Saving money is important for any business. To remain viable you need to minimise unnecessary costs and maximise efficiency and profitability. Cloud-based practice management software is one of the most effective ways to do this.

What’s the difference between cloud and on-premise software?

With on-premise software you buy the software and install it on your computer. Because it’s stored on your computer you need to have your own server, a different computer for each user and manage your own maintenance and upgrades. On-premise software has traditionally been the main software of choice for medical practices but with advances in cloud technology, it’s no longer the only option.

Cloud-based practice management software is hosted remotely in the cloud. This means you don’t need to pay for a server or find space to house it. Instead of downloading and installing the software onto your computer you access it via a web browser so you can move between different computers and even use it on other devices. 

Here are a few of the ways cloud-based practice management software can save you money. 

Reduced third party IT costs

With a cloud-based software solution, you don’t have to worry about security, backups, maintenance and upgrades. These are all taken care of for you, so you can reduce your reliance on third-party IT providers. With a cloud-based platform, you usually get a team of highly trained and skilled experts managing the technical side of things so you can relax and get on with running your practice. Because the cost of your support and maintenance is all included, you’re not paying an outside IT provider for these services. 

Less need for infrastructure

One important difference between cloud and on-premise software is that with a cloud based solution, you don’t need a server. Your software is hosted remotely and securely and these costs are all included in your subscription. Servers take up physical space and they require maintaining and backing up regularly, so you’ll be saving on those costs as well as the cost of your infrastructure.

With cloud-based software, you can work on any device and users can share computers while keeping their own separate logins. This can help you keep your infrastructure costs low and avoid unnecessary expenses. If you need to scale up or down it’s just a matter of adding more users, rather than having to go out and buy more computers or upgrade your server to handle the extra capacity. 

Gains in efficiency

Cloud-based practice management software is designed to be easy and intuitive to use, so it can help your staff work more productively and efficiently. This may help you save costs in lost productivity and inefficient processes. 

Because many cloud based platforms integrate with different applications, you can often automate a lot of your routine tasks, and save on double handling when it comes to entering data into your system. For example, if your billing is integrated with your accounting software it saves someone having to enter information from one to the other as it can all transfer automatically across. 

Through integration and automation, cloud-based software also has the potential to reduce errors, which could further cost you money. 

While there may be some initial setup costs with the cloud, and a yearly subscription cost, overall it has the potential to save your business money when compared to a more traditional on-premise software solution, making it well worth looking into for longer-term savings.