Horizon MIS™ Allows Remote Access Using Inexpensive Internet Connection

NC Billing Service Demonstrates Capability Also Useful for Medical Practices with Multiple Locations 

HORIZON MIS™ is a powerful multi-user medical billing and practice management computer system that can be accessed remotely through the Internet.

The benefit? Horizon users can tie together locations that are physically separate without long distance charges, additional telephone lines, and extra equipment that are usually required for remote access of a system.  As the result, staff members will find it easier to work from home.  Also, remote offices or clients of Billing Services can inexpensively connect to the central office server.

Medical Business Office Consultants (MBOC), a billing service based in Charlotte, North Carolina, has used the internet capability successfully for about a year.

"In 1990, we started our first Billing Service in Florida, and in subsequent years opened additional offices in Georgia and North Carolina," said General Manager Samantha Waddell.  "Our business philosophy has always been to split responsibilities with our physician office clients.  For example, functions such as demographics, coding, questions about bills, etc. remain with the client.   MBOC handles the time-consuming work of billing, collections, and management overview.

"Horizon has always given us this ability.  In the past, by installing a computer terminal in the physician offices and using modems and regular telephone lines, all of our clients have had 'real time' access to our central billing computer for data input and inquiry.  That means that if someone on either end changes a patient account, both we and the client instantly have the information.  Sometimes it was expensive to install dedicated lines and pay long distance charges for continuous connection, but we did what was necessary to provide our clients the services they were promised."

According to Waddell, however, this last year has opened up new opportunities for the company.  "Recently, we've connected our Horizon server and our clients' PCs through the Internet using ISDN or DSL lines.  Since we don't have to pay for special telephone lines or long distance charges, our costs have dropped DRAMATICALLY.  And because we no longer have geographical limitations, we've been able to close down a satellite office for even greater savings!"

Once connected, MBOC clients log in to their own databases and access any of the Horizon functions to which they're permitted. They can view account status, add or edit patients, post transactions, print reports, schedule appointments, or do whatever MBOC has allowed through their Horizon security system setup.

"One really neat feature," Waddell continued, "is our ability to 'peek' at other users accessing our system.  'Peeking' allows a system manager to view on their screen what others are seeing.  We can see every keystroke they type. This is especially useful for trouble shooting or training. If a client has a 'how to' question, we can easily walk them through the process just as if we were sitting in the chair beside them."

Of course, with data this sensitive, security is of paramount importance.  Horizon offers top-notch protection.  First of all, the system requires multiple passwords, and (at the system manager's option) a specific IP address for access. "The sophisticated security system allows us to restrict access for each user password to specific data sets, to specific information and/or functions for each data set, and to specific times when access is allowed. Also, Horizon is virtually VIRUS-PROOF to those destructive internet bugs we hear so much about."

As if this weren't impressive enough, Horizon performs these tasks efficiently and with great speed. No special or expensive hardware is required. Horizon runs on a multi-user platform specifically designed for the Pentium PC and similar processors.

Waddell concludes, "We've been tremendously pleased, and would highly recommend Horizon to anyone!  The internet connectivity is just icing on the cake."  

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