Best Practice Software

The National Cancer Screening Register – How Will It Impact Practices and Patients?

Cancer cells floating

Cancer is a major cause of illness worldwide and in Australia. In 2020, it is estimated there will be just under 150,000 new cases of cancer diagnosed and approximately 50,000 cancer-related deaths, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare states

Therefore it’s not surprising that healthcare initiatives relating to the proactive improvement of cancer care are high on our government’s priority list. Government initiatives include the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program and National Cervical Screening Program – and the National Cancer Screening Register (National Register/NCSR), built and operated by Telstra Health, was established by the Australian Government to support these programs.

From our upcoming Bp Premier Saffron release users will be able to access the National Register from within Bp Premier. Here’s the 101 on what you need to know about the National Register, how it will impact your Practice, the benefits and more about how it will be integrated with Bp Premier.

What is the National Cancer Screening Register?

The Australian Government Department of Health appointed Telstra Health to build and operate the National Register in 2016 to support bowel and cervical screening.

The National Register enables a single electronic record for each person participating in the programs, and provides a national electronic infrastructure for the collection, storage, analysis and reporting of screening program data. It invites and reminds people to screen and follows up on their participation. It also generates comprehensive data to inform policy, improve program quality and service delivery, gives healthcare providers better access to quality health information and makes it easier for participants to take control of their health.

The National Register is currently integrating with widely used Practice management systems like Bp Premier. The integration supports better patient care by allowing healthcare providers and pathologists to access and submit patients’ bowel and cervical screening program-related data at any time of the day.

Will Collected Data Be Secure in the National Cancer Screening Register?

The National Register has been built to comply with all relevant standards and policies including the Privacy Act 1988, the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and the National Cancer Screening Register Act 2016 to ensure the safety and security of confidential health data. Access to data is limited to patients, their healthcare providers and authorised bodies, such as state and territory health departments, who are able to access the data only to perform core duties related to the purpose of the National Register.

Similar to My Health Record, patients can opt out of this program should they elect to do so.

Patient Benefits

The aim of the National Register is simple; to increase bowel and cervical cancer screening participation and improve cancer related health outcomes through proactive communication with participants and healthcare providers. The National Register supports this by:

  • Inviting and reminding patients, through their Practice, when they are due and overdue for screening
  • Providing a patient’s screening history to laboratories and healthcare providers to inform clinical recommendations
  • Providing a ‘safety net’ for participants who are at risk and have not attended further testing, by prompting them (and their healthcare providers) to have follow up tests done

General Practitioner Benefits

For Practices and doctors, the National Register provides you with more patient screening information to help inform clinical decision making and aid you in your efforts to provide pre-emptive cancer care to your patients. General practitioners can utilise the National Register’s integration with Bp Premier to:

  • Manage patient program participation
  • Order a bowel screening test kit
  • View patient screening histories and utilise the information to inform clinical healthcare decisions and recommendations
  • Receive reminders for patients who are overdue for screening or follow-up, thereby making it easier and less time consuming to deliver proactive care where it’s of critical importance
  • Check and update patient contact and demographic details, including Indigenous status

And all this will be available from within Bp Premier.

What Do the Changes Look Like in Bp Premier?

Before you can use the NCSR Hub, integration will need to be enabled for your Practice, and our Training team has developed some fantastic resources to guide you through this. Once this integration is enabled, Doctors can interact directly with the National Cancer Screening Register from Bp Premier using the NCSR Hub. Doctors will be able to:

  • View and print a patient’s test results and cervical screening histories
  • View a patient’s screening status and alerts using easy to understand icons
  • Submit information and program forms to the National Register
  • View and update a patient’s details
  • Manage a patient’s participation in the bowel and cervical screening programs, including defer screening and opt out
  • Cease a patient’s correspondence for the cervical screening program
  • Nominate other people to assist your patient (such as a personal representative or another healthcare provider)

Upon the release of Saffron, please visit the Knowledge Base from inside Bp Premier for step-by-step instructions on how to set-up and configure the integration, how to use the NCSP Hub and an overview of NCSR Forms.

Authored by:

Harmony Sanderson Avatar

Harmony Sanderson
Manager of Marketing, Communications & Events at Best Practice Software

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How to Download and Install Bp Premier Data Updates

How to Download and Install Bp Premier Data Updates

Installing the most recent Bp Premier Data Updates will ensure your Practice has the most up-to-date PBS changes, MIMS, MBS and DVA updates, and new or updated reports and templates. In this short video clip we show you how to download and install Bp Premier data updates. 

We touch on;

  • Where to find Data Updates
  • How your Practice is notified
  • The difference between comprehensive and incremental updates, and how to determine which one is right for your Practice
  • Where to find step-by-step instructions and an overview of what’s included in the Data Update
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Notification of ePrescribing Update

Bp Blog Header Image ePrescribing Update

Given the current COVID-19 crisis, on Monday 17 August, the federal government announced, in an ePrescribing update, the expansion of the rollout of ePrescribing to Communities of Interest to support a safer and more convenient supply of medicines for patients.

On Monday 17 August, the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) provided Best Practice Software with an ePrescribing update that included list of postcodes which are within the approved Electronic Prescribing Communities of Interest (COI).

To find out if your Practice is located within a COI, please use the Postcode Validator available on this page. If not, we encourage you to check back over the coming days and weeks, as new postcodes are being added regularly.

current list of Communities of Interest can be found here, although please note there is a lag in this page being updated. To register your interest in being included as a Community of Interest, please get in touch with the Australian Digital Health Agency.

With that understanding, we have been granted approval from the ADHA to make the Bp Premier Jade SP3 ePrescribing Utility available to Practices in the COI.  ePrescription functionality was included as part of the Jade SP3 release, however, by default, the functionality is turned off.  The Utility, when run, will activate ePrescribing in your Jade SP3 software.

Critical Information:

Communication between Practices and local pharmacies is critical – this will ensure they are ready to dispense an electronic prescription.  If Practices don’t confirm this, it could mean patients will have a delay in accessing their medicines including having to return to their Practice for a paper prescription.

It is critical that both practitioners and patients are aware that not all pharmacies are eScript ready as of today’s date. Practices and practitioners must inform patients which pharmacies in their area are eScript ready. If the patient’s pharmacy of choice is not eScript ready, they should be informed and given the choice of receiving a paper prescription instead.

To assist with this education process, we have developed two posters, one for your practitioners and one for your patients.

Posters with eScript-ready Pharmacies

Each poster has a space for to include the names of local pharmacies that are eScript ready. We recommend posting them in reception areas and at each doctor’s desk, or where doctors are working remotely, emailing a copy to each practitioner.

 

In order to take advantage of our fast tracked ePrescribing functionality, Practices will need to:

 

In addition, the Australian Digital Health Agency has provided access to free eLearning courses at training.digitalhealth.gov.au.

The eLearning courses include three modules:

1.    Introducing electronic prescriptions
2.    Using electronic prescriptions
3.    Preparing for electronic prescriptions

The courses have been accredited by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, Royal Australasian College of Physicians and Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine. Practitioners completing the courses can claim CPD/PDP credits/points upon successful completion of each module.

Important information about Jade SP3 Fast Track and Fully Conformant ePrescribing:

The Department of Health (DoH) initiative, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, required us to fast track a simplified version of ePrescribing in order to bring the functionality to market quickly, to safeguard the health of GPs, their staff and patients.  Our Fast Track version of ePrescribing has been delivered in Jade SP3.

We are working with the ADHA and DoH on the Fully Conformant version of ePrescriptions, which will be made available in a future release of our software.

Cost of eScript Messages:

As part of Fast Track ePrescribing, there are two options to send eScripts to patients; SMS and email. There is no charge for email messages, however, during Fast Track ePrescribing, the DoH is covering the cost of eScript SMS messages.

Once Full Conformance is achieved, the DoH will cease funding eScript SMS messages.  Our fully conformant version of ePrescribing, will have three options to send eScripts to Patients; Bp SMS, Best Health App and email.  Bp SMS and Best Health App are part of our Bp Comms functionality.  The cost per message will be:

  • Bp SMS:                     $0.04
  • Best Health App:        $0.03
  • Email:                         no charge

Not a Bp SMS or Best Health App user today?

Closer to the release of our Fully Conformant software version, we will provide Practices with details on how to register for one or both of these services to conform with the details of this ePrescribing update.

Helpful Resources for Your Practice

To communicate the important information about this ePrescribing update, Practices may wish to consider using the internal messaging function available within Bp Premier.  This can be accessed anywhere in the system by opening the ‘Utilities’ menu and selecting ‘Messages’, or by simply clicking the F8 shortcut key. Any messages sent through this platform will display a notification within Bp Premier when the recipient next logs in.

 
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Pioneering ePrescriptions: Inala Primary Care Weighs In

ePrescriptions Pioneering Inala Primary Care

It’s no secret that the road to legalising ePrescriptions in Australia has been a rocky one. Even with the federal government’s fast-tracking initiative in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the legislation and roll-out has encountered some hurdles along the way.

Since we released the functionality as part of Jade SP3, we’ve seen several Practices begin using ePrescribing. One such Practice is Inala Primary Care, located 30 minutes south-west of Brisbane’s CBD.

Founded in 2006, Inala Primary Care specialises in caring for patients with complex medical needs, many with a refugee history. The Practice delivers over 50,000 consultations a year to over 4,700 patients, through a large team of doctors, nurses and allied health practitioners. In addition, the Practice trains students and medical registrars, and undertakes research on topics related to their patients and their approach to healthcare. Inala Primary Care generates at least one new service or model of care each year. Focusing on this kind of innovation and quality saw them receive the General Practice of the Year award in May of 2016 through the Australian General Practice accreditation body, AGPAL.

Inala Primary Care converted to Bp Premier in January 2011. CEO, Tracey Johnson said, “the team were ecstatic with the product as it was a vast improvement on the system in use for the first five years the Practice operated. Over our period of use we have built strong relationships with the Bp team as we like to push the system to its limits. The team are always friendly and professional and willing to hear us out. We find their interest in ongoing product development and user feedback refreshing.” 

We spoke to Tracey about their early adoption of ePrescribing, and she provided some valuable feedback on their experience since they began utilising it, just six days after it became legal in Queensland.

“We’ve had 100% adoption amongst our practitioners,” said Tracey.

When we asked Tracey what patients’ initial reactions have been to the rollout of Electronic Prescribing, she told us, “we have had mixed reactions. With no public marketing of the opportunity, it has been up to our team to highlight the e-script potential to patients. Even amongst our older patients, those with familiarity of their phones have been happy to accept e-scripts. The main challenge has been that their preferred pharmacies are not yet enabled, restricting take-up. We have even had opioid prescribing completed and dispensed using eScripts. We had imagined those patients may be more protective of making sure they had a script but this has not been the case. We expect that over time the majority of patients will adopt eScripts. We will continue to cater to those without phones, sharing phones or who prefer paper by continuing with paper scripts.”

Keen to get ePrescriptions up and running in their Practice, Tracey and her team phoned each pharmacy in their local area to see which were eScript ready. The Practice now has a list of pharmacies able to fill eScripts posted in each consulting room and plans to update it as new pharmacies make the transition.

“Sadly, and despite being deemed a ‘Community of Interest’, the day we launched, just two of our 11 most-used pharmacies were ready to accept eScripts. A handful have plans to accept e-scripts by the end of August. Others may take months to be operative. For those pharmacies not up to speed they will see patients choosing dispensing options elsewhere. We have already seen patients so keen to take up e-scripts that they have had the drugs dispensed from a pharmacy they do not ordinarily use,” shares Tracey.

Their local pharmacies have provided the Inala Primary Care team with positive feedback to-date however, noting that once they’re enabled to dispense ePrescriptions they’ve been doing so without fuss, and everything is working smoothly on their end.

When we asked Tracey how her team has been finding the process of issuing eScripts, and how it compares to traditional prescriptions she indicated it was much the same.

“Once you understand the workflow it is very similar to issuing a paper script. With limited training Doctors can all use it easily,” says Tracey.

Besides the obvious and substantial benefits of dispensing ePrescriptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, Tracey and her team have identified several other scenarios where patients will benefit from the convenience of eScripts also. This includes people living in share and rental housing who may move around a lot, the homeless, patients who commute to remote sites for work, drive trucks or travel often.

“For those caring for elderly family members, they can have the tokens sent to their phones meaning they do not need to attend every appointment or track down scripts but can have the drugs dispensed and drop them around next time they visit. That will make it easier to stay on top of the medications their parents and other loved ones are using. For nursing homes, the process is also far easier,” adds Tracey.

Despite positive feedback such as this, Best Practice Software and other software vendors were asked on 3 August, by the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA), to suspend access to the Utility File that turns on ePrescribing functionality. This position by the ADHA is due to not all pharmacies being eScript enabled. Although eScripts are approved as a legal form of prescription across Australia, we have complied with this request as we work towards a resolution.

On this, Tracey commented, “We believe there is a need for a public information campaign. The wider community is largely unaware that e-scripts are an option. Using doctors to educate patients about eScripts is a poor use of clinical time. With COVID’s second wave, patients need to have confidence that accessing telehealth will deliver access to the medications which may be required. ePrescriptions are the safest way of fulfilling that need because it is a secure system, less errors will result and infection risks are kept in check.”

Similar to the sentiments shared by Inala Primary Care CEO, Tracey Johnson, the team at Best Practice Software is excited by the healthcare advancement that the legalising of ePrescriptions has forged, and the benefit to all Australians, especially during this pandemic.

“It has been terrific working with Tracey and her team at Inala Primary Care. Cooperation and information is the key to rolling out such important new technology. I know the team here at Bp will be working hard to deliver more improvements that not only deliver solutions to practitioners but encourages improved patient outcomes,” said Best Practice Software Director, Lorraine Pyefinch.

The Best Practice Software Executive team is currently lobbying the ADHA, and various involved parties, to try to find a swift resolution to move forward with ePrescribing.

To learn more about the process, view our many helpful ePrescription resources, and please share with your staff, network and on your social channels!

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All Your ePrescribing Resources Available in One Spot

ePrescribing Resources

The following ePrescribing resources, developed by our Training team, have been created to assist your Practice with rolling out and using ePrescribing.

We highly encourage you to share these ePrescribing resources with all staff members at your Practice.

Introduction to ePrescribing for Practitioners Video

This  video provides an overview of the ePrescribing process, how to prepare your Practice, how to configure the functionality and send eScripts in Bp Premier. Please share on social media, with staff and those in your network.

(8 minutes)

Introduction to ePrescribing for Patients Video

This video provides patients with an overview of what ePrescribing is, how it works and how to fill a prescription using an e-token. Please share this helpful video on your social media channels and with patients.

(6 minutes)

Introduction to ePrescribing for Pharmacies Video

This video provides an overview of the ePrescribing general workflow from the viewpoint of pharmacists. We encourage Practices to share this video with pharmacies in their local area, as well as practitioners.

(4 minutes)

ePrescribing Q & A Podcast Focused on Questions from Our Practices

The content of this 25-minute podcast was developed from Practice questions that were asked at during our Masterclass webinar series. Please share with staff and Doctors in your network.

(25 minutes)

Step-by-Step Documentation in the Knowledge Base

Available to Bp Premier & Best Practice Software customers only.  The Knowledge Base is an online library of step-by-step articles to help you utilise our software’s wealth of features. Please access ePrescribing documentation in Bp Premier by selecting Help > Online from the menu, and go straight to the Knowledge Base for your product version.

Introduction to ePrescribing Masterclass Webinar

Our Training team ran a series of webinars on various days and times, to allow Practices to attend live and ask questions at the end of each session. This is an in-depth view of how ePrescribing works in general and in Bp Premier. Please share this resource with Practice staff.

(54 minutes)

Poster to Inform Patients

Utilise this poster in your reception area to inform patients which pharmacies are eScript ready.

Posters to Inform Practitioners

Utilise this poster at each workspace to remind prescribers which pharmacies are eScript ready.

Getting Started with ePrescribing in Your Practice

Our support team has been inundated by Practices wanting to know what they need to have ready for the ePrescribing rollout. Here’s what you need to know, along with some helpful tips.

Avoid Surprises When Upgrading to Bp Premier

We’ve made some great improvements to Bp Premier, however, if you’re upgrading to Saffron from an older version, some of these improvements could impact you in unexpected ways. Learn more here.

Electronic Prescriptions Have Landed in Bp Saffron

Electronic prescriptions are now available to all users of Bp Premier with our latest release – read on to find how to enable ePrescribing, and what’s new for ePrescribing in Saffron!

Electronic Prescriptions – The Missing Link in Visibility of Patient Information

Bp Software CEO, Dr Frank Pyefinch, and Paul Naismith, CEO at Fred IT, share insightful stats about ePrescriptions and telehealth, and reflect on how these and other factors have impacted patient care during COVID.

Is Your Practice Using ePrescriptions?

Boasting convenience, safety of use, and cost-saving advantages, if you’re not already using ePrescriptions, find out why why you should consider the adoption.

Australia’s ePrescribing Rollout: Lessons Learned

A little more than a year on from Australia’s accelerated ePrescribing rollout, guest author Tracey Johnson details her experiences with the transition to electronic prescriptions.

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Queensland’s First eScript Issued Using Australia Digital Health Agency’s Fast Tracked ePrescibing Solution

Queensland's first escript hero image
Monday, 27 July 2020

PRESS RELEASE: Best Practice Software Takes Part in QLD’s First Electronic Prescription

Bargara, Queensland – Best Practice Software’s, William Durnford, has today taken part in Queensland’s first Electronic Prescription using ADHA’s fat tracked ePrescribing solution within Bp Premier. After completing a consultation with Grace Family Practice & Skin Care’s Dr. Preshy Varghese and receiving a token on his phone, Mr. Durnford then visited Pharmacist Campbell Gradon of Alliance Pharmacy in Bargara Central Shopping Centre in order to collect what was likely Queensland’s first eScript.

Since being introduced in Queensland on Saturday the 25th of July, patients around the state are now eligible to receive and collect prescriptions from participating Practices and pharmacies. This is especially important for Practices continuing to conduct telehealth consultations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Best Practice Software has now also released the Jade SP3 update for Bp Premier, which contains Electronic Prescribing functionality. Practices using Bp Premier will be able to take advantage of the fast-tracked functionality after satisfying a short list of simple pre-requisites.

For more information on Electronic Prescribing, visit the Australian Government Department of Health’s webpage on Electronic Prescribing.

Watch Queensland’s first eScript being dispensed, and coverage of the event by Bundaberg Now news below.

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Bp Premier Jade SP3 and ePrescribing is now available!

Bp Premier Jade SP3

The Jade SP3 release for Bp Premier is now available, which includes ePrescription functionality. However, by default, the functionality is turned off.

What’s included in Jade SP3:

  • Fast tracked ePrescribing functionality
  • National Immunisation Program changes as per 1 July 2020
  • COVID-19 related improvements including:
    • Additional fields in History and Examination tool
    • Improved Medicare billing for COVID-19 related items and incentives
    • COVID-19 at-risk Search utility script

Click here to review the Jade SP3 release notes.

As stated above, ePrescribing functionality is turned off by default once Jade SP3 is installed. In order to take advantage of the functionality, you will need to do ensure you’ve completed the following:

  • Register with eRx and ensure that your providers are registered with eRx
  • Download and install Jade SP3
  • Download and install the ePrescribing utility.  Enabling the functionality requires the utility to be downloaded, however, prior to downloading the utility, Practices will be prompted to acknowledge:
    • eScripts are a legal form of prescription in all states except Queensland, where approval is currently pending
    • The Practice has confirmed there are pharmacies near them that are ePrescription compatible, and the patient is aware they must select a participating pharmacy
    • Bp Premier eScripts is currently only compatible with eRx Prescription Exchange Service (PES), therefore, to use Bp Premier eScripts, prescribing Doctor(s) need to be registered with eRx PES. MediSecure PES integration for ePrescriptions will be supported in a future Bp Premier release
    • If an IT team member is installing the software, the Practice Doctors are aware of the above
  • Review our free enablement materials and train your team:

In addition, the Australian Digital Health Agency has provided access to free eLearning courses at training.digitalhealth.gov.au.

The eLearning courses include three modules:

1.    Introducing electronic prescriptions
2.    Using electronic prescriptions
3.    Preparing for electronic prescriptions

The courses have been accredited by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, Royal Australasian College of Physicians and Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine. Practitioners completing the courses can claim CPD/PDP credits/points upon successful completion of each module.

Important information about Jade SP3 fast track and fully conformant ePrescribing: 

The Department of Health initiative, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, required us to fast track a simplified version of ePrescribing in order to bring the functionality to market quickly, to safeguard the health of GPs, their staff and patients.  Our Fast Track version of ePrescribing has been delivered in Jade SP3.

The government has set an end date of 30th September for Fast Tracked ePrescribing to cease operating. Software vendors who delivered Fast Tracked have been encouraged to have their Fully Conformant software version of ePrescribing available by this date. Our Fully Conformant version of ePrescribing will be delivered in our Saffron release. When the 30th of September is reached, ePrescribing in Jade SP3 will cease to work. Practices will need to upgrade to Saffron to continue using ePrescribing.

Cost of SMS eScripts:

As part of Fast Track ePrescribing, the government will cover the cost of eScript SMS messages.  Once Full Conformance is achieved, the government will cease funding eScript SMS messages.  Our Saffron release will utilise our Bp Comms functionality to send eScript SMS messages to the patient and the cost per message will be $0.04 per message.

An important note about our Prescription Exchange Services (PES) integration:

Best Practice Software has been working towards ePrescriptions with the two Prescription Exchange Service (PES) vendors, eRx and MediSecure, for close to a year.  It is our expectation that both PES will be supported in due course, each solution requiring scoping, co-design, development by both parties, testing, conformance and certification. It is by no means a small undertaking.

We had to balance the government’s request to deliver the Fast Track ePrescribing solution, high end-user value and our own resource capacity, which meant we needed to focus on a functional solution with one PES before undertaking the second.

Our team made the decision to fast track the PES we were furthest ahead with, which was eRx. Working with the MediSecure PES remains a high priority and we anticipate having the functionality to send ePrescriptions via this platform in a future release.

eScripts are currently only available for use when both Jade SP3 and the utility are installed. This means that you can still install Jade SP3 without the utility and take advantage of the other improvements we have made in this release. It’s important to note that Jade SP3 without ePrescribing enabled does not restrict the Practice from using MediSecure.

A helpful resource for your Practice

To communicate the important information about this change amongst your Practice, you may wish to consider using the internal messaging function available within Bp Premier.  This can be accessed anywhere in the system by opening the ‘Utilities’ menu and selecting ‘Messages’, or by simply clicking the F8 shortcut key. Any messages sent through this platform will display a notification within Bp Premier when the recipient next logs in.

Support is available!

For further information on anything covered above, contact our Software Support team on 1300 40 1111 (in Australia), or 0800 40 1111 (in New Zealand), selecting Bp General Products (Option 1 / 1) at the menu.
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Using Bp Premier Reports to Diagnose Your Practice’s Financial Health

Bp Premier Reports

We all know that the end of financial year can be pretty stressful and this year, 2020, with everything that it has delivered, may be even more taxing (excuse the pun!).

If you are buried in paperwork trying to collate the information your Practice or doctors need for end of year reporting, understanding which reports you require will be of critical importance.

Using the reports available in Bp Premier can help you diagnose the financial health of your Practice.  Below is a quick guide explaining the reports your team can use daily, through to more advanced reports ideal for longer-term financial reporting.

Just like completing a patient’s consultation, with reporting you can investigate financial information, diagnose areas of concern and prescribe changes to improve your Practice’s efficiency and profitability.

Reports for Reception and Front Offices

Your reception team can generate and review the following reports daily.

ReportUse for
Appointment (by user)
  • Information about all appointments within date range.
  • Shows status of appointment (should be either invoiced or paid by the end of the day)
  • Check that each appointment has at least 1 invoice created
  • Doctors can check if they have billed for all services by using Service Count column
  • Review Did Not Attend appointments
  • Summary available on the second page
Work Done by Provider by DateEasy to read report outlining the patients seen and billed for a particular day. Doctors can review their billings are correct before ending the day.
Daily Takings ReportEnables the team to balance the register by outlining cash and EFT payments.  Report will also outline any payments received by Direct Credit (Medicare Payment runs) or cheque.

 

Reports for Practice Managers, Owners and Billing Offices

It is recommended that the management team generate and review the following reports weekly or monthly.

ReportUse for
Appointment Statistics (Individual location)
  • Appointment count
  • Patients who did not attend
  • Appointment duration
  • Average minutes per patient per appointment
  • Average wait time

These reports can be configured for each provider, or show totals for the entire Practice.

Banking (grouped by date)Reconcile your banking batches recorded in Bp Premier against the business banking accounts. Check all EFTPOS transactions, Medicare Payments and Direct Debits have reached the bank account.

Online Claiming

(Batches including services and payments)

Review claiming batches during a set date range. Outlines services claimed, claims paid and adjustments made to claims.
Payment by Account (grouped by payment created date)Can be used to pay your doctors and will show only services/accounts that have been paid during the date range selected.
Services by Account (grouped by service created date)Can be used to pay your doctors and will show all services billed during the date range selected.
Cancelled Appointments

Available from the Appointment Book > View > Cancelled Appointments. Outlines any appointments that have been cancelled, cut or moved for a particular date range.

May help to identify those patients who frequently cancel their appointments.

Reports for Revenue Cycle Management

How is your Practice performing during the revenue cycle?

The following reports can identify whether;

  • Claims are being paid in a timely fashion
  • Medicare Rejections are being reviewed, corrected and resent
  • Insurance providers are paying you for key procedures
  • Your Practice is facing potential issues with written-off or cancelled accounts
ReportUse for
Debtor’s Report

Review weekly or monthly to outline any overdue or outstanding accounts.

The way to use this report is to monitor the outstanding amounts from 90 days ago (or longer) and follow up diligently on any amounts considered significant.

Cancelled and written off invoicesReview monthly to identify repeat errors that may require additional staff training, or possible theft by reversing cash payments and writing off the account.
Held Accounts by Account TypeReview weekly for accounts still on hold.  Can be used to indicate which accounts need to be finalised and processed.
Patient Contact and Billing StatisticsThis report provides statistics on patient contact hours, a count of services performed, average fee per hour, services per hour and fee per service plus dollar values of fees billed.

Reports for Financial Reporting

Use the following reports to audit your Practices’ financial information in more detail.

ReportUse for
Transaction Report (grouped by item)

A combination of work performed, and payments received. Providing a single report that can be used to pay providers for work done or fees taken.

Can be used to review MBS items billed during a date range.

The report can;

  • Outline how many of each MBS item has been billed
  • Assist doctors with identifying possible billings, which could then lead to increased billings
  • Outline how many custom items have been billed, and assist with stock checks.  For example; influenza immunisations billed versus how many are still on hand
Shared Health Summary Upload

Is your Practice participating in the Practice Incentive Program (PIP)?

Review each month to help ensure you’re on target to hit your quarterly PIP quota and receive the relevant payments.

Total Vaccines Report

Check monthly or as needed to outline what immunisation or vaccines have been provided to patients and uploaded to AIR.

Assists with completing stocktake reviews, stock on hand and ordering control.

Days Away by ProviderThis report shows the dates that a provider has been away from the Practice. The report also shows the dates that the Practice has been closed.
Patient – New Patients Added in Date RangeReview how many new patients have visited the Practice in a set date range.

Want more information?

See the following resources on Bp Premier reporting.

Webinars & Best Practice Software Vimeo Channel

Knowledge Base Articles – Available Directly through Bp Premier by Selecting Help > Online

  • Reporting
  • Banking Reconciliation

Guides (Access via Knowledge Base)

  • Bp Premier Report Reference
  • Bp Premier Appointment Book Guide

And don’t forget to always…

  • Investigate financial information,
  • Diagnose areas of concern, and
  • Prescribe changes to improve your Practice’s efficiency and profitability.

Authored by:

Belinda Bazant
Training and Deployment Lead at Best Practice Software

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Software Updates: Debunking Myths and Concerns

Debunking Software Myths

As a support team, we understand many of the challenges faced by Practices in order to keep current with software updates. In fact, at time of writing, only 36.4% of Bp Premier customers are running on Jade SP2, the latest version of the software.

All too often we hear similar reasoning as to why Practices aren’t taking the important step of updating their software. Today we’ll go through a few of the common myths and concerns we get surrounding updating Bp software, and provide some insight into why they may not always be correct.

Myth: Software Upgrades Cost Money!

While occasionally true in rare instances, such as a Practice needing an IT professional to assist with an upgrade, the majority of users should be capable of installing an update with the assistance of a simple upgrade document which is available on our Knowledge Base. Our software updates also come at no cost to your Practice – they are completely free!

Most of the time, the only thing an update requires is a bit of patience, and the following of a step-by-step guide.

Myth: An Update Isn’t a Priority – It Can Wait for a While.

Again, this is true in some cases but it’s important to make an informed decision. By regularly reviewing the Release Notes available on our Knowledge Base, you’ll be able to identify the features, fixes or regulatory changes which may positively benefit your Practice. It’s important to note minor issues may not be listed in our release notes.

Leaving or not prioritising updates can end up burning more time in a variety of ways. You may miss out on things like Medicare adjustments, bug management or new features and functionality. The best course of action is to stay up to date and have the latest drug update installed.

Myth: Only Need to Patch My Software Once.

Patching occurs in a combination of data updates and product updates, and is the fluid process of updating ever-changing security and regulatory requirements, in addition to bug fixes. We suggest patching as often as possible to ensure your system has the latest features, information and fixes.

Myth: It’s Only a Small Update, So It’s No Big Deal If I Miss It.

Small or large, all updates should be reviewed to see how they may benefit your Practice. Remember that an update may look small, but could make a meaningful difference to the day to day functioning of your Practice.

A good example of this is our upcoming Jade SP3 update. While Service Pack (SP) updates are typically fairly small, SP3 includes ePrescribing functionality, which is anything but minor! If you were to dismiss SP3 as ‘only a small update’, you’d be missing out on this crucial functionality.

Myth: Nobody is Available to Help Me Upgrade!

Best Practice Software offers a variety of update documentation on our Knowledge Base. For any additional update queries, our Support team is here to help.

We have 53 Support Specialists spread across three locations that are ready and willing to assist you with updating your software, or to help resolve any issues you encounter along the way. On average, our Support Specialists answer 8,759 enquiries each month, so you’re in very capable hands!

You can contact our Support teams by calling us at 1800 401 111 or emailing support@bpsoftware.net.

What is Sunsetting?

Best Practice Software regularly provides new releases of our software. These new releases include mandated regulatory requirements and a range of software improvements including updates to functionality and security, and fixes to known software issues.

However, regular software releases present an increasing challenge to our Support team who continue to support customers using older versions of Bp Premier.

As a result of this, we have introduced sunsetting – which is ending support for previous versions of our software in an effort to remain knowledgeable on up-to-date versions.

If you have any further questions regarding updating your software, please get in touch.

Have a question? Need assistance with a software update? Call us on 1800 401 111 or email support@bpsoftware.net.

Authored by:

Michael Toulsen
Lead Support Specialist at Best Practice Software

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No Price Increase for Bp Premier Customers in FY20-21

Bp No Price Increase

At Best Practice Software we take pride in offering the best in-market practice management solution and delivering added value with feature-rich functionality, extensive free customer enablement materials and unlimited support.

Typically, we will introduce a small price increase at the beginning of a financial year, in line with inflation and increased operating costs. However, we understand the financial impact that COVID-19 may have had on Practices, and to support our valued Practices, we will not be introducing a price increase for Bp Premier customers this 2020/2021 financial year.

We hope this will assist Practices in these uncertain times, and act as a small token of our gratitude for the work you do at the frontlines of this pandemic.  Once again, we extend our thanks to you for your valued business.

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