You may be ready to choose a new software for your practice, but is that product prepared to be the part of your team you need it to be? With hundreds of different products, features, and capabilities available, a referral from someone who has recently switched can be the best way to choose the investment you'll make. 

Even though a software product is never a one-size-fits-all solution, a colleague's independently researched recommendation can be worth a great deal. Here are some of the biggest reasons referrals matter when selecting the software for your practice.

Practices Know Practices

All practices are unique, but they face similar challenges in day to day operations in our current healthcare climate. Most practices are looking for genuine partners in care when it comes to selecting software that they will rely on to operate their business. When a practice allows software to help them keep their business afloat, it means something. When a doctor says that they trust their software company, it means everything.

Tech Companies Don't Always Know Healthcare

Not all companies that sell software for the industry know about healthcare, let alone your specialty. Some Practice Management platforms or Electronic Healthcare Solution (EHRs) vendors are not involved in making the software they sell. The developers who create the product are offsite or outsourced, where experts in your specialty are unable to participate in shaping the final product. The healthcare software industry has many vendors that entered the field when it meant a boom in sales, but not necessarily with a commitment to research, knowledge, or understanding the healthcare field. MacPractice has been creating Dental, Medical, Chiropractic, and Optical software since 2003. Our founders have been building software in the healthcare technology field for nearly 40 years. 

Independent Research is Time-consuming but Invaluable 

Software vendors can be quick to point out all of a product's benefits, and none of its cons. Independent assessments of value are incredibly useful for prospective clients. Unbiased reviews can provide external references with comparison points to rank products.

Independent Clinicians Report found that MacPractice DDS had one of the highest rankings across several critical criteria, including return on investment, clinical, and overall satisfaction. MacPractice won the CR Choice designation in that issue of the Independent Clinicians Report.

Evaluate Hidden and Total Costs

You've likely read reviews to find out how the software you are considering has solved other problems for practices similar to yours and consulted with case studies and testimonials to see how other users have benefitted from the software. There can be frequent surprises and hidden costs in this industry. Independently researching your platform to see how it has helped others allows you to evaluate the total cost of technology rather than the acquisition price. For example, IBM found that PCs are three times more expensive to manage, and switching to Mac saves the company $535 each time. 

Choosing the practice management software for you is a critical decision for a new practice or when transitioning from another software. Your software is the center of your office. Independent research helps you move through the hyperbole and find a software company that can be a valuable partner in your business.

For more on choosing software, see The Top Four Things To Consider Before Adopting New Practice Software.