I would rather go to a Doctor who charges me fees than a quack who says he will treat me for free! – Anonymous
When our team interacts with Doctors who have downloaded software as a part of trial, some of them expect a Free Clinic Software. This article is to shed light on the aspect of such free software solutions.
Here are 5 points you should consider while evaluating Free Clinic Software Solutions.
1. Free Clinic Software Solutions as Hobby Projects
These are hobby projects done by College Graduates as a part of their Final Year Projects. You may encounter this situation when you have your friend’s son or friend’s friend’s daughter doing such projects.
The issue is, the people who work on such projects often get placed in companies. Then, there is no one to take care of the hobby project.
It is like buying a vehicle without any mechanic to take care in case there is a problem.
In our opinion, you should clearly stay away from such solutions as they are going to hurt you in long run.
2. New Improvements to Free Clinic Software Solution
Software needs to undergo regular changes. Changes are necessary because of
- Operating System Upgrades: Recent most Windows upgrades happened from Windows 7 to Windows 8, then 10 then 11 and so on. If you are using a Android / iOS app then those operating systems have undergone several changes year after year. Someone has to make sure that the software works well on each of these OSes.
- Changing Market Requirements: Prior to COVID, sharing prescription as a PDF with Patients was never considered. Now, it is a standard requirement in any Clinic Software Solution. This is just one example. As you practice, there could be several improvements and suggestions that come to your mind. These improve the productivity of Doctors as they practice.
To check a list of improvements done over last few months to MyOPD Software, check https://www.myopd.in/blog/docs-category/myopd-win-releases/
Will the Free Clinic Software Solutions able to handle them?
3. Ongoing Support
Any solution that does not have support system is doomed to fail. Will you ever purchase a Car without any Service Network? No wonder that the best sold cars are those that have excellent service network along with being a good product themselves.
To read more about why you should be worried about after sales Product Support, read our dedicated article on this topic https://www.myopd.in/blog/do-i-really-need-product-support/
4. Feature Limitations
Some Vendors offering FREE Clinic Software add restrictions and limitations to the use. As long as you are able to work within those limitations, you may still get a free clinic software for use until you want to use the feature which is in the paid version. We can call such Free Clinic Software solutions, Temporarily FREE.
MyOPD Clinic Software provides a FREE Trial. Such a trial works for a limited set of patients allowing you to evaluate the application and then decide if it suites your needs. You can download the FREE Trial by visiting www.myopd.in
5. Data Privacy
Last but not the least, Data Privacy is probably the most important point you should be concerned about. The questions you should ask yourself about the free clinic software solution are:
- Is my data safe with the vendor?
- Is the vendor going to share my data with Third Party?
- Will my clients get direct calls / messages from Vendors to sell products / services that could be affecting my business.
Trust between you and your Vendor is most important. After all, you are going to store your Patient’s Health Record and your Personal Financial transactions with the Patients when using Clinic Software. So make sure you choose wisely.
Android apps now have a Data Safety section on Google Playstore. Vendors have to declare what they collect from you and what is shared with third party. Make sure you check it out. To give you an idea, check the MyOPD ZIP Android app Data Safety section on Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.myopd.android
Conclusion
- Always remember, there is nothing that comes for free. Someone, somewhere, certainly pays the price.
- As long as you pay the price in software charges, you know what you are paying for.
- When you use the software for free and unknowing pay in a different way, be careful and know what you are getting into before making use of such a solution.
If you are interested in a dependable software for your requirements, download the FREE Trial of MyOPD Clinic Software by visiting our website www.myopd.in