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Every healthcare practice or aesthetic clinic has two sides: medical and business.
On the medical hand, your providers treat patients or clients, and on the business side, your administrative staff deals with the administrative side of things.
When shopping for a software solution, practices often find themselves at a crossroads. Typically, they look for an EMR for their electronic medical records and practice management software for their operations, which can then be connected to create a fully functioning system.
This simplifies both clinical and administrative workflows.
However, the truth is that EMR software and PM software are just two sides of the same coin. You can’t have one without the other, but integrating them isn’t the only solution.
Below, we’ll break down the differences and benefits of EMR and practice management systems and how you can have the best of both all in one system. Yes, that’s possible, and we’ll show you exactly how.
What is EMR?
EMR, or electronic medical records, is a software solution that stores patient health information.
It’s a digital version of patient records that medical practices or med spas use to record details related to patient care, including:
- Medical history
- Diagnoses
- Treatment plans
- And more
💡Important note: Although EMR and EHR (electronic health records) are used interchangeably, there are slight differences. EMRs are digital versions of paper charts, while EHRs are designed for interoperability.
This means they can communicate and share information with other healthcare providers, such as laboratories, specialists, and hospitals – for example, the public NHS electronic health records system in the UK.
EHR is also the more commonly used term in the US, but it refers to EMRs. Now that we’ve cleared that up let’s discuss the key benefits of both…
Features and benefits of EMR
An EHR system helps aesthetic and medical professionals with:
- Centralized patient data management: All patient information, including the patient’s medical history, medications, allergies, and test results, is stored in one place. Also, it keeps basic patient demographics like age, sex, and contact details.
- Patient portal: Patients can self-manage bookings, access medical history and lab tests, and fill in intake forms.
- Paperless records: Unlike paper charts, digital patient records don’t take up storage space and can be accessed from any device with a secure connection.
- Digital client records: This is where PMS and EMR meet. Apart from storing patient’s medical information, client records double as CRM for better client management.
- Structured medical documentation: Offers pre-built templates and forms for recording patient visits, treatment plans, conditions, and procedures.
- Lab orders and results: Order lab tests and view lab results.
- E-prescriptions: Electronic prescriptions are directly sent to pharmacies.
- HIPAA compliance: Ensuring patient data privacy and security and assigning role-based permissions for accessing sensitive information.
What is practice management software (PMS)?
Practice management software (also known as a PM system or PMS) is designed to help a healthcare or aesthetic practice streamline its business side by more efficiently managing its day-to-day and administrative tasks.
All-in-one medical practice management software allows practices to automate manual tasks such as appointment scheduling and follow-ups.
It’s important to note that many comprehensive systems also include a built-in EMR. This means you can provide an all-around practice management experience, without having to stack multiple tools to run your clinic efficiently.
Features and functionalities of PMS
PM software combines useful features and time-saving automations that make your work easier and help you reach maximum productivity with:
- Appointment scheduling: Allows easier appointment management and integrates calendar, automated appointment reminders, and forms.
- Online booking: Clients can book appointments via an online booking portal, which can be embedded on websites, Google Business or social media.
- Finances and billing: Drill down into the core of your numbers and understand in seconds what’s working and what’s not. Easily create invoices and send them from the system.
- Medical billing and coding: Integrations with SNOMED and ICD coding help provide accurate diagnoses, create invoices with the correct insurance information, and easily manage insurance claims.
- Automated pre- and post-care: Automate emails sent to patients before and after treatments. They can be customized per service.
- Reports: Turns all data into insightful operational, performance and financial reports that help in your decision-making.
Key differences between EMR and PMS
Both EHR and medical practice management software are designed for medical spas and private practices. However, they differ in the areas of practice workflow they’re used in.
Clinical vs. administrative
The overall difference between electronic medical records and practice management systems is the area of business they’re used for.
EMRs are used for the clinical side of your practice. You need them to maintain detailed records of patient medical histories, including diagnoses, treatment plans, and outcomes. Well-organized patient records should be quickly retrievable, which enables you to improve the overall quality of care.
On the other hand, practice management software is typically used to streamline and automate administrative, operational, and financial tasks.
This includes everything from day-to-day appointment scheduling, automated reminders, patient communication, billing and invoicing, patient check-ins and check-outs, reporting, etc.
Patient health information vs. practice operations
The two different purposes also mean having different kinds of data in PMS and EMR.
Medical practice management systems manage practice operations like scheduling, billing, patient communications (reminders, recall, and review requests), and revenue cycle management. This refers to tracking the whole patient care process from registration to payment).
In contrast, EMR is where you store information about:
- Previous visits and treatments
- Symptoms
- Diagnoses
- Lab results
- Patch tests
- Treatment plans
- Intake and consent forms
- Medical histories
Integration and interoperability
EMRs are primarily designed with interoperability in mind.
In other words, they allow healthcare providers to share patient data across different systems and facilities. This way, patient information is accessible and consistent across various touchpoints in the healthcare workflow, which is critical for coordinated patient care.
Practice management software, on the other hand, is generally used for the internal operations of a healthcare practice or med spa. It’s designed to streamline administrative tasks within a single practice, and interoperability with external systems is usually not the number one priority.
However, many advanced practice management systems, like Pabau, come with built-in EMRs, so you don’t need to waste time and energy finding separate systems that are compatible.
Healthcare providers vs. administrative staff
Different functionalities also mean that different team members use them.
EMRs are mostly used by clinical staff, providers, doctors, nurses, or aestheticians – anyone directly treating patients – to easily store, access, and manage clinical data and patient information.
Practice management software is generally more beneficial for administrative staff like receptionists, front-of-house staff, and practice managers — mainly employees who manage the non-clinical side of business.
🤓 Pro tip: However, it’s important to note that a comprehensive system that integrates both is another option. Such a system allows clinic owners and managers to give staff access to different clinical or administrative features, depending on their specific role.
Compliance and regulation
As you know, managing patient data comes with certain compliance requirements.
Regulations like HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and the HITECH Act (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health) require any practice managing protected health information (PHI) to have processes in place for safely storing and sharing sensitive healthcare information.
This also applies to tools and technologies like EHR systems.
On the other hand, PM systems must comply with various data protection, financial, and administrative regulations, like:
- GDPR, if they manage patients’ data from Europe,
- ICD-10 for medical coding,
- PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) to ensure payment processing complies with industry standards for protecting credit card information.
In turn, practice management software with built-in electronic medical records must tick off all healthcare, administrative, and financial regulations to provide a secure, compliant, and comprehensive solution for healthcare practices and med spas.
Pabau: Practice management software with an EMR built-in
If you’ve made it so far, you may think you need both practice management software and an EMR to work efficiently and seamlessly.
However, having an all-in-one system with both capabilities is much easier and more convenient than integrating two separate systems.
Here’s why you should consider a practice management system with built-in EMR, like Pabau. It’s robust enough to handle your business operations and the patient management side.
Comprehensive patient and practice management
You can’t have a complete picture of your practice management without clear insight into your patient data and admin data side by side.
The best all-around practice management system, like Pabau, gives you full access to both the clinical and administrative sides of the business, providing seamless workflow in your day-to-day operations.
This allows you to manage both patient and practice management tasks from one place, allowing you to make decisions quicker and be more efficient overall in treating patients or clients.
For example, sending recalls is extremely easy when you have information about when the last patients’ treatment was.
You can send targeted recalls to all patients who need a follow-up treatment and haven’t visited in two, four, or six months.
Increased data accuracy and accessibility
Pabau provides a single source of truth with a unified database of your administrative and clinical data, ensuring all information is consistent and up-to-date.
Any changes you make to either patient records or administrative data in Pabau, like changes in appointments or pre-care emails sent to patients, are updated across the system.
Real-time data updates also help reduce any possible discrepancies, human errors and important information falling through the cracks.
Improved patient experience
Ultimately, having all information available at your fingertips benefits your patients. Clinic and administrative data flowing frictionlessly through your system means:
- Your patients receive emails and SMS quicker
- You can check clients in and out in seconds, as everything — their patient records, payment details, appointments, and forms — is in one place.
- Shorter in-clinic wait times as all the admin is streamlined and automated.
- Patients get consistent and accurate pre- and post-care communication, reminders, and follow-ups, which provides them with the best outcomes and experience.
Better financial management
Patient management is closely connected to the financial side of things in terms of third-party billing, deposits on bookings, etc., so it makes sense for it all to happen in one system.
A two-in-one PMS and EMR system like Pabau automates the billing and invoicing process, from generating invoices to processing payments and handling collections.
At the same time, the robust EMR features allow clinical documentation, accurate diagnoses and procedures, and smooth medical billing for quicker remittance.
Most importantly, having the admin and clinical data in one system provides insight into every stage of revenue cycle management.
Being able to track every stage, from patient registration to packages used, payments, and upcoming treatments, helps you better understand how money flows through your practice.
💡 Pro tip: Speaking of finances, we need to mention your practice’s financial aspect and return on investment. The pricing for two integrated systems is undoubtedly much higher compared to one comprehensive practice management system. So choose wisely.
Enhanced communication and collaboration
Finally, Pabau enables better team communication.
All practice information shared is up-to-date, consistent and accessible to all relevant team members, minimizing misunderstandings and making sure everyone is on the same page.
Both clinical and administrative staff have access to up-to-date patient records, helping them do their part in creating a stellar client experience.
Pabau has a handy ‘Activity’ feature that allows you and your team to give each other tasks related to different patients and treatments. Do you need someone to call a patient, send them an email, or check a patient’s last treatment? You don’t have to chase them around to find them. Just select the task and assign the staff member. They’ll receive a notification in their account in Pabau.
You can add tags and notes about each client to their client card, which helps clinical and admin staff be in the loop. For example, if the client is afraid of needles, you can add a note to alert practitioners to be more attentive when they come in to get their blood drawn.
Meanwhile, tags can be used to highlight clients’ nuances and particulars, such as ‘loyal,’ ‘constantly late,‘ ‘product buyer,’ or ‘pays up-front.’ This helps your team tweak their approach to each patient, making their work smoother and providing the best care.
Pabau: The ultimate EMR and practice management software solution
The functionality of an an EMR system and practice management system are crucial for smooth operations and great patient care in your clinic or med spa.
However, contrary to popular belief, they don’t actually need to be two separate entities. Together, it’s like pineapple on pizza. (No haters, please.) Both are tasty individually, but when you put them together it’s another level 🍍🍕
Pabau stands out as a comprehensive solution that combines the best of both worlds, simplifying the operational side of your business with robust, comprehensive patient record management:
- Built-in EMR for comprehensive patient record-keeping
- Lab tests, allergies and e-prescriptions
- Easy-to-use appointment scheduling and calendar
- Automated patient communication for appointment confirmations and reminders, plus pre-care and post-care instructions, and recalls
- Customizable client pathways for different treatments
- Marketing tools and automation for patient engagement
- Robust reports to keep track of your numbers
Book a demo today and get a glimpse at your new, improved clinical and administrative workflow. 🚀
