Electronic Medical Billing Software - Client-Server Versus Application Service Provider

Electronic medical billing is an automated methodown server and software.
of managing document and billing flow. Electronic- Product updates are usually required.
billing makes the whole process of billing more- You need 3rd party software for online backups.
easy and manageable. It also provides substantial- Don't have more functionality to offer, if you
clinical care, financial, practice workflow, andhave to access it remotely.
observance benefits to doctors, insuranceApplication Service Provider Architecture
companies, and patients.ASP architecture places the database server at
Rapid development is a salient feature ofsome other end instead of the doctor's office and
technology. According to a survey last year thereallocates the majority of application logic to the
were eighteen new items presented by vendorsserver, reducing the amount of code needed to
of electronic medical record and billing systems,run on the client side. It allows users to interact
eighteen new items split between Applicationwith application directly via Internet browser,
Service Provider (ASP) solutions and Client Serverentirely eliminating the need for local office
(CS)-based technologies. Some features of Clientinfrastructure and its management overheads.
Server and ASP architecture are given below:There is no need of any office infrastructure and
The Client Server Architecturemanagement to handle the technical detail of the
Internet revolves around the client-serversoftware because all of the technical things will be
architecture. Where your computer is the clienthandled on the vendors end, centrally and they
and it interacts with different servers located atare going to responsible for everything including
remote locations. The client is usually a browser;compliance, disaster recovery, installation,
Browsers interact with the server using a set ofupgrades, backups, and restores.
instructions called protocols. These protocols helpAdvantages and Disadvantages of using an ASP
in the accurate transfer of data through requestssystem include:
from a browser and responses from the server.Advantages of using ASP for EMR
Client/Server models allow for quicker response- Online backup service.
times in the application as the data from the- Reduces the cost of maintenance as the
server to the client is transmitted much fastertechnical details are handled by IT professional.
(usually 100 Mbits/second). The newer client- You can access it from anywhere in the world
server products developed in Java andall you need is a internet connection
Microsoft.Net are capable of offering the "best of- Cost less because u doesn't have to hire any
both worlds" as they have the speed of a localtechnical staff.
system plus the accessibility from a remoteDisadvantages of using ASP for EMR
location. The newer systems can be accessed- You don't control your data because it is not
from any internet browser. Client/Server alsohandled on your end.
boasts the benefits of practice having the control- Risk of company not performing routine
over their data. However with this control comesmaintenance (backup, updates, and performance
responsibility; the responsibility of being responsibleenhancements) as promised.
for your data as you are now open to the risk of- Dependant on internet connection.
theft, fire, hard-drive failure and data corruption.Purchasing the right software is the most
Advantages and Disadvantages of using a clientimportant thing to be considered. As we all know
server systemnew things just keep on adding in the software
Advantages of Client/Server for EMReven after purchasing, it will be continuously
- Overall operation is fastermodified as it is an emerging technology new
- Better control over Datafeatures will be keep on adding. With the ASP
- It is not dependent on Internetmodel, the practice will access the new feature
- Better integration with imaging devicesalmost immediately upon release. The Client
(scanners, printers) and on-site resourcesServer software requires updates for the new
Disadvantages of Client/Server for EMRfeatures.
- It cost much more as you had to buy your