Practice Management Software Toolkit Released by AMA, MGMA

The American Medical Association and the Medical Group Management Association jointly unveiled a toolkit today that’s designed to help physicians pick the most appropriate and cost-effective software to run their practices.

“Selecting the right software to manage a practice has become increasingly challenging due to the rapidly-changing health care environment,” says AMA President Cecil B. Wilson, MD. “Physicians who submit claims and do other business functions electronically and those who plan to participate in the government’s EHR incentive program will need to upgrade or replace their current practice management software (PMS). The AMA is pleased to offer physicians guidance to make this transition smoother.”

The toolkit—Selecting a Practice Management System—is free to AMA and MGMA members on their associations’ Web sites. Physician practices can use this information to establish their organizational needs and take advantage of recent improvements in automation. AMA and MGMA said in a joint announcement.

“Now that many of the public and private health plans have committed to streamlining practice revenue cycle management, the last piece of the puzzle is to ensure that the PMS software can take full advantage of those opportunities. We anticipate that this new toolkit will be an essential reference for physicians and practice staff,” says MGMA President/CEO William F. Jessee, MD.

The new toolkit provides:

• a five-step guide to PMS software selection,
• a checklist of PMS software features and functionalities that physician practices can use to determine what their practice needs, and
• a sample “request for proposal” that physician practices can use in their negotiations with PMS software vendors.

An online directory of PMS software vendors that includes self-reported PMS software features and functionalities will be added to the toolkit by the end of the year.