| Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) pushes the limits of | | | | the manager of chiropractic clinic, the main challenge |
| outsourcing and reduces the exorbitant costs of | | | | could be the integration of newer applications with the |
| specialized practice management software. SaaS | | | | subscribed SaaS application. SaaS Integration |
| model is available for all aspects of chiropractic clinic | | | | Platforms (SIP) is a popular way to handle the |
| management, including scheduling, billing, and SOAP | | | | integration challenge. A SIP, such as Vericle, offers a |
| note documentation, which are mission-critical for high | | | | suite of integrated applications, such as Patient |
| quality health care, practice building, and regulatory | | | | Relationship Management, Patient Scheduling, SOAP |
| compliance. What is Software-as-a-Service? | | | | notes, and Billing.Chiropractic clinic in search of SaaS |
| Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is a logical step in the | | | | vendor must focus on the following topics: |
| progression from build to buy to subscribe and a | | | | Functionality: Does the application deliver required |
| manifestation of a major software trend towards | | | | functionality? |
| Service Oriented Architecture (SOA). SaaS is the | | | | Training: Will the vendor provide sufficient application |
| software industry term for delivery of software | | | | training? |
| product and services over a network (typically the | | | | Third-Party Application Interface: Does the application |
| Internet) under subscription business model.The | | | | work with existing applications already deployed in the |
| increasing reliability of the Internet coupled with | | | | office? What requirements must be satisfied if you |
| availability of completely integrated practice | | | | decide to purchase another application later? |
| management and billing software, create supportive | | | | Performance: How do you measure application |
| conditions to pay-as-you-go business model. SaaS | | | | performance? Are formal performance metrics |
| liberates the users in two significant ways: | | | | available continuously? |
| SaaS requires no large upfront investment in | | | | HIPAA Compliance: What controls are in place to |
| hardware and software licenses on the part of the | | | | enable access only on a "need to see" basis? Is every |
| user | | | | access instance logged using secure mechanism? |
| SaaS shifts the onus of systems management from | | | | Service Level Agreement: What minimum service |
| the user to the SaaS vendor, including | | | | levels the vendor guarantees to the client? What are |
| Internet connectivity, bandwidth, and routers | | | | the penalties for violating SLA? |
| Servers for Web server software, email, firewalls | | | | Data Ownership: Who owns the data? |
| Capacity management | | | | Disaster Recovery: How long would it take to recover |
| Redundancy management | | | | from a disaster? Is a secondary data center available |
| Application upgrade management In financial | | | | 24 x 7? |
| management terms, SaaS proposition is equivalent to | | | | Disengagement Procedures: How long is data |
| turning capital expense into operating expense, which | | | | available upon severing the relationship? Who is |
| translates into | | | | responsible for data transfer to the new vendor? |
| Better balance sheets | | | | Yuval Lirov, PhD, author of "Mission Critical Systems |
| Lower risk, especially during the period of rapid | | | | Management" (Prentice Hall), inventor of multiple |
| technology innovation on one hand and practice-building | | | | patents in artificial intelligence and computer security, |
| stages on the other hand SaaS differs from | | | | co-author of ChiroAudit.com, and CEO of Billing |
| Applications Service Providers (ASP) in two ways, | | | | Technologies. Vericle(R) delivers comprehensive |
| namely, domain expertise and software development | | | | practice workflow engine that integrates patient |
| skills. While ASP vendors developed primarily | | | | scheduling, SOAP notes, billing, transcription, and |
| hardware and systems expertise and offered foreign | | | | compliance management. Chiropractic Audit webinar, |
| business applications, SaaS vendors are experts in the | | | | prepared by BillingPrecision.com, teaches how to |
| specific application domain. SaaS Vendor Selection For | | | | improve billing performance and reduce audit risk. |