As our profession moves toward a doctorate degree as the initiating degree in our field, Audiology is quickly becoming an autonomous field.  This will likely result in audiologists moving toward private practice, rather than working for doctors and hospitals.  This shift in venue for the practice of Audiology has been seen over the last five years that the Au.D. (Doctor of Audiology) degree has been in existence.  With more young Doctors of Audiology graduating, many will start private practices at a younger age.  Younger professionals will generally have less business knowledge than their older counterparts who have been in the industry longer.  Despite an audiologist’s age, new technology can help any private practicing audiologist organize and better run their office.  Audiology private practice software will most certainly become an essential tool in the autonomy of Audiology in the future by creating well-run private practices.

Two key elements require definition in the following survey.  First, “turnkey,” as defined by the Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary means  “built, supplied, or installed complete and ready to operate.”  A turnkey software program is one that is ready to implement, straight from the box.  The importance of this cannot be overlooked due to the average young audiologist’s lack of extensive training in the area of business management.  Another concept that warrants definition is “total solution.”  In this study, what is meant by “total solution” is a comprehensive software package that offers help in all facets of an audiology practice (from the actual practice of Audiology to the data needed in office management).

What is Needed?:

The following is a list of things that would be essential to an upstart Audiology practice.  Ideally, a “total solution” package would incorporate all of these items, or at least leave room for them to be added.  With most audiologists having little business experience before their private practice endeavor, the more items included in the package (rather than the professional having to add them to the program), the more time the audiologist will have to spend in other crucial parts of a practice (i.e., patient care).  Incorporation of all of these items would truly make the system “turnkey”.
 

• Patient database: a place to store information regarding patient demographic information as well as history information.
• Data database: a place to store information about each appointment (services rendered at each appointment, completed test results, etc.)
• Inventory control
• Scheduling
• Accounting (budgeting, tracking expenses, income, etc.)
• Forms (hearing aid order forms, audiograms, other common forms)
• Form letters (to doctors and patients)
• Contracts (purchase agreements)
• Warranty work (history, scope, etc.)
• Policies (employee time sheets, for example)
• Automated up-to-date prices for quick, accurate quotes to customers
• Interfaces for automating data entry from various testing equipment (NOAH)
• Includes all of the common tests, but has flexibility to add/change/delete tests
• Telemarketing, advertising, promotional section for business expansion plans/notes
• Periodic Upgradability and capability to integrate with other programs
• Automated report writing
• Intranet capabilities (linking office computers together, especially for those practices with multiple locations)

Five business software packages were chosen for this survey.  They are:  “Microsoft Access 2000,” “HearForm Office Management Software,” “CabinetNG,” “The Audiology Office Organizer,” and “Office Management for Audiology.”

Here is how the five software packages fulfilled the above requirements:
 
 

Features	Microsoft Access	HearForm OMS	CabinetNG	The Audiology Office Organizer	Office Management for Audiology
Patient Database	X	X	X	X	X
Data Database	X	X	X	X
Inventory Control	X	X		(batteries only)	X
Scheduling	X	X		X	X
Accounting	X	X		X	X*
Forms	X	X
Form Letters	X	X		X	X
Contracts	X	X		X
Warranty Work	X			X
Policies	X	X
Automatic Updateability	X
Hardware Interfaces				X	X
Common Tests	X	X
Marketing Tools	X	X
Intranet Capabilities	X	X	X
Automated Report Writing	X	X		X
Battery Club Tracking	X			X	X
Technical Support	X	X	X	X	X

*offered at an additional cost
 
 

A brief overview of each package follows.  Because the software surveyed in this project was done solely from the company’s marketing material, rather than from the software itself, this software should be reviewed in it’s entirety before making a final package decision.  Accurate judgments of ease of use could not be rated in this study and should be considered before purchase of a system.  Judgements made at the time of assignment completion were rendered soley upon the opinion of the author.  No endorsments for any product are to be implied.

Microsoft Access 2000

Microsoft Access, in its many versions, is a very popular software program in many organizations.  The capabilities of Access are almost limitless, but it is important to note that to completely customize the system requires skill.  Access can be tailored for all facets of a business, from accounting to patient records.  Microsoft technicians or individuals with much knowledge of the system are essential for smooth transition into the Microsoft Access 2000 system.  Microsoft Access is an extremely powerful database that allows full customization of any software written for oneself. It could incorporate ANY and ALL items listed above in a format that is logical for the user.  In other words, if the practitioner writes the database themself, there is no need to hire an instructor to train users to use it efficiently.  Further, there is no need for offsite training for employees of the practice, eliminating costly travel and time expenditures.  Drawbacks of Access programs include the lack of customer service to assist the author of the Access program through difficulties in implementing, revising, and optimizing the system.  Only general Microsoft Access questions can be posed to customer service.  Further, the author of the program must have extensive knowledge in the program itself, as well as the fundamentals of office management.

HearForm is a complete software package designed for an audiology private practice.  Because of its unique focus, HearForm features nearly all of the essentials for an audiology practice, with little need for customization.  Included are forms, common audiology word lists, and many other specialized tools.  There were a few items that HearForm did not include, but overall, it appears to be a very exhaustive software package for a private practicing audiologist.
 
 
 

Cabinet New Generation

Cabinet New Generation (CabinetNG) is a software program that is designed to automate files.  This will help in achieving a “paperless” office.  CabinetNG also features intranet capabilities.  This package can be customized to fit an audiology practice’s needs, including billing and patient information.  This system is essentially an electronic file cabinet, which frees up space, leaving more valuable room for patient interaction areas.  It could not be considered a “total solution” by any means.  However, in conjunction with another software package, Cabinet NG would be a very helpful system to implement.

The Audiology Office Organizer™

The Audiology Office Organizer™ is a software package designed for use in an Audiology practice.  The program’s primary role is to track patients, their test results, scheduling, purchase agreements, etc.  This system does not contain help for accounting and other non-audiology related business matters encountered in an Audiology private practice.  The system requires Microsoft Outlook 98 to run.

 Office Management for Audiology

The Office Management for Audiology is another system designed specifically for use in an Audiology private practice.  It is the only system that is endorsed by “NOAH,” the universal hearing aid software package utilized by nearly all hearing aid companies.  This allows hearing healthcare professionals to program hearing aids without exiting the “Office Management for Audiology” system.  The system contains many features helpful to the audiologist.  There is an accounting package available for the package, although not included in the basic package.  Blank templates are included in the package for customization of the system.  Possibilities for their use include:  form letters, automated report writing, and purchase agreements.

Careful analysis of all five packages yields “HearForm” as the most comprehensive and feasible system surveyed.  While Microsoft Access could fulfill all of the pre-set requirements, to have the system work effectively required much skill and knowledge of both the software and the nature of starting and managing a new business.  This system did not seem to fulfill the intrinsic “turnkey” requirement in the assessment.  Other software systems offered much in the areas of basic office management (patient data and scheduling), but offered little in the area of Audiology practices (audiograms, automated report writing, etc.).  HearForm allows an audiologist to run her/his business while setting up very little initially.  This is a very important feature because audiologists, in general, are not trained extensively in business and computer related areas.  With the implementation of such an Audiology-specific system, technical support should be very aware of our specific needs and can more readily answer questions that may arise with the software and its application to the upstart business.

Drofware Database Development (1999). Audiology Office Organizer.  [On-line].  Available:
http://www.drofware.com/Audiology/default.htm

Huskey, Michael (2000).  HearForm.com.  [On-line].  Available:  http://www.hearform.com/

Medical Office Page (2000) Cabinet NG Next Generation .  [On-line].  Available:
http://www.cabinetng.com/medical.html

Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (1993).  (10th ed.).  Merriam-Webster, Incorporated:  Springfield, Massachusetts.

Microsoft Access (2000).  Microsoft Office.   [On-line].  Available: http://www.microsoft.com/office/access/

Office Management for Audiology (2000).  On-line Claims .  [On-line].  Available:
http://www.onlineclaims.com/office/index.htm
 

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