WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA – When tough economic times hit, sometimes physical therapy exercise find themselves looking at areas where costs can be cut without sacrificing quality of treatment or customer service.
One area in which many long-term benefits can be derived- not just cost benefits- is physical therapy software. Traditionally, many physical therapy clinics who use physical therapy documentation software have used installed software.
But times are changing, and more clinics are converting to online software, rather than having a lot of expensive computer equipment on-site.
Instead of having to take a do-it-yourself approach and account for software, servers, firewall protection, etc., online software brings all of that to the user as a service.
“It’s an evolution in computing,” says Mike Gauthier, vice president of product development for Prognition Corp., the makers of Mavenlive physical therapy exercise software, a cloud-based software solution. “We believe that for those who don’t convert to Internet software, they will incur more expense in the future than those who have the foresight to adopt the model.”
Internet software users have access to the latest versions of the software, because updates are made instantly by the software manufacturers. There is no need to download or purchase service packs or upgrades. Internet software also can help save money on sometimes costly IT support services.
Installed software is self-limiting, Gauthier says.
For the most part, use of that software is restricted to the computer on which it is installed. That means there are no opportunities to work from home on a laptop if a clinician wants to catch up on paperwork after work hours. If a program or a modified exercise is made on one computer, it isn’t always available when accessed from another.
Office networks can be set up to maneuver around some of these issues, but that won’t solve all of the negatives associated with installed software, Gauthier says.
The benefits of online software- also known as cloud computing- are numerous when it comes to exercise software.
“You can use the cheapest computers, laptops and notepads that you want, because any of these devices are capable of accessing the Internet software,” says Dr. Jay Winburn, president of Prognition Corp., adding that users also can use Macs or PCs without any difficulty.
When using Mavenlive’s physiotherapy software or other online software, there is no installation process and it never requires use of hard drive space. And since online software does not run on a hard drive, users don’t face problems that often occur when installing software.
Online software is accessible anywhere there is an Internet connection. That makes it possible to catch up on documentation during a lunch hour, a break, or even at home. Another important factor for physical therapy clinics is that of security. Online software is capable of storing data securely and providing automatic backups.
Sharing rehabilitation exercises and other data also is easy with online software, Winburn says.
“There just aren’t any significant setbacks to Internet software that we’ve identified,” he says. “We are confident that this is the direction all physical therapy practices are headed.”
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