Best Practice Software

Our Online Booking Management Solution Is Now Live 

Best Health Booking Blog Graphic

We are excited to announce the official release of our Online Booking Management Solution, Best Health Booking.

Best Health Booking integrates with Bp Premier to provide a hassle-free booking solution for practice managers and practice owners. It also provides convenience to patients and streamlines administrative tasks, all while being easy to navigate and configure.

Best Health Booking has been through rigorous Beta Testing and was designed in partnership with Bp Premier customers.

“Listening to our customer’s feedback provided clear direction for which features would be most beneficial to their clinics when it came to an Online Appointment Booking Solution. Based on beta testing and ongoing feedback received, we are sure Bp Premier customers will be thrilled with Best Health Booking overall, but especially the seamless integration, simple setup and maintenance and the patient convenience it offers,” Ms Danielle Bancroft, our Chief Product Officer, explained.

To determine whether Best Health Booking is right for your clinic, we encourage you to visit our website

How Will Best Health Booking Help Your Practice?

Bookings in an instant: Real-time visibility in the Bp Premier appointment book for your team and in Best Health Booking for your patients means that there is less chance of a double booking happening – no matter where someone is entering it into the system. This also reduces the burden on your reception team.

Spend less time on admin: By simplifying your practice’s booking workflow and streamlining your practice-patient communications, Best Health Booking helps you spend less time on administrative tasks, and more time on looking after your patients. 

Be up and running in minutes: Once the Best Health Booking Site Manager has been installed, your practice profile can be configured and live in minutes, allowing your patients to instantly book their online appointments. 

Bookings anywhere, anytime: Patients aren’t always able to book an appointment on your schedule. Best Health Booking lets them book an appointment on theirs. Your practice’s unique link allows patients to book an appointment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – no matter where they are. With freedom and flexibility over their health journey, patients are more likely to attend their appointments. 

Part of the customer-centric approach has been to keep Best Health Booking pricing as affordable as possible, to support the critical operations of valued practices at the forefront of healthcare in Australia.

We believe that Best Health Booking pricing should be simple and transparent. This means that no matter the size of your medical practice, you will have access to all the features we offer, without paying extra for each one. Our goal is to make it easy for you to subscribe and focus on what really matters – providing the best healthcare to your patients. For a breakdown Best Health Booking pricing, visit https://bpsoftware.net/best-health-booking-pricing.

Share this article:

Embracing the Future: How AI is Reshaping Healthcare for Better Patient Outcomes

I recently got the opportunity to show my ageing parents what OpenAI’s ChatGPT could do. Artificial Intelligence to them was a fairly abstract concept held for Hollywood blockbusters, so pulling out a laptop was the result of a conversation that centred around “how does it actually benefit me?” Imagine their surprise when they discovered how it could help them write an email, spruce up a resume, or create Excel formulas and charts. They’re both two-finger typers so the possibilities of how this could make their lives more efficient got them more excitable than a teenager scrolling through TikTok and Instagram Reels.

As they wondered how it was going to make the last of their working years a breeze, my thoughts were around how AI would continue to help them beyond that into a long and healthy retirement. Just like assisting with Excel formulas, AI is starting to play a critical role in enhancing patient care and improving overall efficiencies in the Australian healthcare industry; not just for our ageing parents, but for all of us.

If You Currently Work In Healthcare, AI Is Getting Harder To Ignore.

The immense potential AI has when it comes to patient care almost looks limitless. With the ability to analyse large volumes of data, AI technologies might be able to help our healthcare professions in many different ways.

What about the continuous monitoring of patient’s vital signs, symptoms, and disease progression, alerting doctors to any significant changes that may require intervention? Or the potential to save lives and reduce hospital readmissions? Or AI-driven clinical decision support systems that could provide our doctors with evidence-based treatment recommendations? Can AI suggest appropriate treatment options, dosage recommendations, and potential drug interactions, empowering doctors with up-to-date information to make well-informed decisions?

Some Of That Might Sound A Little "Pie In The Sky," But AI Is The Here And Now.

There are quite a few vendors in the healthcare space already that can really add value to your practice in ways you might not have thought of yet, like:

  • AI-powered scribing tools: They fully integrate with your Clinical Consultation software. While you’re concentrating on your patient, your AI helper listens intently in the background, and filters out all non-relevant information to return to you perfect patient notes for you to check. It knows which personal information to redact and does it in real-time, using state-of-the-art data encryption and data processing done locally on Australian servers. You can use your patient conversation to instantly generate a referral or letter in your own unique style, as your AI helper learns over time to adapt to the way you write.
  • Virtual Assistants and Chatbots: AI-powered virtual assistants and chatbots can provide basic information, appointment scheduling, and answer frequently asked questions, improving patient access and engagement.
  • Remote Monitoring and Telemedicine: AI technologies enable remote monitoring of patients’ vital signs, allowing healthcare providers and empower patients to track and manage chronic conditions or aftercare and provide virtual care.
  • Medical Image Analysis: powerful AI algorithms can analyse and quickly identify information that may assist a clinician in reaching a diagnosis for diseases such as skin cancer, eye disease, and heart arrythmias.
  • Clinical Decision Support: tools designed for use during patient consultations powered by AI can automate detection, and prompt clinicians to consider possible opportunities for early intervention for chronic disease, from cardiovascular and chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and beyond. AI-driven tools can even have the ability to assist in recommending pathways of care alongside diagnosis considerations for clinicians and patients alike.

No Technology Can Replace The Importance Of Human Expertise And The Doctor-Patient Relationship.

Nevertheless, it is an exhilarating time to work in healthcare. Are you seeing your software vendors embracing these technologies to make your lives easier? With what is available right now, plus advancements on the horizon, AI will redefine work efficiencies across various roles in our practices. AI technologies are here and they’re already enhancing numerous aspects of our lives, so here’s to embracing these innovations, particularly for all those two finger typers out there.

For more information, the following vendors have some great AI products available, and are small sample of the many options available:

  • Lyrebird Health
  • Heidi Health
  • 3D Anatomica
  • DermEngine
  • University of Melbourne – Future Health Today
  • AI-Matters
  • PenCS – Topbar
  • Initial Assessment and Referral Decision Support Tool
  • SmartHeal

Authored by:

Suzi Eley Author Avatar

Suzi Ely
Training & Deployment Manager at Best Practice Software.

Share this article:

Best Practice Software Announces Newly Forged Partnership with Lyrebird Health

Lyrebird Health Partnership Blog Graphic

New partnership between Best Practice and Lyrebird Health provides practitioners with increased efficiencies and productivity.

Best Practice Software has partnered with Lyrebird Health; the creators of Lyrebird Scribe, an artificial intelligence (AI) transcription tool specifically designed for healthcare. The partnership will see Bp Premier, Best Practice’s market leading practice management system, be the first to offer a fully integrated generative AI tool to their Australian practitioners.

Co-Founders of Lyrebird Health, Kai Van Lieshout and Linus Talacko said:

“The demand on healthcare has never been higher in Australia and many General Practitioners across the country are stretched to the point of burnout. Through our partnership with Best Practice Software, practitioners across Australia will now have Lyrebird Scribe directly embedded into their software, allowing them to see more patients and deliver a level of care that was previously not possible.”

Lyrebird Scribe works by automatically generating relevant medical documentation during the consultation process, allowing clinicians to spend more time with their patients and less time completing administrative duties.

Doctor and Founder of Best Practice Software, Dr Frank Pyefinch said:

“It’s always been our goal to find new ways to support our practitioners. The Lyrebird Health integration achieves this by allowing practitioners to increase administrative efficiencies and reduce their time spent recording patient notes, both during and post consult”.

By listening to your consult Lyrebird Scribe can automatically generate your patient notes, filtering out all irrelevant information. From there, comprehensive letters and referrals can then be generated from the patient notes and be sent within minutes. Lyrebird Scribe learns from the practitioner’s edits and feedback, so as they continue to use the tool, notes and letters will sound more like them.

Doctor and Clinical Advisor of Best Practice Software, Dr Fabrina Hossain said:

“While AI will never replace the practitioner in making clinical decisions, it can be useful in increasing efficiencies and reducing time spent on administration. Anything that allows practitioners to spend more time providing patient care is appreciated.”

Given the sensitive nature of healthcare information, Lyrebird Scribe utilises AES-256 bit encryption, all information is stored de-identified on Australian based servers, and data is only available to the practitioner.

To find out more about Best Practice Software or Lyrebird Health please visit us online.

For all media enquires please contact:

Danielle Bancroft
Chief of Product, Best Practice Software
danielle.bancroft@bpsoftware.net
+61 7 3457 7897

Share this article:

How Forest Hill Family Clinic Increased CDM Billings by 400%

In the bustling heart of Forest Hill, where healthcare meets community, Forest Hill Family Clinic has been a beacon of care for its local community. With a mission to provide top-quality healthcare, they recognise the need to provide efficient access to care through their hands-on approach to chronic disease management (CDM).

The Challenge: Creating a Simple and Reliable Process for CDM

For years, Forest Hill Family Clinic has been providing care for a growing population of patients dealing with chronic diseases. However, their approach to identifying care opportunities wasn’t one that enabled the team to do their best work. As one of their team members put it, “For us, CDM was very ad hoc, if we worked with the nurses they would pick it up, but it would drop off throughout the year.” Forest Hill Family Clinic needed to work with the team to create a simple, repeatable process for easily verifying CDM eligibility and booking those eligible appointments.

Discovering a Solution: What is Everyone Else Doing?

The practice owner, Cass Quilty, began searching for a solution that could align with their goals. Cass had heard whispers of Cubiko’s success from other practices online and decided to investigate further. They were intrigued by the prospect of a software solution that could help them streamline their processes.

Structured Care Opportunities with Cubiko

Forest Hill Family Clinic decided to put Cubiko to the test. They employed Cubiko’s QuickCheck tool to assess patient eligibility before consultations. The results were astonishing. Chronic disease management billings, once a mere 5% of their total billings, surged to an impressive 21%. As Cass enthusiastically described it, “Then along came QuickCheck. Which has been fantastic, a game changer.”

For Cass and her dedicated team, QuickCheck became their trusted ally in verifying patient eligibility before consultations, ensuring that no care opportunity was missed. As Cass elaborated, “What we created is an opportunistic appointments list in Bp. We run QuickCheck each morning, and anyone who is eligible, we make a note on the file what the patient is due for.”

This routine use of QuickCheck goes hand in hand with a thoroughly planned process for providing amazing CDM care, ensuring no patient misses out on the care they are eligible to receive.

Seamless Implementation: Simplifying the Process

The implementation of Cubiko was a breeze for Forest Hill Family Clinic. They simply signed up and began training their team using the comprehensive resources provided by Cubiko. The software seamlessly integrated into their daily workflows, making it an invaluable part of their practice.

User-Friendly Experience: Empowering Healthcare Providers

Cubiko’s user-friendly interface made it easy for the staff at Forest Hill Family Clinic to embrace and utilise the software effectively. Its simplicity amplified the effectiveness of the software, enabling the team to focus on delivering exceptional care.

The Results: Streamlined and Efficient Workflow

Cubiko has not only assisted in growing Forest Hill Family Clinic’s CDM billings but also streamlined their entire workflow. As Cass expressed, “If I don’t have to check PRODA for an item number ever again, that would be heaven. It’s been fantastic; the time we get back from rejections and checking PRODA is so valuable.” Forest Hill Family Clinic saves hours each week through a streamlined process and ensures they are able to bill for the work their team puts in by cutting down on costly rejections.

A Bright Future with Cubiko

In conclusion, Forest Hill Family Clinic’s journey with Cubiko has been nothing short of remarkable. By adopting this innovative solution, they have increased their chronic disease management billings fourfold and transformed their care delivery process. Cubiko has not only helped them improve patient outcomes but also simplified their workflows.

Share this article:

1 November 2023 Fee Update – Triple Incentives and MyMedicare

From 1 November 2023, higher bulk billing incentives for Commonwealth concession card holders and patients under 16 years of age will be introduced and may be co claimed with the following consultation items:

  • MBS Levels B, C, D, and E face-to-face general attendance consultations (and out of rooms, residential aged care facilities and after-hours equivalents),
  • MBS Level B telehealth (video and telephone) general attendance consultations,
  • MBS Levels C, and D telehealth (video and telephone) general attendance consultations, where a patient is registered with a general practice through MyMedicare and receives the service through the practice where they are registered,
  • Level E telehealth (video only) general attendance consultations, where a patient is registered with their general practice through MyMedicare and receives the service through the practice where they are registered.

Please see the MBS Online Fact Sheet for Bulk Billing in General Practice for further information.

What Do I Need To Know?

The new MBS Item numbers that are being released on 1 November to support the triple incentive items will be made available as part of our planned November Data Update. This update will also include the logic changes that are required to automatically apply the incentives based on the applicable billing workflow, with an exception to the Video and Phone Telehealth consultations.

We are currently unable to automatically add the relevant incentives to the 91801, 91802 and 91920 Video Telehealth, and the 91900 and 91910 Phone Telehealth items as this incentive is reliant on the patient being registered at their practice through MyMedicare. At this stage, a patient’s MyMedicare registration is not stored in Bp and therefore unable to be verified as part of this billing workflow.

For MyMedicare patients eligible for these new incentives:

For Video Telehealth Consultations:

  • The standard 10990 (or regional variant) incentive will automatically be added to the account when created with any of these item numbers which will be unable to be removed,
  • The 75880 incentive item will then need to be manually added to the account,
  • Account to be submitted to Medicare with both incentive items included and then managed using the standard Medicare exception process.

For Phone Telehealth Consultations:

  • The new incentives will not automatically be added to the account, and will need to be manually added by practice staff. (Please note: in this scenario, the 10990 (or regional variant) incentive will not be applied, and will therefore not need to be managed using the standard Medicare exception process.)

The addition of a patient’s MyMedicare registration status is planned to be made available in the next release of our Bp Premier product scheduled for the coming months. The introduction of patients’ MyMedicare status in Bp Premier will remove the need to manually manage these incentives.

Further information regarding these changes can be accessed via the Bp Premier Knowledge Base and via the MBS Online website.

Authored by:

Jessica White
Head of Commercial and Government at Best Practice Software

Share this article:

Data Accuracy in Real Time Prescription Monitoring

Blog graphic RTPM

Real Time Prescription Monitoring (RTPM) is a clinical tool available in most states to practices running Bp Premier that assists healthcare providers and pharmacists in making safer prescribing decisions for certain high-risk medicines. See Real Time Prescription Monitoring availability for more information.

To maintain the highest levels of patient safety, healthcare providers can take key steps within Bp Premier to support and enhance the data quality of the Real Time Prescription Monitoring system.

Validate the Patient's Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI)

One of the most important steps in ensuring data accuracy is validating the patient’s Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI) in Bp Premier. Validating the IHI ensures that the correct medical information links with the correct individual. Incorrect or missing IHIs can result in duplicate patient records, risking patient safety and potentially leading to incorrect diagnoses, inappropriate medications, and medical errors.

To assist healthcare providers in improving data quality and patient safety, Bp Premier has several functions that simplify validating patient IHI numbers. In Bp Premier version Orchid, we added functionality to automatically validate a patient’s IHI number when opening the patient record. When saving patient demographic information, a prompt will also display if the IHI number is invalid against the new identifying information.

Patient IHI numbers can also be manually validated for a single patient from the patient demographics screen or validated in a bulk lookup for multiple patients from the appointment book.

You can find more information about Validating Health Identifiers in Bp Premier in our knowledge base.

Maintain Accurate Patient Demographic Information

Real Time Prescription Monitoring does not rely solely on prescription and dispensing records; it also gathers patient information from other sections of Bp Premier. To reduce the risk of data inconsistencies, ensure that patient details such as last name, first name, address, date of birth, gender, and Medicare/DVA number are recorded and kept up to date.

Record the Patient's Date of Birth

When prescribing or dispensing medication, healthcare providers and pharmacists must record the patient’s date of birth. For prescriptions containing Schedule 4 and Schedule 8 medicines, the patient’s date of birth is a required data element. Recording the patient’s date of birth also helps ensure that accurate data is retained in real-time prescription monitoring systems and reduces the chance of duplicate patient records.

Enter Medicine Information Correctly

Medicines prescribed as free text are more difficult to match in the RTPM system. Healthcare providers should take care when selecting medicines, accurately record dosage and quantity information, and avoid free text entries whenever possible. Real Time Prescription Monitoring relies on the accuracy of this information to generate alerts and notifications regarding at-risk patients.

Real-time prescription monitoring is essential for improving patient safety in the healthcare system. Healthcare providers help improve this tool’s accuracy and effectiveness by actively participating in efforts to improve data quality. Validating IHIs, keeping patient information up to date, and correctly recording prescription information are essential steps in ensuring system quality. By implementing these measures, healthcare providers can uphold the highest patient safety standards while providing more reliable and consistent care to their communities.

Share this article:

Are You Still Using a Medicare SHA-1 PKI Certificate?

Medicare SHA-1 PKI certificates are used for online claiming purposes only. As claiming has transitioned to web services using PRODA, these certificates are no longer required. These certificates are set to expire on 25th June 2024.

eRX Script Exchange also now accepts NASH SHA-2 PKI Certificates.

Services Australia has transitioned away from Medicare SHA-1 PKI certificates due to security concerns. SHA-1 encryption is now considered insecure and poses potential risks of cyber threats and fraudulent activities.

Services Australia has recently communicated with practices who are still in possession of current Medicare SHA-1 PKI certificates. Services Australia has requested these practices participate in a survey to determine how these certificates are being used, so they can understand any potential business impacts when the certificate expires or if they revoke it early.

How do we know if we are using a Medicare SHA-1 PKI Certificate?

To determine whether your practice is using a Medicare SHA-1 PKI certificate, perform the steps below on the Bp Premier Server:

Note: This only applies to active, non-expired Medicare SHA-1 PKI certificates. If your certificate has expired, you are not required to take any action.

  1. Click the Windows logo in the bottom left of the toolbar, or click the Windows logo button on the keyboard.

  2. Click the Search icon (magnifying glass) in the top right to slide in the Search bar.

  3. Type internet options into the Search bar and select Internet Options from the list. The Internet Properties screen will appear.
Medicare SHA-1 PKI Certificate Screenshot

4. In the Internet Properties screen, select the Content tab. Click Certificates. The Certificates screen will appear.

Medicare SHA-1 PKI Certificate Screenshot

5. The Medicare SHA-1 PKI site certificate has the name of the practice in the Issued To column (the first column).

a) If you do not have a certificate with the Practice Name in the Issued to Column, your practice is not utilising a Medicare SHA-1 PKI site certificate and no action is required.

b) If you have a Medicare SHA-1 PKI site certificate and the certificate is expired, your practice is not utilising the certificate and no action is required.

c) If you have a Medicare SHA-1 PKI site certificate and the certificate has not expired, your practice may still be using the certificate. Complete the Services Australia survey and contact Best Practice Software Support on 1300 401 111 for assistance.

How do we know if we are using a NASH SHA-1 PKI Certificate?

  1. Click the Windows logo in the bottom left of the toolbar or click the Windows logo button on the keyboard.

  2. Click the Search icon (magnifying glass) in the top right to slide in the Search bar.

  3. Type internet options into the Search bar and select Internet Options from the list. The Internet Properties screen will appear.
Medicare SHA-1 PKI Certificate Screenshot

4. In the Internet Properties screen, select the Content tab. Click Certificates. The Certificates screen will appear.

5. The NASH certificate is named ‘general’ followed by your practice’s HPI-O number. In 2023, support for NASH SHA-1 PKI certificates will also be discontinued. You can determine if your practice is using a NASH SHA-1 PKI certificate by double-clicking on the Nash certificate and selecting the Details tab.

Medicare SHA-1 PKI Certificate Screenshot

a. The Signature Hash Algorithm field should contain sha256; this shows that your practice uses a SHA-2 Nash Certificate, and no action is necessary.

Medicare SHA-1 PKI Certificate Screenshot

b. If the Signature Hash Algorithm field displays SHA1, this indicates that your practice utilises a SHA-1 Nash Certificate and that you need to transition to a SHA-2 Nash Certificate. Please refer to the Australian Digital Health Agencies’ guide on revoking your NASH SHA-1 and upgrading to a SHA-2.

Medicare SHA-1 PKI Certificate Screenshot

What do we need to do?

If you are no longer using your Medicare SHA-1 PKI certificate, there’s no need for any action on your part. Services Australia will automatically revoke your certificate from 31st of October 2023.

For those using their Medicare SHA-1 PKI certificate with the eRX Script Exchange, the option to acquire a NASH PKI is available through HPOS in the Healthcare Identifiers Service. See the Australian Digital Health Agency’s instructions for requesting or renewing a NASH PKI certificate.

If your Medicare SHA-1 PKI certificate is used for other purposes, Services Australia requires that you participate in their PKI certificate survey by August 31, 2023. Important information is supplied at the beginning of the survey to ensure that you are well-informed if action is required.

Share this article:

Cardiovascular Risk Assessment in Bp Premier

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is responsible for significant morbidity and premature mortality in Australia. An individual’s risk of developing CVD depends on the combined effect of multiple risk factors. Risk assessment, therefore, remains fundamental to the primary prevention of CVD (Heart Foundation, n.d.).

Bp Premier offers a Cardiovascular Risk Assessment tool and the ability to access the Online Cardiovascular Disease Check from the patient’s clinical record.

Cardiovascular Risk Tool

Bp Premier’s Cardiovascular risk tool calculates a percentage probability of developing cardiovascular disease in the next five years based on measurements of several known risk factors.

To access and use the Cardiovascular Risk Assessment:

  1. From the patient record, select Clinical > Cardiovascular Risk.

The Cardiovascular risk screen will appear.

2. Some of the fields in this screen will be prepopulated based on existing observations recorded in the patient’s record. Edit the existing observations or complete the remaining fields.

3. Bp Premier will display the percentage probability the patient has of developing cardiovascular disease.

4. Click Reference to view the formula used to calculate the probability.

5. Click Save and these results will appear in the Observations tab under ’CV risk’ in the patient’s clinical record.

Online CVD Check

The Australian Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance’s CVD risk calculator has been available in Bp Premier since Saffron SP2. AusCVDRisk is a risk assessment, communication, and management tool for health professionals. To learn more about how this calculator works, refer to the Australian Guidelines for assessing and managing cardiovascular risk.

To access and use The Online CVD Check via Bp Premier:

1. From the patient record, select Clinical > Cardiovascular Risk. The Cardiovascular risk screen will appear.

2. Click Online CVD Check.

Selecting this button will open a browser window displaying the calculator.

3. Fill in the fields and click Calculate to display the percentage probability the patient has of developing cardiovascular disease in the next five years.

4. Once completed, the results and further information can be printed by selecting ‘Print these results’ or ‘Print info’ or manually copied into Today’s Notes.

Note: Only results from the Bp Premier Cardiovascular tool will appear under Observations > CV risk. Online CVD check results cannot be added to the CV risk section under Observations.

For more information on the Cardiovascular Risk Tool in Bp Premier, visit our knowledge base article here.

Resources/References

Authored by:

Sarah Mortensen
Training & Deployment Specialist at Best Practice Software

Share this article:

Bp Premier Appointment Book Shortcuts

Bp Premier Appointment Book Tips & Tricks

Prioritising patient appointments and managing appointment attendance is a juggling act for many practices. Bp Premier has a multitude of tools to help increase your appointment book efficiency.

With numerous patients to schedule and limited time available, effectively managing appointments becomes crucial for providing quality care. In this article, we will explore various tools and strategies that can enhance your practice’s appointment management system, allowing you to streamline processes, improve patient satisfaction, and optimise overall efficiency.

Bp Comms - Schedule Appointment Reminders

Automate sending appointment reminders by setting up a Schedule on the Bp Premier server.

  1. Select Setup > Configuration > Bp Service.

2. Tick Use Bp Service for sending automated appointment reminders and click Configure Appointment Reminders. Click Add.

3. In the example above, reminders will be sent out at 9 am each Monday using the Overnight Appointment reminder template for appointments in the current week for two providers for all appointment types at the Greenslopes Clinic.

Bp Comms – Update Appointment Status Automatically

You can configure the system to check and update the appointment status based on replies received.

1. From the main screen, select Setup > Configuration > Appt Reminders tab.

2. Both checkboxes under Appointment attendance automation must be ticked to enable appointment updates by SMS reply. Click Configure appointment attendance replies to open the Automatic Confirmation Options window.

3. Click Add next to the Confirm or Decline list of keywords. Keywords are only accepted as an exact match of whole words. Click Ok to save.

Bp Comms - Check Appointment Reminder Replies

While checking for replies to Bp Comms appointment reminders, you can cancel, move, edit, or change the status of related appointments.

1. From the appointment book, select Utilities > Check Appointment Reminder Replies.

2. Search for replies using the fields at the top left and filter the appointments shown using the checkboxes at the top right. The middle section of the screen shows the appointment reminders that have been sent and the status. Select a message to see the sent text of the reminder and the reply text, if any. Utilities > Check Appointment Reminder Replies.

On The Day Appointments

As part of the Sessions setup, there is an option to schedule recurring On The Day Appointments for either the whole practice or per provider.

1. From the Main Screen, click Setup > Sessions. Make a selection from the Provider dropdown > click the On the day appointments radio checkbox > click Edit.

2. Select the Day of week from the dropdown and simply check each appointment slot that you would like to mark as an On The Day Appointment. Click Save and repeat the process to add more days and more appointments.

3. These slots will be seen in the appointment book on future days as On the Day and coloured pink. Once the day starts, the placeholders will revert to available appointment slots ready for booking. Note: only users with the Override On the day appointments permission level can book these appointments before the day.

Non-Patient Appointment Placeholders

1. When booking an appointment, there are multiple non-patient appointment types available to choose from. Leave the Search for field blank > select Other in the appointment type > Enter the appointment information into the Details field – the details will appear in the appointment book > Click on the Book Appointment button as usual.

2. This appointment type will act like usual and must either be double booked with a patient appointment or cancelled when needed.

Waiting List for Cancellation

Patients with or without an existing appointment can be added to the cancellation list. To ensure the cancellation list automatically appears whenever an appointment is cancelled, from the Main Screen, Select Setup > Configuration > Appointments > Tick Show Cancellation list when an appointment is cancelled checkbox > Click Save.

1. From the appointment book, select View > Waiting list for cancellations. Click Add to cancellation list.

2. Fill in the cancellation list item details – this screen has similar fields to the Add Appointment screen. Ensure you select the date the patient needs the appointment from the Date required by: field. The cancellation list item will expire at the end of the day selected. Click Add.
3. Note: Use the Details section to add extra information or annotate a triage priority level.

Optimising patient appointment scheduling and attendance is vital for running a smooth and efficient medical practice. By utilising the tools available within Bp Premier, you can streamline your appointment book, reduce no-shows, and enhance patient satisfaction. We encourage you to visit our comprehensive knowledge base for more in-depth information and practical guidance. Together, let’s revolutionise your appointment management system and provide exceptional care to your patients.

Authored by:

Nicole Findlay
Training & Deployment Specialist at Best Practice Software

Share this article:

Tips & Tricks for a Paperless Practice

There are many benefits of having a paperless practice, from saving resources to boosting security. We’ve come a long way since the days of paper-stacked cubicles and filing cabinets, but there’s still a long way to go.

Transitioning to a more paperless practice doesn’t have to be difficult. Bp Premier has a multitude of tools to help increase your efficiency, reduce your costs and be more environmentally friendly.

Think Before You Print - Print to PDF (Where Possible)

If you are wondering how to reduce paper waste in the office, just printing less is an obvious choice. Have you considered changing your printer settings to Microsoft print to PDF? This will give you the option to save your document to your computer rather than printing it.

From the main screen of Bp Premier, go to Setup > Printers. You can change your printer settings from here.

If you are missing the Microsoft print to PDF option, you can download it manually.

Set Up E-Ordering for Pathology and Imaging Requests

E-Ordering, also known as Electronic Requesting, is a fast and easy digital process for ordering pathology and imaging tests. Bp Premier supports E-Ordering for pathology and imaging investigations from laboratories that accept E-Orders. Once E-Ordering has been configured from your server, you can send pathology and imaging requests directly to the nominated lab rather than just printing the request.

Our step-by-step setup guides are linked below –
Set up Pathology eOrdering (bpsoftware.net)
Set up Imaging eOrdering (bpsoftware.net)

Use Electronic Prescriptions, Rather than Paper-Based Scripts

An electronic prescription is a digital version of a paper prescription. They are a safe and convenient alternative to paper prescriptions.

Once configured, the process of creating an electronic prescription is the same. However, when printing the script, you can choose to send the patient an ‘electronic script token’ by SMS, email or Best Health App. More information on setting up electronic prescriptions is available in Set up electronic prescribing (bpsoftware.net)

Bp Premier Screenshot

Email Your Invoices and Receipts

Did you know that you can now email invoices and receipts directly from Bp Premier? Invoices and receipts for privately billed accounts can now be emailed directly to patients and contacts as a PDF attachment from the patient billing history and account holder screens.

You must have email configured for the practice and for any users who want to send email messages. Once configured, simply find the invoice or receipt in the patient’s billing history and right click > Email Copy to display the Bp Premier email screen.

Bp Premier Screenshot

Sign Documents Digitally

Another tip for transitioning to a paperless practice is adding a signature to your word processor templates. This eliminates the need to print and scan your documents. To add your signature to a template, you will need to create a good quality digital image of your signature. Some word processors have tools to capture a signature drawn on the screen or by mouse, or you could use a scanner to scan in a high resolution copy of a signature and save as a common image file type. It’s a good idea to keep a secure backup of your digital signature image.

From the main Bp Premier screen, click the  icon or select Utilities > Word processor from the menu. Select Templates > Edit template. Place your cursor at the location in the template that you wish to insert the signature.

Select Insert > Picture > As Character. Navigate to the signature image and click Open. The signature will appear in the template. Resize the image as required. Select Save as. The template detail screen will appear. Give the template a name and ensure Available to all users is not ticked. Click Save.

Take Green Notes

If employees are taking notes on paper, have them switch it up. Bp Premier has some great alternatives available to allow you to work without pen and paper, and it’s a simple way to reduce paper wastage.

Bp Premier has a ‘To Do List’ that can be used as a personal reminder system. Your practice staff can use the To Do List to set custom reminders for themselves. You can configure the To Do list to display on log on, on log off, or on closing Bp Premier via Setup > Preferences > General.

TIP: You can also press F6 from the main screen, the appointment book, and the patient record at any time to open the To Do list.

You can also create a daily message in Bp Premier that is displayed in the Appointment Book for all users. If you just want to send internal messages to individual users, use Bp Premier’s internal messaging instead.

Keep Your Recycling Bins Handy

While it’s great to limit our paper usage, there will always be paper products in need of proper disposal. Put recycling bins in strategic locations like near the copier machines. Separate and recycle glass, plastic, and paper.

For more tips and tricks for a paperless practice, check out our Bp Premier Knowledge Base!

Authored by:

Sophie Saul
Training & Deployment Specialist at Best Practice Software

Share this article: