in a couple of minutes so I now can keep the most important information off the premises and with me all the time.

"PPS through easily being customisable to the individual practice needs has solved my admin headaches, saved me a lot of time and expense. I am impressed by the constant developments by PPS to keep it at the forefront of practice management. This not only increases the professional appearance of the practice but is perceived as more professional by the public."

Damian Johns

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Did you know?...

PPS is the only "patient and practice management" software supplier in the UK that allows you to purchase on-line, including purchasing your annual support and software maintenance contract..

Bupa changes

In April 2009, Bupa entered into the process of reviewing all their physiotherapy providers. This involved each physiotherapist or clinic reapplying for their status as a provider. Those successful applicants have agreed as part of this new contract to provide Bupa with a minimum standard of reporting and billing quality.

These reporting requirements include specific information that has to appear on all Bupa invoices, plus a range of reporting requirements that include breakdowns of treatments by referral source and so on.

We are pleased to say that PPS already satisfies most of the requirements for this, but we have also been working hard to implement one or two further updates to PPS to enable all requirements to be fully satisfied.

If you are affected by a Bupa contract and you are not using the latest release of PPS, or perhaps you do not even use PPS yet, then now is the time make sure you have PPS in place to look after your Bupa reporting obligations!

Please contact us for further details on 0845 0680 777, or +44 1283 550 777

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