Aesthetic Nurse Software Founder, Jo Hayward, talks us through the many benefits ANS offers.

Introducing Aesthetic Nurse Software, an innovative medical platform poised to elevate the practice and daily operations of aesthetic practitioners. This advanced software offers a multitude of benefits for aesthetic nurses, doctors or dentists, optimising their workflow and elevating patient care to new heights. With its intuitive interface and robust features, managing appointments, medical records, and treatment plans becomes seamless and efficient.

Aesthetic Nurse Software goes beyond individual convenience, promoting enhanced communication and collaboration among healthcare teams. By streamlining clinic operations and reducing administrative burdens, this software empowers professionals to dedicate more time to their patients, fostering an environment of precision and excellence in medical aesthetics.

We caught up with the founder of Aesthetic Nurse Software, Jo Hayward, to discuss what led to the software’s release, and how it can benefit clinics and practices across Australia.

What made you found Aesthetic Nurse Software?

When I started my private clinic, I wanted to be as confident on the business side as I was on the clinical side. Starting out in aesthetics was daunting and the responsibility of making sure everything was compliant worried me. I was concerned about how I would store all my patient data securely. Having stacks of paper records and keeping patient photos on my phone didn’t fill me with confidence. 

After trying every software on the market, I couldn’t find anything that met my specific needs as a medical aesthetic nurse – everything was geared towards big clinic chains or different industries like hair and beauty. So, I took matters into my own hands, creating a team to develop something ideal for other aesthetic practitioners. 

I knew exactly what the software needed to do. It had to let me document every questionnaire, consent form, photo, prescription and treatment notes – securely and confidentially. It needed to make scheduling easy, send automatic appointment reminders and help me save time on admin. Everything had to be accessible on the move. It also had to be simple to use, even for technophobes.

Aesthetic Nurse Software ticks every box. Six years later, I still use it every day in my own practice. And I’m proud we’ve built a community of aesthetic practitioners using it across the world. 

What are some features in ANS that you couldn’t find in other software?

The main features we’ve built in ANS which I couldn’t find elsewhere were all around patient records. Whilst other systems may have let you upload photos or sign a digital consent form, none of them were comprehensive enough for the requirements of medically trained, aesthetic practitioners. We have everything a practitioner needs to document their treatments from medical history and consultation questionnaires to consent forms and aftercare, as well the ability to securely store before and after photos. 

With ANS, practitioners can automatically send questionnaires and consent forms to patients before their appointment – based off which treatment has been booked. This saves hours spent waiting for patients to fill out and read through forms in clinic. 

ANS makes note-taking really quick and easy, but also ensures that practitioners are always keeping thorough, accurate notes for every treatment.

We built ‘Snippets’ which allow you to automatically add templates of common phrases/paragraphs into your notes which saves practitioners time writing the same thing over and over.

We also have a treatment mapping feature like nothing else I’ve seen on the market. It allows you to map out all of the injection points you’ve done, directly onto the patients photo.

Showing which product and the dosages you’ve used, alongside the LOT/Batch and Expiry Dates for those products. All of this information is crucial to form part of your treatment documentation. 

Whilst ANS originally started to handle all of our important documentation, what sets us apart is the fact we have grown in to an all-in-one system that also takes care of bookings, payments, prescriptions, reminders and reporting, meaning practitioners no longer have to jump between multiple softwares or paper records. 

How does ANS help practitioners stay compliant?

As a registered nurse running my own aesthetic clinics, compliance has always been a top priority of mine. But when I started out, it felt daunting trying to keep on top of this and make sure I was doing everything I needed for my professional and insurance requirements. ANS has a number of things that help practitioners stay compliant. 

1. Data security.

ANS keeps all patient records safe and secure at all times. It is a requirement for any medical practitioner when it comes to protecting the sensitive data that’s stored about each patient. ANS utilises end-to-end encryption and SSL security, as well as cloud storage to ensure that data is backed up and reduces the risk of records being lost or stolen. 

2. AHPRA compliant.

We have a number of features to support practitioners with the recent AHPRA requirements. One of which is the ability to send patients a copy of their signed consent forms with the click of a button. This is so easy for practitioners using ANS, rather than having to scan and print or try to save PDF’s to send to patients. 

3. Tailored resources for patient screening.

Bespoke questionnaires can be set up to allow practitioners to assess patients for BDD (Body Dysmorphia Disorder). We already have the Appearance Anxiety questionnaire pre-loaded, but we can add any assessment questionnaires that practitioners require for their consultations. This is at no extra cost to the standard monthly fee unlike other providers charging for the use of certain forms. 

4. Appropriate handling of before & after images.
ANS supports practitioners with the correct handling of patient photos, as outlined in the new AHPRA guidelines (5.2 relating to consent for non-surgical cosmetic procedures). ANS supports compliance by having a specific section to document patient consent to the use of images, which is separate to the treatment consent. Practitioners can include information on how they intend to use the photos (e.g. shown to prospective patients in consultations, published on website and posted on social media). The patient also has the ability to withdraw the consent at any time, which is recorded in ANS.  

The new AHPRA guidelines state “Patient images must be stored on a secure device. Medical practitioners must not store patient images on a personal device.” By using ANS, practitioners have a secure solution to store photos that complies with the AHPRA requirements.  

5. Meticulous record keeping.

All notes are date and time stamped, giving practitioners an accurate audit trail for every treatment. There is a clear record of what was discussed during the consultation as well as the procedure and outcome. This can be crucial as evidence for insurance purposes if there were ever complications following a treatment.

These features have provided some peace of mind to practitioners using ANS in Australia that they’re working compliantly, whilst trying to navigate the changes needed to meet these new requirements.

How is ANS tailored to cosmetic nurses’ needs?

I created ANS with a goal to make life easier for cosmetic nurses. We do this by providing all of their treatment documentation in one easy to follow ‘clinical pathway’, covering every aspect of an aesthetic treatment. From consultation and medical history to consent, photos, treatment notes and treatment mapping. 

When we built ANS, I knew it had to be super simple to use, save nurses time in the daily running of their clinic and be secure! As a nurse myself, I completely understand just how much cosmetic nurses have to think about on a daily basis, so we made sure that ANS not only ticked the boxes for record keeping but also provided all the tools they need to manage and grow their business with ease. 

ANS makes diary management effortless with online booking and deposits integrated as part of the software. Automated messages can also be set up to remind patients about their appointment and reduce no-shows, as well as automatic follow-up messages to check in with patients and collect reviews. 

Cosmetic nurses need a software that takes care of all of the time consuming, but important, tasks that come with owning a business. That’s why we built ANS to free up time wherever possible, allowing practitioners to focus on what’s important – offering an excellent service and growing their business.

In Australia we have very strict regulations and it was impossible to find a system that ticked all the boxes to these regulations. From diary settings to consent forms pre and post care, invoices, photos, treatment plans and facial mapping. ANS has it all. When we had an update to our regulations, I had a quick zoom call with ANS and within no time at all, the system had been updated to accommodate them. That’s an incredible business. 

Kerry Johnson, Founder Joy By Nature

We decided to work with ANS as they met most of our requirements and mimicked the ease of paper notes. The treatment map had several ways to record the required data, which suited our practitioners who approach their records differently. ANS have been an awesome company to work with. They listen and implement feedback rapidly and truly care about their customers. 

Practice Manager, Privée Clinic

For more information, visit www.aestheticnursesoftware.com

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