Why an Annual Subscription is Important to Your Practice

Has another year gone by already?  The turn of the year makes us think about all the wonderful customers we have, for whom we are so grateful.  Many of you have renewed your optional annual subscription for the desktop already, which is a real vote of confidence in ClientTracker!  Thank you!

We are getting some Frequently Asked Questions, and will address them here for all to see:

Q: Why is there an annual "subscription"?
ClientTracker is software that helps you keep up-to-date with changes in technology and the healthcare system.  The annual subscription helps us to keep the software current for you!  Like you, we have ongoing expenses to stay in business. Your subscription dollars go to keep the software current, and to pay our support and technical representatives to be there for you when you need them.  We operate with very low overhead to keep costs down for our customers.

Q: Didn't I purchase the software already for a one-time fee?
Yes, and we thank you!  When you first purchased ClientTracker, or paid for an upgrade, you were paying for all the thousands of hours of work that has gone into making this the best software for an acupuncture or similar practice over the years (more than11 years now).  The perception persists for some who believe they should pay only once for software, and just use it the way it is.  We believe this is a risky decision in the healthcare field, where things change all the time.

Technology and healthcare requirements are changing weekly; almost daily now.  If you are a medical practitioner, you are responsible for the protection of your patients' private data in this fluctuating environment.  What's more, you need to be on top of the many changes in technology and healthcare whether or not you take insurance.

• Being in the most current version of the software you choose to run a medical practice is not only sensible; it's the most responsible thing you can do for your patients!

Q: Why am I being asked to pay for a subscription every year?
The optional annual subscription helps to pay for necessary ClientTracker improvements on an ongoing basis.  We constantly get requests for new features, enhancements, and functionality that are frankly very expensive to make a reality in today's market.  Paying techs and software developers to program these changes for you is very costly!  Those who are serious about their electronic healthcare records responsibilities are cooperating to fund the software improvements that did not exist - or weren't even needed - when they first purchased.

This is very much like an organic farm cooperative.  Members pay for the seeds and other expenses, and the farmers do all the work to bring in the crops, while lending their considerable knowledge and expertise to benefit the entire cooperative.  And all the members share in the bounty of harvest!

Q: What do I get for my annual subscription?
First, you get our gratitude!  We can't do this without your contributions!  Thank you so much!

You also get free email and phone support when you need it, including technical aspects of the program - like backups and installation.

Plus, you get all the new updates and features as they are developed!  We have some exciting developments planned in 2015, but need your help to achieve them.  We ask everyone who uses our software to join us in a cooperative approach to making ClientTracker even better!  An annual subscription costs less than $1 per day, and you'll have the peace of mind of knowing you have participated in making all these benefits available to you, and others in the holistic healthcare community.

We are on a mission to bring acupuncture and other so-called"alternative" treatments to more and more patients throughout North America.  Won't you join us?

Amazing Online Forms and New Features in version 5.2

Well, it has been a busy year, and now that 2015 is almost here we can update our "Ginkgo News" with some very exciting developments we have been preparing for our customers!  We have released version 5.2, which will be a FREE update for Cloud customers, and for Desktop customers who have chosen to keep their optional subscription current.


Online Forms for the Cloud Will Save You Time and Money
Have you ever grumbled about the time it takes to enter a new patient (aka client) into your software?  For Cloud customers, deliverance from the tedium of manual data entry has arrived!  Our new Online Forms are built right into ClientTracker, and allow your patients to access and fill them out completely online!  This can be done using any device that has an Internet browser.  Basically, the patient fills out her demographic info, and possibly insurance information too.  Then you review it from your ClientTracker, and with a click of a button, the records are set up and ready to use!

• Again, Online Forms are available in ClientTracker Cloud ONLY

Other Great Features Coming In Version 5.2 (Cloud and Desktop Versions)
Oh boy, do we have some goodies for you!  Remember, this is an example of a FREE update, where we are providing enormous value in return for keeping your subscription current!

• Text Message Appointment Reminders
  Works just like an email, and sends a text to patients who provide you with their text address
  
• Insurance Verification Worksheet
  A place to keep track of coverage details like visit and dollar caps, paid codes, etc.
  
• Bar Code Scanning support
  Use your own bar code scanner to quickly add products to an invoice
  
• Pain Scale (or other measurement) before & after treatment
  Ask "How would you rate your pain on a scale from 1-10"? and track the results!
• Appointment Time In & Out to display and track
  See who is "in" and "Out" and how long their appointments took
  
• “My Resources” list and details
  List any resources that help you in your business, from janitors to mentors
  
• Faster navigation for customers with large data sets (especially invoices)
• Same-day appointment confirmation email now supported 
• Online Schedule Viewer - for your existing app of choice (see below)

ClientTracker Now Helps You Access Your Online Scheduler Of Choice
Some of you may have read about our efforts to develop an online scheduler that will "sync" with ClientTracker.  In the unpredictable world of software development, this went all the way to beta testing (for our Cloud version only), and we decided we could never develop all the features our customers want at a reasonable cost.  There are lots of existing online schedule programs (some of them free), and many have wonderful features, and some of our customers already use and love them, so how could we make all of these work with ClientTracker?

• As often happens, the answer was quite simple.  And it works for BOTH Cloud or Desktop!

We now have a "browser window" built in to the Calendar area, that allows you to see and interact with your online scheduler of choice, all from within ClientTracker!  Or pop it open in a new window if you prefer to work with multiple windows on your screen.  With this tool you can easily work with your favorite online scheduler to manage your entire schedule needs, and simply make a quick appointment in ClientTracker when the patient shows up for her visit!  The advantages of this flexible system are many.

• It takes less than a minute to make an appointment in ClientTracker, and less than 20 seconds for an experienced user!
• Making an appointment when patients arrive is an excellent way to show they are actually in the clinic, and ready to be seen.
• From the ClientTracker appointment, you can copy the previous SOAP, fill out invoices and the 1500 form automatically, and other incredible time-saving features
• You can have all the features and convenience of your favorite online scheduler working systematically with ClientTracker!

We know this isn't the completely integrated, synchronized, and intuitive solution that many envision, but we have found that very few of our customers are able to afford the cost it would require to "make their dreams come true."  Independent software development is costlier than ever (what isn't?), and using a variety of programs in a coordinated, intelligent process is the best way to get all the functionality you want, at a price you can afford.