Computerized Billing and Office Management Programs By Edward Zuckerman, PhD Computerization of clinical practice is not only becoming almost unavoidable but it can be quite beneficial. Typing is easier on a computer than handwriting, computers rarely lose anything and can find it anywhere in a few seconds, and the Internet holds great riches and the promise of more. Commonly available programs allow you to cope with billing and managed care needs, assist in assessment and report construction, survey the research, administer treatments, and put you in instant touch with colleagues around the world. However, for many, the most pressing need is a program which can ensure accurate and timely billing and handle routine office tasks like appointment scheduling and recording progress notes. Most of the software described below will do these and many offer additional functions. This list is not exhaustive. It omits programs for the larger systems like clinics and many entry points. Small programs for medical billing usable by therapists are listed at the end. I estimate that this list is 98% complete and certainly contains all the major developers of these programs for mental health offices. This listing is current as of April 7, 2003 when the basic facts were checked.

Since developers are constantly improving and modifying their products do confirm any important aspects of a program before you make a purchase. Because the Health Insurance Privacy and Accountability Act (HIPAA) will substitute a new electronic billing form - the ANSI 827-P- for the familiar HCFA-1500, ask each developer how they are handling this.All computers, software, and other product names listed herein are property of their respective copyright and trademark holders.

Selecting a program

You probably turned to this section to find out which program to buy. I sure wish I could tell you the answer but I can't know your situation or needs so here is what I suggest as a strategy. First, look at all features and decide which are most important. As you explore, add more features or more explanation of them to your checklists. Get the demos and play around. Do NOT decide on the basis of price. Your income and stress level will depend on this program for many years and one which is confusing or unnecessarily complex will be a continuing source of distress for you and your staff. If you have an office manager, he or she should make the final decision even though you have the PhD.

The format of each entry

• The developer's name, address, phone, and net site, as available. The list is alphabetical and the size of the description is not related to the size of the program.
  
• The name of the program. I have put this second because many programs have similar names.
  
• A description of the program. Since all these programs do billing, only unusual aspects are listed. Where they do additional functions they are called "office management" programs and may include schedulers, mailing list handling, treatment plan writing and updating, recording of medications, etc. ECS means Electronic Claims Submission -- the ability to send a claim for payment to the insurance company over the phone line using your modem and specialized software. This makes the insurance company's work easier, it may speed up your payment, and it certainly speeds up their denying your claim.
  
• Which computer hardware or "platforms" it is designed to run on. All of these programs work under Microsoft's operating system, Windows, they are not so identified. There are fewer which work on Apple's Macintosh computers, (but you only need one program); those are indicated with the word "Macintosh."
  
• The current costs of the program, where advertised or available. These may change or your needs may not fit the configuration of the program listed so call to confirm prices.
  
• The availability of downloads or cost of demonstration disks. Some of these contain only a "Guided Tour" which describes and illustrates the programs's major features (but not all the functions or procedures). Others contain a limited version of the whole program or limit you to a small number of clients or a fixed period of time. You can enter data and see how almost everything works, but cannot use the demo to run your practice. These "fully functional" demos will take a lot of your time to enter client information but you will then really understand their strengths and limitations. By working with several, you will quickly separate the more from the less appropriate programs so the time is well invested.

The list of developers:

ACCURATE ASSESSMENTS, 1823 HARNEY STREET, SUITE 101, OMAHA, NEBRASKA 68102.
AccuCare a suite of integrated programs for billing, ECS, assessment, monitoring of progress and outcomes, etc. which offers specialized modules for addictions, criminal justice, and Native Americans.
See www.myaccucare.com for more information.

APPLIED COMPUTING SERVICES, 212 FAIR VIEW ROAD, ELK, WA 99009, 1-800-553-4055.
PMA-2000 does billing, insurance, and scheduling and progress notes, especially for mental health.
See http://www.pma2000.com for more information.

BEAVER CREEK SOFTWARE, 525 SW 6TH ST., CORVALLIS OR 97333-4324, 1-800-895-3344.
The Therapist for Windows. This is a full-scale billing program, fills in forms, all diagnostic codes (DSM-IV, CPT, RSV, ICD-9), prints on letterhead or HCFA 1500, makes mailing labels, deposit slips, tracks referrals and pre-authorizations, simple clinical notes, password protection, backup and restoration of data, pre-authorizations and insurance maximums, dunning messages, form letters, etc.
See http://www.beaverlog.com for more information.

BLUMENTHAL SOFTWARE, INC., 528 PALMER FARM DRIVE; YARDLEY, PA 19067, 215-702-9550. PBS: The Psychologist's Billing System. This mature full-featured billing program does it all - accounting, forms generation and printing, management reports, transfers data into spreadsheets, sliding scale and Medicare fee generation, handles managed care limitations, etc.
See http://www.blumenthalsoftware.com for more information.

CORNUCOPIA SOFTWARE, 626 SAN CARLOS AVE., ALBANY CA 94706, 510-528-7000.
Practice Magic is a very complete billing and office management system at a low price and which runs on Macintoshes as well. It prints to HCFA 1500, uses an appointment book format (and prints DaytimerTM inserts), exports to QuickenTM, does progress notes, managed care functions, bank deposit slips, etc. ECS billing though a clearinghouse.
See http://www.practicemagic.com for more information.

DOCUTRAC, INC., 20140 SCHOLAR DR., #218, HAGERSTOWN, MD 21742-6575, 1- 800-850-8510.
Office therapy is a fully featured insurance and billing program with ECS through clearinghouses. Managed care information is well integrated, data can be easily exported to other databases, and much of the program can be user-modified. Free fully functional demo by download or by request. Now available for the Palm OS. QuickDoc is a fully featured records program with documentation for intakes, progress and discharge notes, scheduling, treatment goals and plans, patient satisfaction, practice forms and letters, mail merge, etc. QuicForms fit all managed care formats. QuicWord allows easy creation and integration of records with other programs.
See http://www.quicdoc.com for more information.

PC CONSULTING GROUP, 1-800-847-8446.
Delphi/PBS. This very complete package has been around for many years and includes all billing functions, scheduling, ECS through a clearing house, passwords, mailing labels, on-line help, payroll calculation, finance charges, network able, backups, etc. See http://www.delphipbs.com/index.htm for more information.

PRACTICE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE, 285 ENGLE ST., ENGLEWOOD, NJ 07631, 1-800-874-2159.
PM/2 is a long-standing and complete billing program with dozens of features including insurance billing, scheduling, managed care tracking, security, etc. PM/2 Clinical Planner generates treatment plans and OTRs from checklists.
See http://www.pm2.com for more information.

PRAGMATIC, INC., P. O. BOX 33551, RENO, NV 89533, 1-877-773-4481.
Center PsychTM is a combination of a billing program and, with options, additional services. It can serve 1-99 providers, a single office or multiple locations, and makes good use of the Macintosh interface. See http://www.centerdigital.com/software/ for more information.

PSYQUEL, 12758 CIMARRON PATH, SUITE 127, SAN ANTONIO, TX 78249, 1-877-779-7835.
Scheduling, billing and insurance for mental health providers with a twist. It is a subscription based Internet service. They pursue unpaid claims, track authorizations, backup records, and provide free support training, upgrades, etc. The program also supports progress notes and other patient records.
See http://www.psyquel.com for more information.

SANER SOFTWARE, #253, 2460 W. MAIN ST. - D, ST. CHARLES, IL 60175, 630-513-5599.
ShrinkRapt is a very complete billing and insurance program with some records features like clinical notes and treatment plans. It is available for the Macintosh and technical support is free. See http://www.sanersoftware.com for more information.

SOS SOFTWARE: SYNERGISTIC OFFICE SOLUTIONS, INC., 352-242-9100.
SOS Office Manager is a fully featured mature product based on the familiar daysheet/ledger card model. Simplified data entry, managed care tracking, useful management reports, and much more. SOS Case Manager for Windows offers very flexible clinical records including intake, history, problem/goal/asset/obstacle-oriented treatment plans and progress notes, group therapy progress notes, medication, a glossary for reusable text, templates for most used information, etc.
See http://www.sosoft.com for more information.

SUMTIME, 995 VINTAGE AVE., SUITE 102, ST. HELENA, CA 94574, 1-888-821-0771.
SumTime is a very complete and full featured billing and practice management software package including ECS and scheduler, billing and managed care functions, 10 pages of password protected notes per session, customized form letters, etc. See http://www.sumtime.com for more information.

VANTAGEMED, 600 WEST CUMMINGS PARK, SUITE 3450, WOBURN, MA 01801, 1-800-343-5737.
Therapist Helper . A very comprehensive multi-functional program which, besides billing, includes scheduling, managed care and meds tracking, many reports, progress notes. Options include ECS, credit card processing, Palm Organizer version, and QuicDoc (see DocuTrac, above). See http://www.helper.com for more information.

Billing only programs from the medical side but which are suitable for therapists:

COM1 SOFTWARE
Just for filling out claims forms, not any other kinds of billing functions.
See http://com1software.com/c1000.htm for more information.

EASY BILLING, 710 COLOMBIA STREET, SANTA FE, NM 87505, 1-800-618-6136.
Easy Billing Gold. A rather complete billing program and appointment scheduler for the single provider.
See http://www.easybillingsoftware.com/index.htm for more information.

JONOKE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT INC., 403-448-3647.
MediFile is a full system including electronic medical records. The Jr. version does just billing and scheduling and lower cost. See http://jonoke.com/ for more information.

SAGE SOFTWARE HEALTHCARE
Medware Standard Edition is a billing program with a scheduler, and ECS abilities. See http://www.medware.com for more information.

NDCHEALTH
Lytec Medical XE. See http://www.lytec.com/index.asp?PageType=Version&VersionID=9 for more information.

NDC MEDISOFT
MediSoft is an inexpensive and widely used accounting, billing, and scheduling with included Office House. It does ECS and offers a word processor and many other add-ons. See http://www.medisoft.com/ for more information.

NUESOFT TECHNOLOGIES, 404-351-5052.
NueMD is different. Instead of buying a program you subscribe to its services; instead of a program, you use the Internet, and it runs on Macintoshes and Windows. It does billing and insurance. See http://www.nuesoft.com for more information.

REM SYSTEMS, 117 LONGWOOD DR., SW, HUNTSVILLE, AL 35801-4513, 1-800-548-6148.
Billing Master. See http://www.remsys.com/ for more information.

This article is reprinted with permission from Koocher, G. P., Norcross, J. C., & Hill, S. S. (Eds.). (2004). Psychologists' desk reference (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. For more information on the book, go to http://www.us.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Psychology/Clinical/?view=usa&ci=9780195166064.

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Updated: 8/15/2007