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TeamBp Spotlight: Cath

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Welcome to our Employee Spotlight series, where we’re introducing you to the hardworking and talented individuals who make up TeamBp! 

 

Today, we’re featuring Cath Phibben. In addition to being one of our Partnership Specialists, she was also recently nominated for the Australasian Institute of Digital Health (AIDH) Queensland committee seat. AIDH is Australasia’s peak body for digital health representing a united and influential single voice for health informatics and digital health leaders and practitioners.

 

Under the current healthcare system, information about patients is not recorded efficiently or effectively, clinicians can’t easily share information and there are numerous adverse events (a preventable medical error is the third leading cause of death). The Institute’s purpose is to create a connected health system and a digitally competent health workforce.

 

There is growing acknowledgement that digital health is the key to realising high-quality, safe and efficient care that delivers improved health outcomes. The AIDH’s Leadership and Advocacy strategy provides high-level, organisation-wide strategic direction and guidance to the Institute’s policy and advocacy priorities, and to the engagement of experts across the health sector. 

 

Part of this strategy is the establishment of Expert Advisory Groups (EAGs), which will be the driving force behind further development, continual refinement, and delivery.

 

Cath joined the AIDH in 2019 and particularly enjoys attending networking events in Queensland as well as national events such as the summit. She is also a Certified Health Informatician Australasia (CHIA) graduate. 

 

As a member of the Best Practice Partnerships team, Cath has an excellent understanding of the digital health landscape in Australia as she works with these vendors on a daily basis. She is a strong advocate for digital health, and believes that it, “has the potential to transform the way we provide and receive care”. 

 

Prior to joining Best Practice, Cath also held similar roles in the UK, which has given her a well-rounded understanding of health informatics issues in different markets.

 

Cath is passionate about, “using her skills to make a difference in the healthcare system” and is looking forward to the opportunity to work with other members to help progress the digital health agenda both locally and nationally.


Stay tuned for future posts in this series, where we’ll introduce you to more members of our team.

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Integrative Visual Aid to Support Patient Understanding of Anatomy

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Understanding a medical diagnosis can be tricky for patients, especially when the areas of their body affected are internal. Attempting to explain internal organs or their bodies’ inner workings and elements can be time-consuming and difficult. Some people are visual learners, so it makes sense that your practice would have visual aids readily available to assist.

Gone are the days of clunky 3D models collecting dust and taking up space on the doctor’s desk. When it comes to 3D interactive models, technology has advanced.

3D anatomy programs are now fully interactive and can be integrated right into your Bp premier clinical work screen. Allowing the doctor to educate and better explain elements and features of the body as well as medical concepts and conditions to their patients during consults.

How Will It Support Patient Health Literacy?

These programs allow doctors to visually explore human anatomy, body systems and organ functions with their patients during consultation. The interactive models provide visuals of common conditions with linked media to support further patient learning. Doctors can save images to file, draw on screen and bookmark items for future reference or discussion.

What Features Will Support Me In My Practice?

With access to male and female content available via a modern graphics engine, 3D anatomy tools can allow the importing of custom content and exporting of visuals as image files, enabling you to provide accurate anatomical education to your patients clearly and conveniently.

3DAnatomica With Bp Premier

3DAnatomica is a Gold Bp Partner offering current Bp Premier users a discounted subscription to their 3DGlassman clinical program. Accessible directly by clicking the 3DA icon on the Bp Premier patient record screen. 3DGlassman can be used during face-to-face consults, telehealth consultations, as well as remotely via iPhone and tablet.

To learn more about 3DAnatomica and 3DGlassman please click here to view their Bp Partner profile or click here to visit their website.

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SMS Electronic Prescribing Funding Extended

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SMS Electronic Prescribing Funding Extended until 31st March 2023

In great news for Bp Premier users who have been utilising electronic prescribing, the Department of Health and Aged Care (DoHAC) has recently advised that funding for electronic prescriptions sent via SMS will be extended until at least 31st March 2023.

The DoHAC has funded SMS electronic prescriptions since first introduced in 2020, with the funding cut-off date extended several times previously.

In Bp Premier whilst funding continues, you can also send electronic prescriptions to patients via Best Health App free of charge. Alternatively, you can email free of charge, or print an electronic prescription token on paper and provide it to the patient if preferred.

If you’re interested in electronic prescribing via SMS from Bp Premier, keep in mind that you’ll first need to set up a Bp Comms account. Bp Comms allows you to easily send communications such as electronic prescriptions directly to a patient’s phone via SMS or to the Best Health App from Bp Premier.

Bp Comms isn’t just for sending electronic prescriptions though, as it can also be used for sending a variety of communications to patients, such as:

  • appointment reminders
  • clinical reminders
  • health awareness communication
  • clinical communication

Need Further Assistance?

To find out more about enabling Bp Comms at your practice, contact sales@bpsoftware.net, or select Help > Online in Bp Premier to access the knowledge base.

If you don’t have a Bp Comms account set up, you won’t be able to send electronic prescriptions via SMS or to the Best Health App. However, you will still have the option to send electronic prescriptions to patients via email, or you can print the token.

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R U OK? DAY 2022

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I was reading a recent interview with seven times world surfing champion Layne Beachley where she recounted a time when her husband, Kirk Pengilly (one of the multi-talented musicians from the uber successful band INXS) asked her that simple little question “R U OK?” (Lambert, 2022).  She described that question as the “absolute circuit breaker” which gave her a safe space to confidently express her feelings of depression.

What’s that you say? Someone with seemingly “everything” isn’t happy all the time?

Each year one in five Australian adults are formally diagnosed with a mental illness – a wide range of conditions defined as a “clinically diagnosable disorder that significantly interferes with a person’s cognitive, emotional or social abilities” (COAG, 2017)

To put that into context, in an organization like Best Practice Software with over 250 staff, there could be 50 team members coping with all sorts of issues as a result of mental ill-health.  Anxiety, Depression, Affective Disorders, Substance Abuse etc – all very common, sometimes life-long challenges, but thankfully largely treatable and manageable. 

But while 1 in 5 is the official “diagnosed” statistics, the reality is that EVERYONE will experience some degree of mental illness, stress, unhappiness or negativity during their lifetime.  It is a myth that everyone is happy all the time.

Mental illness and impairment doesn’t carry the “stigma” as it did in the past.  It is just a part of being human. 

The R U OK? Website has a wealth of resources and links to services who can help anyone in distress themselves or concerned about someone they know. 

It provides some guidance on how you can confidently be that “safe space” to someone who is doing it tough.  If you are ready to ask that question – R U OK? – please remember that you are not a therapist – you are just a concerned friend who is prepared to listen without judgement. 

Authored by:

COVID-19 Vaccines Blog Article Lorraine Author Image

Lorraine Pyefinch
Chief Relationship Officer at Best Practice Software

Sources

COAG. (2017). The Fifth National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan. Canberra, ACT, Australia: https://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.au/Monitoring-and-Reporting/Fifth-Plan.

Lambert, C. (2022, September 7). “Listen up, it helps”. Courier Mail “Smart Daily”, p. 1.

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Online Claiming with Medicare Web Services Changes

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Answers to Our Support Team's Most Commonly Asked Questions Regarding Online Claiming with Medicare Web Services

We succeeded! It took a tremendous amount of work, but we are happy to report that most of our practices have successfully upgraded to a Bp Premier version that is compatible with Medicare Web Services before the deadline of August 28, 2022. We are aware that this is a time of transition and that many of our users are still adjusting to some of the changes made to the claiming workflows by the new technology.

To help you to adjust to some of the new Online Claiming with Medicare Web Services workflows we’ve compiled a selection of the most frequently asked questions our Support Team have received and answered them below.

Error 9202 - Invalid value supplied for Service Text. The value supplied must be alpha (A-Z and a-z), numeric (0-9), space ( ) and special characters @ # $ % + = : ; , . –

What does this error mean, and how can I resolve this? 

When submitting claims to Medicare or DVA online, you may encounter the Medicare Online Error ‘9202 Invalid value supplied for Service Text’. If this occurs, you must ensure that the Service Details field in the Account Item or Fee Amount screens only contains the below mentioned characters.

The character set that can be used in service text for items is restricted to letters (A-Z and a-z), numbers (0-9), and the following special characters @ # $% + =: ;,. -. Slash characters, apostrophes, and brackets are not allowed.

TIP – When transmitting a Medicare or DVA batch with multiple services, you can quickly identify which services are affected by looking at the last line in the error; there will be a line at the bottom which refers to ‘Medical Event 01’; this means it’s the first patient in the batch who is affected. If it says, “Medical Event 08”, it’s the 8th patient listed in the batch. 

For more information on troubleshooting issues with your connection to Medicare Web Services (MWS) and PRODA, select Help > Online from inside Bp Premier to open the online knowledge base, and search for ‘troubleshoot mws’.

New Statuses When Checking for Payments. What Do They Mean?

The messages returned from a check for payments from the Online claiming screen have changed under Medicare Web Services. Your employees may be unaware of the new messages’ meanings or whether any action is required.

Depending on the claim’s status with Services Australia, the following alerts may appear:

REPORT_NOT_FOUND The claim information does not match Services Australia’s records. You will need to contact Services Australia for more information.

REPORT_NOT_READY The claim has not yet been finalised by Services Australia. Perform a check for payments again later.

REPORT_NOT_AVAILABLE The claim was processed and has been rejected. Check the processing report for more information.

For more information on the new check for payments statuses, select Help > Online from inside Bp Premier to open the online knowledge base, and search for ‘Online claiming direct bill’. 

What Happens if We Haven’t Upgraded Yet?

Don’t put off upgrading to Medicare Web Services. Delaying your upgrade may result in longer support call times and being unable to claim if you have not switched over by the end of the grace period. In Bp Premier, the latest versions of Saffron SP3 are fully compliant with Medicare Web Services functionality.

Need Further Assistance?

As always, help is available! If you need assistance with anything related to Saffron SP3, Medicare Web Services, or any other enquiries, our Support team are available via phone or email, so please get in touch!

You can contact our Software Support team on 1300 40 1111 (Australia) or 0800 40 1111 (New Zealand) and selecting Bp General Products (Option 1/1) on the menu or by emailing us at support@bpsoftware.net.

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Pendable to Pended Invoices and Medicare Web Services

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After you upgrade to Topaz Service Pack 1 and begin submitting claims under the Medicare Web Services framework, you will notice different statuses in return messages and the Transactions history, particularly PENDABLE and PENDED.

The new PENDABLE to PENDED workflow may change the way your practice searches for and actions unpaid claims. Best Practice Software recommend actioning PENDABLE claims and resubmitting the invoice immediately if an invoice is returned with PENDABLE, rather than reviewing such claims as an end of day activity.

This article explains why.

For more information on how to resubmit a PENDABLE invoice, review Modify a pendable claim.

What Do the Pending Statuses Mean?

Simple claims that have the Assessment Code of : Assessed do not require manual operator assessment. Such claims are submitted, assessed, and paid or unpaid like they were in previous versions of Bp VIP.net.

However, if the claim has supporting information such as service text, the claim may require an operator to check the supplementary information provided with the invoice before the claim can be accepted. If this is the case, the claim will return the status of PENDABLE (or MEDICARE_PENDABLE) indicating a further action and resubmission is required.

The PENDABLE status could be applied for several reasons, such as:

  • Service text is required for a standard item number, for example, ‘Not normal aftercare’
  • Item numbers and duplicate items that require additional service text information, such as reasons for Multiple procedure overrides
  • An individual item deemed assessable prior to approval, for example, some diagnostic imaging and pathology items.

Any supplemental information with the potential to require manual assessment can return as PENDABLE, even for otherwise non-complex invoices for item numbers your practice processes daily.

Can I Modify a PENDABLE Claim?

Yes. While a claim is PENDABLE, it has not yet been received for manual assessment by Medicare. This enables you to check that all necessary information is provided in the service text and to immediately resubmit the claim. 

Resubmitting the claim to Medicare will update the status to PENDED to notify you that the claim has been received and will be manually assessed by an operator before payment of the rebate to the patient, or notification to the patient of the decline.

While the claim has the status of PENDABLE, two actions can be performed:

  1. Modify the invoice within the hour of creation to provide more information in the Service Text section under the chevron (F5), and resubmit.
  2. Reverse or Requote the Invoice if you have made a genuine error and do not wish to proceed with the claim.

How Do I Review and Modify a PENDABLE Claim?

When the claim is in PENDABLE status, you can review and modify the invoice through the patient’s Transactions (F8) screen. Record supplementary information on affected items by clicking on the chevron (>) at the end of line, selecting the appropriate options, and recording service text.

IMPORTANT  Once a claim has the status of PENDABLE, you cannot delete either the Payment or Invoice line in Transactions (F8). Reversing or Requoting the Invoice line is the only way of removing the invoices as a Debit.

After you are satisfied with the information provided in the invoice, click the Medicare button on either the Consultation screen or the top of the Transactions screen to send to Medicare and update the claim status to PENDED.

The Lodgement Advice should be immediately printed for the Patient as this is a manually assessed – you may wish to record on the printout the Manual Assessment status to notify the patient. The Lodgement Advice can only be printed when the claim is PENDED, because the claim has been now fully transmitted to Medicare.

Best Practice Software recommend that the Bp VIP.net user immediately actions a PENDABLE claim and resubmits to PENDED so that you are confident the claim has been submitted to Medicare and the Lodgement advice can be printed.

How Long Do I Have to Review a PENDABLE Claim?

The PENDABLE status is only applied to an invoice after the Send Claim button is clicked on the Patient Claims screen for the first time. You have within the hour of invoice submission to review and resend the claim to Medicare (either from the Consultation screen again or from the Transactions F8 screen).

After one hour you will have to repeat the Penable to Pended submission from the Transactions screens to modify and resubmit the claim.

IMPORTANT  Because it is essential to resubmit a PENDABLE invoice to PENDED within the hour, Best Practice Software recommend all pendable invoices are actioned immediately.

When Can I Print the Lodgement Advice for the Patient?

You can only print the Medicare Lodgement Advice form when a claim is transmitted with a PENDED status. No Lodgement Advice or Benefit of Claim statement is printed for pendable claims (the claim has not yet been fully transmitted or assessed by Medicare).

Because you receipted the entire balance of the invoice at the end of the consult, Medicare will make payment of the rebate directly to the patient like a normal claim, based on their assessment. Print and give the patient the Lodgement Advice for the claimant’s own record. Your practice may retain a copy in electronic or hard copy form.

Your practice will not receive assessment advice back from Medicare on a Pended claim as this is communicated to the patient or claimant and it is their responsibility to speak to Medicare if their claim is rejected.

For more information on the Lodgement Advice and Benefit of Claim documents, review Medicare Claim Forms.

Can I Same Day Delete PENDED and PENDABLE Claims?

No. Pendable claims have not been fully submitted to Medicare, so won’t show in the same day delete screen.

Pended indicates that the invoice has been resubmitted, so won’t show in the same day delete screen. All deletions must be done by phoning Medicare to action a deletion.

Can I Modify a PENDED Invoice?

You cannot modify a PENDED invoice and resubmit, as the invoice has now been transmitted to Medicare for assessment.

You will need to contact Medicare directly if there are any issues with a MEDICARE_PENDED status claim.

How Do I Find Pendable Claims in the Transactions Screen?

Pendable claims have EZ in the Batch column of the Transactions screen (F8). The Status field in the footer of the Transactions screen also shows the current status of a claim, if the related invoice line in the history is selected.

A pended claim will display with an E for electronic submission and display PENDED in the Status field in the footer of the Transaction screen.

Pendable claim showing 'Z' in the transaction history

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eOrdering – Orchid SP1 Changes

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Thanks to the availability of eOrdering, clinicians can provide their patients with a paperless option when ordering pathology and diagnostic imaging services. eOrders are transmitted securely from Bp Premier via your secure messaging provider directly to the Diagnostic Imaging and Pathology providers’ information systems.

eOrdering functionality has kept up to date with the fast-shifting demands of clinical treatment over the past decade, thanks to ongoing improvements. In Saffron SP1, Diagnostic Imaging and Pathology eOrdering was updated, and there is now a simplified method for configuring pathology and diagnostic imaging providers in Bp Premier, thanks to the launch of our new Enhanced eOrdering. 

 

E-Ordering: Benefits for Your Practice from Bp Learning on Vimeo.

Changes to Enhanced eOrdering in Bp Premier Orchid

In Bp Premier Orchid, legacy eOrdering will have the following functionality:

·        Legacy eOrder providers configured in previous versions will continue to have the functionality to generate eOrders.

·        Legacy eOrder providers cannot be added or configured through the Contacts window.

o   New eOrder providers must be added through the Setup eOrdering screen.

o   If a legacy eOrder provider needs to be configured, they should be merged with the respective record in the Setup eOrdering screen if the provider has joined the Partner Network.

Bp Premier version Orchid is undergoing extensive beta testing and will be available soon.

Upcoming Changes to Enhanced eOrdering in Bp Premier Orchid Service Pack 1

In Bp Premier Orchid Service Pack 1, legacy eOrdering functionality will be fully removed. In this version, legacy eOrder providers will no longer generate eOrders. Only providers configured through the Setup eOrdering screen will have the functionality to generate eOrders.

What Do I Need to Do to Prepare for the Changes in Orchid SP1?

We suggest that you check your current pathology or diagnostic imaging eOrder providers to see if they have joined the Bp Partner Network. To view the list of current Bp eOrdering Partners, select Help > Online from inside Bp Premier to open the online knowledge base, and search for ‘Bp eOrdering Partners’.

Choose the scenario that best describes your enhanced eOrdering configuration in Bp Premier for information on how to prepare for the changes in Bp Premier Orchid:

ScenarioActions Required
My Practice has never used eOrdering, and we would like to enable this. How?We recommend contacting your preferred diagnostic imaging and pathology providers directly to discuss the implementation of eOrdering at your Practice.
My Practice currently uses eOrdering but the diagnostic imaging or pathology provider is not available in the list to merge.

If your Practice currently transmits eOrders, before you upgrade to Orchid, we strongly recommend you confirm that the pathology or diagnostic imaging providers you transmit eOrders to have joined the Bp Partner Network and are available for configuration in the Setup eOrdering screen.

 

If any of the eOrdering service providers that your Practice uses have not yet joined the Bp Partner Network, we advise getting in touch with them to find out if they are aware of the changes and have spoken to the Best Practice Commercial Partnerships team about joining the Bp Partner Network before the release of Bp Premier Orchid Service Pack 1.

My Practice currently uses eOrdering, and the diagnostic imaging or pathology provider appears in the list; however, we haven’t merged these contacts yet.If you have any eOrdering providers configured in Bp Premier through the legacy method and have confirmed they are on the Partner Network, we recommend using the merge functionality in the eOrdering Setup screen to merge contacts. This must be done before upgrading to Orchid SP1.
We are already using eOrdering; we have confirmed the providers we use are in the list, and we have merged the contacts. Do we need to do anything?Your Practice is configured for eOrdering, and no further action is required.

Testing eOrdering

Once you’ve enabled eOrdering, be sure to test the eOrder generation from both the Bp Premier server and a client machine. Information on how to test is available from the Bp Premier Knowledge Base.

Need More Information?

Not a worry!

For more information on how to merge eOrder providers and test and troubleshoot eOrdering setup, select Help > Online from inside Bp Premier to open the online knowledge base, and search for ‘merge eOrdering’.

Need Further Assistance?

As always, help is available! If you need assistance with anything related to eOrdering, or any other enquiries, our Support team are available via phone or email.

You can contact our Software Support team on 1300 40 1111 (Australia) and select Bp General Products (Option 1/1) on the menu or by emailing us at support@bpsoftware.net.

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Solving the Healthcare Interoperability Crisis: Halo Connect

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Best Practice Software congratulates Halo Connect on its launch as it brings to market a modern cloud-based interoperability platform designed for clinical software. In a vote of confidence for the emerging platform, Best Practice Software is pleased to announce a significant investment in the company. 

Halo Connect will provide Best Practice Premier integrators with a single integration point that allows health data to be accessed safely and securely in real-time via an API. The financial investment will allow Halo Connect to supercharge development of a modern cloud-based API that conforms to industry standard FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources).

Chris Smeed, Halo Connect founder, commented, “In building and scaling healthcare start-up “Cubiko”, I came to realise that data analysis leads to better patient outcomes and improved financial sustainability of medical practices. But the data was difficult to unlock, and not many of the software systems would speak to each other. We built Halo Connect to solve this issue.”

This investment represents a significant step in the evolution of the Bp Partner Network and provides assurance around accessing real-time and accurate health information for both patients and integration partners across the current and future cloud products.  

Founder and CEO of Best Practice Software, Dr Frank Pyefinch, said, “with the speed at which digital health is progressing towards omnichannel patient-centred healthcare, providing reliable, quality, secure, and real-time access to patient records is more important than ever.” 

Dr Frank Pyefinch commented, “Best Practice is excited to work with Chris and the Halo Connect team to bring the first ever Best Practice API to market and with the investment will provide a rapid boost to the Best Practice interoperability roadmap as well as the future of interoperability in Australia.”

The introduction of Halo Connect will simplify partner integrations with Bp Premier and cloud platforms, creating a single integration point. The platform will create efficiencies in the provision of partner support and may reduce development costs incurred by partners in the design and development of their tools. Medical practices will benefit from their software providers being able to seamlessly integrate and reduce any unwanted stress on their on-premise infrastructure as well as equipping them for future cloud migrations.  

After a successful beta program across Cubiko customers, work is currently underway to deliver key interoperability projects with Aged Care and Acute Care partners, with the aim to make Halo Connect available to all Best Practice Software partners in October 2022. 

For software vendors interested in integrating with Best Practice and the soon-to-be-available Halo Connect, Best Practice Software offers a Partner Network program. To find out more information on how to apply, please contact partners@bpsoftware.net.  

Best Practice Software and Halo Connect look forward to working with industry partners to provide a seamless API that progresses standards and integrations.  

If you’re interested in joining the waitlist for Halo Connect’s cloud-based APIs for Best Practice, sign up here.

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There is Art to Medicine – As Well As Science

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“Most especially must I tread with care, in matters of life and death”. 

Painted across the Woondooma Street side of the Best Practice Software building, the cursive script reads like an excerpt from an 18th-century poem.

Art to Medicine Blog Best Practice Software Bundaberg Mural PhotoWhen questioned on the Hippocratic Oath, many people will quote the quintessential phrase where the physician promises ‘first do no harm’. One of the more poetic lines from the Oath, however, which very few people would recognise, encourages those in medical practice to, ‘remember that there is art to medicine, as well as science.’

Just like in any other form of art, there is a need for creativity and individuality. Healthcare professionals must be able to apply their generalised knowledge to the specific needs of each individual patient.  In this way, the art of medicine includes both the science of medicine and the ability to apply that science in a way that meets the needs of each patient. 

This is something Best Practice Software founders Dr. Frank and Lorraine Pyefinch know intimately having both worked in healthcare. As a General Practitioner Dr. Pyefinch understands that, “there is an art to medicine, and it starts with understanding the patient.” Quote Best Practice Software is proud to share our special story in the format of this hand-painted mural, which celebrates the story of how Dr Frank & Lorraine Pyefinch developed and grew the idea of creating an electronic medical practice record into one of Australasia’s most successful Health Technology   groups. Lorraine Pyefinch shares that the mural illustrates, “the transformation from when doctors had to write everything by hand to a more modern use of automation and technology.” But above all else, it represents the spirit of innovation and its personal connectedness with Health Practitioners and Patients.

In collaboration with the vision of Best Practice Software, the artwork’s bespoke design has been created by local artists Mark Terry, Nicole Wone, and Taylor Klaasen , who incorporated several specific elements relating to both the heritage of Best Practice Software and the First Nations People upon whose land the Operations Hub resides.

Evolution was a metaphor and inspiration for the process. To each of the artists, evolution represented something different. For Mark, the goal was to illustrate, ‘how we are all connected through shared human experiences such as life and death’ which is depicted in the changing leaves across the wall.

Best Practice Software Mural Sun ImageNicole, as a local Gooreng Gooreng and Bundaburra Yidinji Woman, wanted to “give an Indigenous perspective to the story of the mural.” She brought to life the “Ginmine” (the Sun) as the giver of all life, with science providing its connection to evolution on Earth, and spiritually how it explores and brings light to unseen energies in all living animals and plants. She also incorporated a tribute to the Rainbow Serpent for the significance it plays in creation and the stunning imagery of the beginning of time and greater movement in the cosmos.

 

Throughout the mural are intricate and delicate patterns woven in by Taylor, which reflect the flow of energy and how everything is interconnected. To her, evolution, “represents change and how the world really works. Everyone is always changing.” These unique patterns demonstrate the individual journey that each person takes in their lifetime.   

Best Practice Software Mural Bird ImageDr & Mrs Pyefinch’s personal stamp on the quality and interoperability of our software products is represented by the mathematical symbol for “Pi” and the Finch bird (together, as Pyefinch), which soars high above. The Finch connects life between the earth and the sun, and how DNA strands interconnect all we do in supporting Healthcare Practitioners 

The mural is a visual representation of how far we’ve come as an organisation, and how our core values have remained the same throughout our evolution – to make a real difference in healthcare. We believe that art has an important role to play in both our personal and professional lives, and we hope that this mural will inspire creativity, connection and pride in all who see it. 

Thank you for being part of our story! 

Learn more about the Bundaberg Mural, and the meaning behind it, here.

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Digital Intake Forms: How Much Time Could You Be Saving?

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Patient intake forms are tedious and time-consuming, not only for the patient but also for the practice. There are often multiple forms that new patients are required to fill out before an initial appointment. Administration staff then need to enter patient details into the Practice Management System (PMS) manually. 

For example, when working with patients who have a history of pain, detailed reports are required to ensure that the level of care matches the depth of the patient’s issue. Specialist centres have carefully curated intake forms that cover the patient’s medical history, including psychometric testing, e.g. DASS21, that must be completed before a patient’s initial consultation. These forms would either be received via email or be filled out by hand in the office on the day of their appointment.  

Prior to the implementation of a digital solution in the form of digital intake forms, practices resorted to cumbersome and time-consuming processes which caused a significant administrative burden. These often involved acquiring completed forms from a patient, having administrative staff calculate psychometric test scores, and finally manually inputting the data into the PMS. These forms could often take hours to process and upload, and they carried with them the risk of human error during data entry. For practices that might see 20+ new patients each week, this created a significant bottleneck.

To help streamline this process, Patient Plus saw an opportunity to alleviate administrative pressure from the intake process by creating digital intake forms that allow patients to update their information and medical history directly into the PMS prior to their first sessions.  

The system’s core functionalities include seamless integration between the form and Best Practice Software, the ability to score and process psychometric testing automatically, and additional form fields that provide access to limitless patient data. With mandatory form fields and input conditions set for certain numerical fields (e.g., the 10-digit limit for Medicare), the risk of human error is drastically minimised. 

The digital intake forms also offer patients the functionality to ‘Save & Resume Later’ by creating a secure, unique link that is sent to their email for completion at a future time. This unique link can also be shared with trusted contacts of patients who might need assistance in completing the form.  

For patients, this allows the flexibility to run through their history at their own pace. By pre-filling their information, they can be confident that their history will be known when they step into the room with their doctor, and they can immediately start focussing on the next steps in their journey. 

Once the form has been processed through the PMS, practices are provided with three options for patient summaries – long-form, short-form, and mid-sized PDFs – that can be generated to give the doctor an overview of the patient in varying levels of detail. 

All the data is processed and hosted on a secure server, ensuring that the practice complies with data security standards and protects confidential patient information. Patients also have the option to receive a copy of the form submission via email, allowing them to keep a copy for their own records. 

Easing the administrative workload caused by intake form processing means doctors no longer need to spend time scouring through the patient history since the automation ensures they have the relevant information before a patient’s appointment. 

One practice using Patient Plus has seen a dramatic shift in the hours spent processing patient intake forms. With nearly 30 hours back in their week, the practice has been able to shift their full attention from data entry and back to their patients, providing a better in-house experience. 

Patient Plus fills a necessary gap in the healthcare industry, providing a better communication line between patients and their doctors. Implementing digital tools creates an opportunity for doctors to spend more of their appointment time assessing the history, investigating patient concerns, and maximising patient engagement. With seamless integration, security of data, and ease of completion, the form has alleviated the pressure from the doctors, their staff, and the patients. To learn more, visit the Patient Plus website.     

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