Starting Out? Don't Overlook the Right Clinic Software (2024)

Clinic Management Software starts your business out on the right foot

When you're starting a small clinic, there are a lot of things to consider. Whether it's the software tools your clinic requires, consultation rooms, or hiring staff, the costs add up quickly. Clinic software isn't usually #1 on your priority list.

One of the most challenging aspects of starting your own clinic is that you often spend a lot of money before seeing a client or generating income.

It's common (and wise) to try to manage these costs, deferring some expenses until you have money coming in. 

"I'll do that once I have my first 10 clients or "when I'm profitable, that will be my first purchase."

This can be a big mistake with your clinic management system.

Critical: Clinic Software saves you money + time

Clinic software is often not the first purchase a new health business makes. Why? Because in the short term, you can make do with Excel or Onedrive until you have so much money coming in that you can afford the best tools. Right?

While understandable, I think this approach is a mistake. Here are the top reasons why you should prioritize clinic tools just as much as your consultation rooms when you're starting a small health business:

Maximize your productivity

The first 6 months of your business are often the hardest. You are trying to do everything yourself. This is when things slip or get missed. These early mistakes can have a massive impact on your reputation within the healthcare community and, of course, with your clients.

Don't be a statistic

The harsh reality is that one-third of small healthcare clinics fail within their first two years. And in difficult times like these, those odds are probably even more concerning.

Sometimes clinics fail because they have too few clients. Others are not able to charge enough to make their service profitable. It may even be that clients are not happy enough to come back. Or that your costs are growing faster than your income. 

When you manage your billing and payments in one place, you stand a much better chance of NOT being one of the 33% of clinics that fail. 

Get the right Clinic software

Stay up to date with invoicing, get paid quickly.

Quickly collect payments online with healthcare payment software, so you don't have to manage an expensive credit card terminal or waste time at the end of every session taking payment.

Track and categorize Client receipts as you go, so you know exactly how much is going out.

Your Clients Will Appreciate You Making Their Life Easier

My dog's walker (a kid from down the street) uses cloud business software. My credit card information is saved, so they have everything they need for my billing. Every month, they process my payment for their service, and I receive an email receipt itemizing the amount and duration of each walk during the month.

This is so much more convenient for me than paying over the phone, cash, or writing a check. Importantly, it makes me like her more. I feel like she is professional and that my little puppy is in expert hands.

The truth is, she's not really doing it for me. In fact, she's doing it to save time and get paid faster. It really is a win-win for everyone!

Small clinics can find establishing a relationship with new clients demanding. Why not create an exceptional client experience with excellent patient portal software that makes you seem more professional and trustworthy than the rest!?

Best Clinic Software Helps you Maximize Cash Flow

Cash flow issues are common for all small business owners. It impacts your ability to manage your clinic bills, pay staff, and have a steady salary for yourself.

You will probably lay in bed at night, wondering how many sessions did I forget to charge for this month? What if a client fails to pay me this week? These questions rattling around in your mind create unnecessary stress!

Growing your clinic requires good cash flow. It is as simple as that! 

To achieve good cash flow, you need real-time visibility of what you have been paid, what is outstanding, and what you expect to bill in the future. So when you are paying this month's bills or planning for the next, you the insight you need to make decisions and move forward. 

Healthcare Payment software gives you control over your billing and payments. You can easily monitor and manage your client's invoices and charges in the cloud. It will help you solve significant problems, like not enough revenue one month? You need to schedule more clients.

One of your team is not building enough hours to cover their salary? Time to look hard at where they are spending their time.

If you don't know, you can't manage it.

Clinic Management Software Will Make You More Objective

Being a health clinician is probably your passion. You love to help people. Odds are, you studied for a long time and worked hard to make this dream come true.

But that passion for healthcare can sometimes cloud your business judgment. You may do more unprofitable work than you realize. Or you live in denial about the realities of your billable hours and costs.

One aspect of becoming a successful clinic owner is learning how to look at your business's performance without bias. Let your billing and payments speak for themselves.

Again, Clinic management software will do all of this, plus more. You'll see which staff are bringing in the most income. And you'll be able to easily see if any of your team are focusing (and perhaps wasting) their time on the wrong things.  

Clinic software doesn't make the decisions for you. You may find some of your clients are not profitable. That's ok; you just need to balance this with your work, which does generate income. 

Many clinics discover work that seemed like "good money" are the invoices that require the most follow-up or are the client which take the longest to pay. 

Learning to balance your passion for healthcare with your business objectives is a skill. It will take longer to get there without a tool that gives you instant and accurate insights.

Choose Clinic Software Which Grows With You

Sure, you can start your clinic with Onedrive or Excel. I did…so I know how much pain it becomes.

Here's the problem: You'll quickly reach a point where they are not helpful anymore. Once you have too many clients or notes to manage, your system will implode. Of course, this will happen when you're too busy to deal with it. You'll need to decide quickly: Which software should I use?

Being forced to make crucial decisions when you don't have time to consider your options can be a disaster. I'd much rather do my homework now and use software that's trustworthy and reliable, so I am ready for those difficult days.

I want to work in a way that helps me today but also builds for tomorrow. I think it's a mistake not to prioritize a Clinic management system from the start of your business.

Conclusion

You already love the clinical work you do. I don't need to convince you to become more passionate about mental health, nutrition, physical therapy… or whatever the service you offer is.

To be a superstar clinic owner, you need software to help you run the business. So you can focus on providing fantastic healthcare experiences to your clients.

Here are the ways to make it all a bit easier:

1. Invest early in the right tools
2. Automate or optimize your business work
3. Get hooked on removing unpleasant steps from your client's journey. 
4. If you do this from the start, I am confident you will be one of the clinics which thrive within their first 2 years.

Carepatron has been built just for your clinic. Start today to deliver client experiences that you are proud of!