Thursday, November 17, 2011

Practice Fusion Debuts iPad Apps for EMR Software

Practice Fusion, one of the largest EMR software companies in the United States, revealed their new iPad medical apps prototype at their annual conference in San Francisco on Wednesday. This new technological innovation will allow doctors to quickly and securely access a patients EMR (electronic medical record) from their iPad at anytime.

“Prioritizing usability, doctors can see their day’s appointments and instantly dive into each patient’s chief complaint, allergies, problems, medications, family history, hospitalizations, and more,” reported Josh Constine, a columnist from TechCrunch, about the new EMR software application. “Doctors can record patient dictations of their symptoms, and combine their own assessment and treatment plan with pre-defined treatment plans for common ailments to minimize typing. They can also view lists of tasks, and receive push notifications of updates from their office.”

Practice Fusion is one of the most rapidly growing EMR software companies, boasting an impressive 25 million patients in their medical records systems from over 130,000 doctors. Company CEO Ryan Howard says that the key to their success is that their EMR software is free for doctors to use and they raise money through paid advertisements from pharmaceutical companies, labs, etc.

“When we started Practice Fusion, the market was cluttered with EHR options that were expensive and took a long time to implement,” said Howard. “By offering a fast and free solution, Practice Fusion has gained a major advantage in the market....We are focused on bringing the best free technology to every doctor and nurse.”

Howard says that their new iPad medical apps is currently under construction and expects to be released sometime in 2012.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Four Ways to Generate Referrals for Your Law Firm

Aside from marketing and attorney website design, referrals are one of the most important ways a lawyer can increase their client base. Law firms of all sizes generate a larger percentage of their business from referrals than most other types of companies, so if you work in law it’s important to motivate your clients to spread the word about your services.

1. Establish yourself as an expert. By publishing relevant and important information on your website and sending newsletters to your faithful clients, you’ll ensure that they think of you as someone they can trust for legal information. They can easily send a friend your newsletter or a link to your website for helpful information.
2. Publish the right kind of content. Many of your clients will be confused about their legal situation. By posting content in an easily readable format, you’ll hold their attention longer and perhaps answer some of their key questions. Consider writing “how-to” guides or articles that answer common questions that your clients have. An internet marketing firm specializing in legal website design can assist your practice with writing and distributing good content, including publishing a newsletter.
3. Stay in contact with your referral sources. Especially if they’re current clients, stay in touch with them as much as you can (within reason, of course!). Be sure that your customers are satisfied and they’ll spread the word about you.
4. Offer your services. Especially if you work in immigration law or another field of law that involves extended families, letting your clients know that you’re available to help their families and friends as well can go a long way toward generating referrals for your practice. Consider offering a small discount to their family members – you’ll start the relationship off on the right foot and potentially establish yourself as the go-to attorney for a whole community.

For more information on generating referrals and planning a legal marketing campaign, consider attending the American Bar Association’s R3 conference. The conference will be held November 8-9, 2011 in Philadelphia and aims to help attorneys maximize their ROI through modern marketing and smart planning.