In addition to spending approximately 40 hours every week doing patient care, many doctors report that they spend up to six hours a day confronting rising mounds of paperwork relating to their patients’ illnesses. Despite the advent of computerized software that can help eliminate endless paperwork, doctors are still expressing concern over the amount of time they need to spend making sure that confidential medical files are up-to-date and secure.

Given the complex interplay between hospitals, insurance companies, patient needs, and staff availability, many doctors need to make use of referral management software. When patients need a referral to a specialist, their insurance company may only approve doctors who are considered to be within their network of care. Medical referral tracking software is increasingly relied upon by doctors across the country and abroad.

If a patient requires a referral to an out-of-network specialist or if the insurance company refuses to pay for further treatment, doctors can conduct business inquiries via computer instead of having to pay staff to make requests and clarify conditions by phone. In an era where 75% of patients consult the internet about their doctors, medical professionals are, understandably, making a concerted effort to provide high-quality service.

Referral management software is an important part of a system of health care that is increasingly conducted by computer. Patients’ health information needs to be confidential and easily transferrable between doctors’ offices in the case of reassignment or referral, and referral tracking software that can also track medication prescriptions, appointments, and recommendations from medical staff is becoming more popular in health care facilities that want to improve their service quality.

A recent study indicated that medical marketing professionals need to focus on medical website design and other online advertising skill sets. A surprising nine out of 10 medical offices reported that their advertising and marketing professionals were not familiar with online sales and marketing strategies. This is an understandable problem for employees who are still adjusting to using social media and to creating websites for doctors; the economy has shifted so profoundly to the internet that many seasoned professionals are still working to catch up.