EHR 24/7 Software

I have been, sadly, an Office Ally client for about the past six years. The only reason I'm still with them is because they make it too difficult to leave: they'll pack your client demographic information not the progress notes should you wish to migrate to another EHR/PM service. Customer Service / Tech Support is a joke; they're mostly just gatekeepers who will do everything they can to convince you that a technical issue is something on your end and not theirs.

Here are some examples of what I;'m talking about....

1. Patient Ally, their feature that allegedly allows clients and their patients to swap documents in a HIPAA-secured environment, more often than not fails to properly function. I've tried to send documents to my clients, and vice-versa, and they cannot be retrieved. When I complained about this, the "tech support" person tried to slough it off as a problem with either my computer or my client's His argument was that "if large numbers of our customers aren't complaining about this, then it's not a problem." I now use Adobe Cloud instead.

2. When using the accounting and claims management features in their practice management platform, Practice Mate, in order to post payments to a deactivated client account, I have to re-activate it, post the payments, then de-activate it again, which is a time-waster and unnecessary. When I addressed this with tech support, his unbelievable answer was: "Well the LOGIC is that if you're no longer seeing a client, then you won't be taking any more payments on their account." I had to explain to him that managed care can take weeks or months to pay claims, and also that some discharged clients owe past-due balances. His response was dead air.

3. The EHR platform has a penchant for bumping you off AS YOU'RE WORKING IN A CHART, which means you lose all the data and have to log back in and recreate it. This usually happens between 5-7 pm EST. The two times I reported this to "tech support," they told me it was probably my computer or my ISP and it wasn't their problem, again, because tens of thousands of other Office Ally users hadn't complained about it.

Yeah, the cost is low, but if you're a sole practitioner like me, without so much as a receptionist, these inefficiencies can cost you in time and money.

Pros

Relatively easy to use.Fairly good integration between EHR and Practice Mate.

Cons

1. Many of the features don't work properly. 2. Some functions are not the most efficient and actually waste end users' time. 3. "Tech Support are mostly gatekeepers. When you call to report a problem, their typical response is that if thousands of other users haven't already called to report the same issue, then it must be your fault and not theirs. They also refuse to let you speak to a supervisor or manager, their typical excuse being "They're all in a meeting." They claim to write "job tickets" and promise a callback, but of course they never call back and the issue is rarely resolved.

Office ally's customer service is always professional and efficient. I really like that I don't have to wait long on the phone to get a human response.

Pros

Quick, easy and efficient. I like that we don't have to wait long on the phone for service, also great to see the ICD 10 coding is always up to date and real time claims are helpful for patient's.

Pros

The product is fairly easy to use once you learn it. I would say overall a good program, but not the best I have tried.

Cons

The program does not seem accessible like on a tablet or ipad. It is ok if you are on a office computer.

Pros

Cheap cheap cheap (I mean it is free), without the free aspects this would have never ever been used.

Cons

Terrible interface, requires so much personalization in order to do anything properly. You get what you pay for.

Pros

It is fairly simple to use. Training is readily available at convenient times. Inexpensive compared to other programs.

Cons

Reports don't give information needed. The patient medication list is hard for patients to read. Program randomly deletes chart notes. Runs very slow at times with lots of server issues.

I like office ally and I use it for all my billing clients. I have also signed up a few providers on it as well. I think the accounts and reports could use a little tweaking, but overall I am pleased with the program.

Pros

My providers and I like the fact that this program is affordable and includes a clearinghouse. Some areas are user friendly.

Cons

I have had a few issues with information missing from the 1500 forms once they reach the payors. This causes the providers payment to be delayed because the claim has been denied.

Looking for new system now. Hours of lost work. I do not recommend.

Pros

Low cost, but does not out weigh the lack of functionality and system slow downs. Not mush else positive I can.

Cons

Notes lost on a regular basis. Lost time and double work. Ehr and billing programs do not talk to each other they way they should. constant refreshing is a huge drag on time.

Likes Best

No cost, ease of use setup new patient information. Simplistic billing process.

Likes Least

Streaming report features, lack of follow-up technical customer support issues, related to electronic claims submissions, creating denials and rejections.

Recommendations

Be specific as to your practice needs. Solo provider, multispecialty, clinic, etc.

Likes Best

For a small office of 1-3 providers and just a few office staff, this software has been good. Since it's free, we were able to start a practice with relatively low overhead. I like that it's cloud based and can be accessed easily. The look of the visits tab is clear and easy to understand. Creating claims is easy because you can click boxes to add line items from your custom superbill. Your biller will have to know when to check for modifiers, codes, etc. There is no scrubber with this software.

Likes Least

The website seems to delay or go down too frequently, slowing down the billing process. Also, the ERA adjustments post twice randomly. I do not like that you have to have several tabs open to look at one patient's account. It's very difficult to look up family balances. The statement generator is very basic and has very few filters. They also do not print in alphabetical order making it difficult to put statements in the same envelope of the same household. Reporting is difficult and not at all clear or intuitive. You basically set filters to make a list. Reporting could be much better.

Recommendations

If you want the basics, this program delivers. I would not recommend using the Auto Posting. It's inconsistent. However, manually posting payments is time consuming, but more accurate. The claims submission is nice, because you can create a superbill where you click boxes to add line items and not manually enter those in. Finding proof of timely filing is a real pain and only worth the trouble if the claim is large.

Likes Best

The software allows me to get large amounts of information inputted and completed in a small amount of time.

Likes Least

It would be a great to sync the appointment calendar with an iOS calendar. Also, to have some app version for iOS.

Recommendations

Choose something HIPPA compliant (like this) and a reliable product (like this).

Likes Best

It's so easy to use and it's free!!!! Submitting claims is very simple. If there are any issues with my claims resolving them only takes a couple steps. I can see everything I need to for each claim saving me lots of time. I no longer have to spend time on the phone with insurance companies I can just see what the errors are on my claims and correct them easily and resubmit without any hassle. They offer free support anytime I have any questions, there's always somebody there to assist me. The interface is very user-friendly I have tried other software programs and they're interfaces were outdated and difficult to understand. I have enjoyed office alley so much that I have actually purchased their EHR/24 system and I also use their practice mate, reminder mate, and patient ally Modules as well. It makes managing our 13 therapist practice very manageable.

Likes Least

because the system is web-based if there are any technical difficulties or updates taking place it prevents us from completing our work online at that time but this has rarely been an issue.

It would be nice to have a phone or tablet application when being away from the computer for easier access to appointments and patient records.

Recommendations

I've looked at several software programs and one thing I would recommend taking into account aside from the cost is the ease of using the system. Many of the therapists in our practice including myself are not technologically sophisticated so having something simple with technical support was very important for us and determining what system to use.

Likes Best

Extremely easy to work with and the staff is very helpful with all questions and fast to communicate.

Likes Least

The look of the site is a little dated, but it is functional!

Recommendations

No recommendations at this time for others evaluating.

Likes Best

I like the layout of the software and the functionality of the options. Also, the cost.

Likes Least

The updates or "down time" can be frustrating for my office

Recommendations

The frustrations are minimal and the software is great.

Likes Best

It is an inexpensive product. That is all I can say that is positive.

Likes Least

EVERYTHING ELSE! The system crashes almost on a monthly basis. Sometimes for several days.

Recommendations

There are other programs out there that are a lot better. Only use this product if you are on a very tight budget.

Likes Best

This program works very well for our office. I am able to log in and view the schedule even if I am not at the office. Submitting claims is very easy and Office Ally is there to help. Claims are processed quickly with reports giving updates as to the status along the way.

Likes Least

We have days that are very busy and I really depend on the program to work, which most of the time it is great. There have been days when the server is having trouble and I don't get mush done. I have gotten around the issue for the most part by printing schedules ahead of time. Not the best but better than nothing. I do hope this gets fixed. Other than that I love the program!

Recommendations

Very affordable for a small office. Has a very handy Schedule that is easy to template. The tabs in the program are nice to work thru in an organized manor. Any questions with rejected claims are happily answered by the call center.

Likes Best

The support staff try to be helpful. The clearinghouse works well enough for our small group of 6 mental health therapists. The price is almost free.

Likes Least

EHR is not really designed for mental/behavioral health environment. The EHR program is better suited for a medical practice, not mental health. The integrated SOAP note cannot be altered. Treatment plans are not integrated. While form-templates can be created, it takes a lot of time to make changes. We had to wait two weeks for OA to make minor changes to a template; the process remains cumbersome. The program has a lot of time wasting glitches: just last week the scheduler didn't work, forcing us to schedule manually. Last year, OA duplicated all our providers and it took over a month to link providers and schedule back together. It was a nightmare. We are currently looking for another program.

Recommendations

This product is better suited for a small clinic, or a small medical practice.

Likes Best

I like the flexibility of the program as it is internet based.

Likes Least

Some bugs. Although rare there are times when a visit is made through the appointment tab but it does not transfer to the visit tab. If it isn't in the visit tab then it will not be billed.

Recommendations

Learn about the reports that can be ran. It helps as a checks and balances system.

Likes Best

EHR 24/7 features easy customization features and can be tailored to fit each clinicians unique needs/wants.

Likes Least

Customer service is not the greatest, reps seem uninformed or "guessing" a lot of the time. 3 out of 5 times they have no solution to offer. Also, servers can be slow at times rendering the system "dead in the water" as we call it.

Recommendations

Do your research. There are many many different software vendors. Some are very pricey some are more affordable. This one is a good option,mostly easy to use, but more of a one size fits all. User must build and customize on his or her own. Being mental health, we could use something a bit more fine tuned to our specialty, but this makes the most financial sense for our practice.

Likes Best

Everyone is great to work with, they know a lot about the software.

Likes Least

There is not much I don't like. everything is perfect for what I need. every one you talk to is very helpful, respectful and follow through with everything

Recommendations

I recommend to use the software. It has been a great product that meets all my needs

Likes Best

I like how easy it is to use and if there is a problem the staff on call is great with answering your questions.

Likes Least

I don't like how if there is a system error most of the time the office is unaware of the error and I have to call in to check, so email that the system is down is more efficient and effective in my mind. That way we are all on the same page.

Recommendations

I would recommend for reminder calls to start using email reminders and or text.