Finding the right rehabilitation software program for you is made easy by three industry experts

For years, chiropractors have incorporated exercise into rehabilitation programs, to reduce the reoccurrence of injury. But the process of educating patients on what types of exercises can be tedious for both doctors and patients. It involves a great deal of time with no guarantee that patients will fully grasp each conceptor or remember each detail at home without the prompting of their doctor.

Rehabilitation exercise software can facilitate this process. Doctors can simply enter patient information into a program to create personalized exercise plans. The data can be printed out with detailed instructions and illustrations on how to perform each activity at home. It is easy, offers numerous options for doctors and patients, and is a great adjunct service.

Find out whether rehabilitation exercise software is a perfect addition to your practice. Our panel of experts includes: Kim D. Christensen, DC, CCSP, DACRB, CSCS, director of the Chiropractic Rehabilitation Association, Ridgefield, Wash, and current president of the American Chiropractic Association Rehab Council; Scott Collins, vice president of sales and marketing for The Saunders Group, Chaska, Minn; and Douglas Feick, LPT, and certified personal and weight trainer for BioEx Systems in Austin, Tex.

One solid tool is to be able to have patients see, feel, watch, and actually perform the correct exercises and then give them printouts and follow-up instructions to take home. —Kim Christensen, DC, CCSP, DACRB, CSCS

Q: What are the practice-building or economic benefits of rehabilitation exercise software for doctors?
Christensen: In today’s busy health care market, the doctor of chiropractic needs to employ every efficient system. By integrating a clinically proven exercise system into their offices, patients get well in an accepted active care model. The practice develops a strong reputation of patient involvement with knowledgeable doctors at the helm. Then, the economic benefits will simply follow.

Collins: By incorporating exercise into your treatment plan, you are maximizing the benefits of chiropractic care. This results in satisfied customers and in turn, increases referrals. Also, providing customized handouts is an excellent way to differentiate your practice, as many practices do not. Some exercise programs allow the doctor to add the practice logo, address, and phone number. Exercise software is a significant time-saver over the old card deck systems requiring photocopying and fill-in-the-blank patient instructions. Many programs offer easy-to-use sort functions and allow the doctor to save general and patient-specific protocols that can be quickly customized or modified. Patient education and instruction is billable in most instances.

Feick: Any good rehab software should be fast and easy to use. Implementing rehab into your practice opens up more opportunities for revenue and can increase the overall patient base. A recent survey showed actual reimbursement for one software program ranges from $24 to $29. By providing just two exercise programs a day, a doctor can generate more than $12,000 to $15,000 extra revenue per year. But to do that, the doctor needs a tool. Rehab software can provide ideas, direction, and a solid product for doctors to provide to third party payers.

Q: How does rehab software improve patient compliance?
Christensen: One solid tool is to be able to have patients see, feel, watch, and actually perform the correct exercises and then give them printouts and follow-up instructions to take home.

Collins: The exercise handouts give patients a clear, written, and illustrated guide for their self-care activities at home. It reduces the confusion that many patients experience when they leave the doctor’s office and try to remember what they are supposed to do between visits. The handout has the doctor’s contact information and, in some cases, allows customization of language, such as Spanish. Most important, the illustrations and customized instructions ensure that the exercises are performed correctly, resulting in the progress both the patient and doctor expect.

Feick: Proper exercise software should promote better understanding of form and technique, as well as clear information in terms of sets, reps, frequency, and resistances of an exercise. Look for a program that will print a patient reminder grid as well. When patients have clear instructions and a custom exercise handout with their names printed on it, there is much better compliance.

Q: What are some important features that chiropractors are looking for?
Christensen: The software should produce high-quality, color photo exercise handouts. It should allow the chiropractor to define exercise protocols applicable to each patient. It must be easy to use and customize. The chiropractor should be able to add his or her own specific exercises to the software. It should contain live demonstrations of all the proven spinal and extremity exercises for every body part.

Exercises should be further divided into every anatomical exercise motion, including educational and functional patterns, along with the ability to select ROM, stabilization, strengthening, or stretching routines. Exercise resistance choices should be available to include active assistive, active resistance, cuff weights, dumbbells, isometric, resistance band, and therapy balls. Exercises should be able to be selected for the seated, sidelying, standing, supine, prone, kneeling, half-kneeling, and quadruped or bridging position. The output needs to be clear with concise instructions and photographs depicting proper techniques.

Collins: Ease of use is a big factor. The software should provide easy sort functions to allow doctors to quickly find the exercises needed. It should also give doctors the ability to customize the instructions, create care pathways, and provide a user library where doctors can add their own material. Other important features are multiple languages, free training modules on the Internet or demo CDs, and good software support from the company.

Feick: First, the search engine is a primary consideration. Doctors may have their own way of looking for a particular exercise, so there needs to be several options for exercise searching to accommodate the doctor and staff. Second, doctors should have the ability to create specific instructions, as well as editing and/or adding exercises. Third, with more patients having access to the Internet, the ability to email programs is crucial.

Exercise software is not a commodity product—it is an essential timesaving tool that also can provide an important competitive advantage for the practice. —Scott Collins

Q: What are the costs associated with purchasing and upgrading rehabilitation software?
Christensen: The initial costs should not be high, and the ability to upgrade as required needs to be associated with the software.

Collins: Prices range from $99 to $500. Modularized programs may cost $99 per modular. Comprehensive programs may run as high as $500. Some products require a base module to be purchased before any more content can be added.

Feick: In terms of technical updates, upgrades should be free and available as a download patch on the company website. Significant feature and content upgrades should be reasonably priced. A good rule of thumb for reasonable costs on an upgrade is you should only have to spend about one-fifth the cost of the original system.

Q: What should doctors be wary of when shopping for rehabilitation software?
Christensen: I would make certain the software has a money back and complete satisfaction guarantee along with free technical help.

Collins: Some products include hidden charges for training, installation, and customer support, so choose an established product manufactured by a company who knows software. Ask if the company has a free demo CD so the doctor can try the product before it is purchased.

Feick: First, always look for hidden costs. Many doctors are enticed with a low-priced starter program, only to find that they must buy content to make the system functional. A program should either be a complete system or include content with the starter system, and it should not require additional hardware. Second, make sure to get a working demo to review content and to ensure the program works on your system platform. Many programs say they work on the newer releases of Windows®, but it is best to make sure before the purchase.

A good rule of thumb for reasonable costs on an upgrade is you should only have to spend about one-fifth the cost of the original system. —Douglas Feick, LPT

Q: What marketing tools can chiropractors use to gain new patients with this technology?
Christensen: Chiropractors who also market themselves as exercise specialists generally enjoy the benefit of fitness-, sports-, and trauma-related referrals.

Collins: A clean, professional handout helps create a positive image for the practice. Hand-written or photocopied exercises with fill-in-the-blank instructions do not project a modern approach to patient care.

Also, exercise software can actually enhance the treatment experience for patients. For example, software that includes a patient diary feature helps the doctor and patient chart progress together. Another example is a program that allows the doctor to scan customized content gained from past experience. These features help the doctor differentiate his or her practice from the competition.

Feick: Place samples of exercise handouts on a website, in brochures, or in advertisements, so that potential patients and other referral sources will realize the clinic is current in technology and has options not available at another facility. Custom exercise reminder software can be sold (at a profit) to a patient. The program comes with the doctor’s name and contact information, providing constant advertising presence. They are also great as promotional giveaways. Customizing handouts with the facility name and information is also another way to gain word-of-mouth referrals. Your patient’s neighbors or coworkers often see the handouts, especially if the patient is feeling and getting better.

Q: What future technological improvements to rehab software would you like to see?
Christensen: Shortly, doctors will be able to use the Internet to download customizable protocols for patient conditions, as well as provide live demonstrations. As a result, compliance will be easier to track.

Collins: Some doctors have asked for the ability to provide education and exercise materials to their patients through the Internet. Emailing exercise handouts might be advantageous in some situations and provide added interaction between the patient and doctor.

Feick: I would like to see more companies, either individually or in concert, create a complete wellness suite combining documentation, assessment, report finding, and exercise prescription in one package, rather than have overlapping data entry. Also, I would like to see lightweight, affordable, wireless, portable notebooks allowing doctors to take computer resources into the room with the patient.

Q: What is the most common question asked by first-time buyers?
Christensen: As a doctor, one of my concerns was how long would the software take for me to learn? The answer is it should be simple and straightforward.

Collins: “Is it easy to use?” or “How much does it cost?” The answers should be “yes” and “the program should provide the content that is needed at a reasonable cost.” Look for a good value—a product with the exercises and educational content needed in the $200 range for general exercises and specific modularized components around $100.

Feick: The most common question is regarding price and system requirements, followed by content questions, and ease-of-use, as well as protocol creation ability. Another common question is whether samples of the illustrations can be used in website ads or brochures—the answer should be yes.

Q: Do you have any last words of advice for new and existing users?
Christensen: Become involved. This is the professional way to enhance a practice and develop a positive reputation.

Collins: Shop around. Determine your needs, establish criteria, and compare various programs. Ask for free demo CDs and preview the options. Exercise software is not a commodity product—it is an essential timesaving tool that also can provide an important competitive advantage for the practice.

Feick: For new buyers, get a working demo, make sure content and features meet your needs, and ensure it is fast and easy to use. A video or screen tutorial is a big plus and shows the company is on track with customer needs. Remember, there is always a short learning curve with all programs, and a few minutes of learning the basics can make a big difference. Look for a program with a short learning curve and one that is intuitive to you. For current users, I suggest doctors provide constructive criticism and feedback to the software company. Tell them what features you need and what would make the program better. A good company will listen to customer needs and strive to include them in future updates.

Julie Z. Lee is a contributing writer for Chiropractic Products.