Up Your ‘App’titude

Thinking of downloading a new app to help manage or market your practice or even creating one so patients can shop your skincare store with greater ease? Either way, our practice management pros can help you cut through the noise and focus on what matters most.

App Checklist

By Wendy Lewis

Most people are moving away from working exclusively from a laptop or desktop computer to a tablet plus iPhone or Android. Thus, apps are becoming far more important to running a small business than they were five years ago. Technology-savvy doctors can now manage their entire practice, as well as their lives, from their phones. So, selecting one essential app is a head-banging task.

Instagram is an app, so I would have to choose that as my number one must-have. Instagram is widely considered the most valuable social media channel or app for aesthetic practices. We have witnessed many practices survive and thrive by building up a robust and loyal Instagram following.

However, Instagram cannot exist alone. There are literally hundreds of other apps intended to help step up your game on Instagram. For example, Snapseed is one of many super apps that help you make your photos look more professional. When it comes to video editing, VSCO gets rave reviews. Want to make your graphics look like a pro did them? CANVA can be a godsend.

Working with staff remotely and managing patients via teleconsults have expedited the adoption of new and efficient methods of management largely based on a hybrid selection of best-in-class apps, like Doxy.me.

You will also need to expand the forms of communication you use. WhatsApp is great, especially if you communicate globally. You may need an app like Expensify to keep track of expenses. Adopting an app like Square to accept payments may be useful. To stay on top of your team, apps like Slack can keep everyone in check. I recommend a mobile scanner app too, like TurboScan.

Safe Keeping

By Mara Shorr, BS, CAC XIV and Jay A. Shorr, BA, MBM-C, CAC XIV

Software that can host and store your files so they are accessible with and without an internet connection anywhere in the world is the best bang for your buck. These files include the full Microsoft suite of products (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), PDFs, JPGs, and more.

Software programs can store local copies of these files on your hard drive for ease of viewing when you are not logged on. We suggest Dropbox and Carbonite.

Dropbox. There is a free version of this program, but the storage is limited. The paid version allows you to store additional data.

Carbonite. This program allows you to back up all of your devices and hard drive automatically, continuously, and conveniently. Since this program only backs up the files stored on your computer(s), you must maintain the actual software.

Both of these programs have multiple plans that can be considered good, better, and best. The best plans cost a little more than $100 per year.

Make Sure It’s Accessible to All

By Allyson Avila, JD

The state of affairs right now with apps and websites is that they must be Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant. This means that each website must be accessible to any person who is blind, deaf, or otherwise disabled. There are several plaintiff firms that actually advertise their ability to “successfully” get money from companies that are not strictly adhering to the ADA website requirements.

An example of major litigation has been with Target. The retailer paid $6 million because its app was not accessible for blind people, and Netflix shelled out $75,000 for the same reason.

The most frustrating thing about these cases is that the client/patient may not want to actually purchase anything. However, as long as they are prevented from doing so because of their disability, the practice/store is at risk.

We recently represented several dermatologists in California who were faced with similar suits. We were able to get many of the cases discontinued. Yet, certain sites were lacking in ADA requirements. Every practice that has a website or app should be familiar with ADA compliance.