As an experienced medical secretary in the NHS, Kate Wilkinson was well-prepared for most of the tasks she would face as a freelance with one important exception.
“I had obviously never had to handle the billing side when I worked for NHS consultants so from the outset I knew I would need specialist software to manage this efficiently, as well as organising their diary.” she says. “When I was shopping around for an IT system, the billing capabilities of Healthcode’s ePractice were very persuasive.”
Kate set up the business from her home in Hertfordshire in April 2015. Earlier in her career, she had worked for ENT consultant surgeon Mr Ha Chau at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex and he leapt at the chance to become her first client. More recently, she has started working for two more consultants.
Kate has found that ePractice makes it quick and easy to manage Mr Chau’s patient database and billing. “Membership enquiry is one of my favourite features and a real time-saver,” she reports. “The hospitals send me patient details but sometimes information is missing or incorrect. With ePractice I can quickly and securely check patients’ insurance details online so I don't have to waste time calling patients, private hospitals or insurance companies. Combined with the invoice validation function which checks submitted electronic bills for errors, the Healthcode system helps me ensure that my invoices are correct and avoid payment delays.”
She adds: “I have a friend who is also a medical secretary but when we compared notes, she doesn’t have access to e-billing and is always having to type paper bills and fax information. My system is much more efficient and secure, e-billing helps ensure my clients get paid quickly too.”
These payments can be allocated using ePractice manager and when there is a balance to pay, the system automatically generates a shortfall letter for the patient concerned.
Kate hopes to expand her fledgling business and she is confident that ePractice provides the ideal platform. “I’d definitely recommend ePractice to my friend and others in the same business because it is so easy to use, the subscription is affordable and their team were incredibly helpful in getting me up-and-running. As I take on more clients, I will lead them straight to the ePractice system.”