09 Aug Optometry EHR Software: 7 Essential Benefits to Look For
Why have many eye care professionals adopted cloud-based optometry EHR and practice management software? Because the best software has the power to transform your business and the patient care experience.
Not all technology is created equal. You need a system with features (and benefits) that solve operational challenges and help you reach big-picture business goals. Efficient and customizable workflows are crucial for the success of your business.
Before you invest in optometry software—or while looking for a new one—make sure these seven must-have benefits are part of the package deal.
1. Speed-Up Optometry EHR Navigation with Fewer Screens and Pop-Up Windows
You don’t want to waste time and energy navigating through multiple screens and pop-up windows in your optometry software. The software should help you document quickly, allowing you to spend more time diagnosing and communicating with your patients.
Look for a user-friendly interface that lets you navigate intuitively, with fewer clicks and less risk of errors.
- Save time and enhance patient care with auto-fill and customizable templates in your EHR. This allows you to document patient encounters efficiently, ensuring accurate and comprehensive records.
- Avoid inconsistencies and ensure software performance and data integrity using hardware, software, and equipment supported and tested by your EHR software provider.
- Ensure your ophthalmic diagnostic equipment and instruments are compatible with your software and rapidly transfer patient data from the equipment back to the practice management and EHR system.
“I view all of my patient’s IOP measurements to the current date on a single screen, which saves a lot of time compared to flipping through paper charts or screens.” –Dr. Chet Myers.
2. Supercharge Your Office Workflow with Customizable EHR Exams
Every eye care practice has unique requirements and preferences for managing patient encounters. However, one benefit is clear: Your optometry software must allow you to customize workflows that align with how you interact with your patients.
- Tailor your EHR software to match your preferred data entry order, examination steps, and follow-up processes. Options focusing on your needs result in fewer clicks and increased patient time.
- With optometry EHR software like MaximEyes.com, built-in user-friendly tools allow you to quickly enter notes into patient records. Easily arrange data elements on the screen to fit your preferred workflows for different visits.
- Look for an EHR where you quickly switch from one exam template to another so that any data entered carries over to the new exam template.
“I have about 15 different exam screens set up, and they are tailored to precisely what I need—for example, glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic eye care, contact lenses, or an eye prescription check.” –Rebecca Verna, OD.
3. Automate Coding and Outbound Communication Documents
Manual coding and documentation processes are time-consuming and prone to errors. Automated or computer-assisted coding (CAC) helps analyze your data entry.
- Choose optometry software that automatically suggests diagnostic and procedure codes based on terms or phrases you documented in the exam. Significantly reduce the time spent on coding and minimize the risk of errors that may lead to claim denials or delays.
- Finalize the exam and outbound communication while the patient is still in the chair and trigger outbound documents that you would typically send to another physician or the patient.
- Automate patient instructions and follow-up reminders to save time and ensure consistent and professional patient communication, ultimately enhancing the patient experience.
“I quickly determine how much data I want to see per screen and use customizable rules to trigger diagnostic and procedure codes, outbound documents, or alerts, making it faster and easier to finalize the exam.” –Peter Falk, OD.
4. Boost the Patient Experience with Patient Engagement and Patient Portal Tools
Patient engagement has never been more important for practices to establish and maintain strong bonds with your patients and to promote patient loyalty. The more satisfied patients you have, the more business you will receive from them.
- Built-in patient engagement tools within MaximEyes.com allow doctors and staff to provide personalized care and education and encourage them to actively participate in their healthcare.
- Send text or email reminders for appointments, product pick-ups, recalls, and payment-due notifications. Stay on top of what patients say and automate reputation management with powerful tools that build trust and credibility.
- Collect patient information with online patient intake forms that modernize the check-in process before the patients arrive at the office. Send a text or email link to the patient intake form to electronically collect or update medical history, insurance details, and other patient information.
- Connect with patients and deliver on-demand secure access to protected health information (PHI) from doctor visits with a HIPAA-compliant patient portal.
5. Provide Patients with Safe and Secure Integrated Payment Solutions
Efficient and secure online payment processing is critical for running a successful optometry practice. You need a fast, reliable, and secure integrated payment processing solution that works within your EHR and practice management system to keep the cash flowing.
- Protect your business from security risks, hacks, and fraud with secure payments for point-of-sale transactions that use point-to-point encryption, PCI-DSS compliance, and EMV technology.
- Reduce past-due balances with convenient online bill pay 24/7. Send the patient an SMS or email with a secure payment link to pay from their mobile device or at home for their outstanding balance.
- Getting paid faster is great for you, too, as your staff will decrease time hunting down payments, mailing out invoices, collecting funds over the phone, and manually posting payments. Your team will have more time to reallocate these hours to higher priorities.
6. Invest in Your Staff with Ongoing Training and an Interactive Learning Center
Learning a new eye care software while still managing your practice is stressful. But with the proper training and tools, you’ll experience a smooth transition.
The software you invest in should include ongoing training and interactive built-in training tools to give you quick access whenever you have questions or need advice about a specific process.
For instance, MaximEyes.com’s self-guided integrated learning center makes learning easy with how-to documents, guides, video overviews, tutorials, and tips. Test your knowledge with online courses at your own pace.
“Our trainer helped us develop a clear roadmap of our patient workflows and processes to manage 80 routine and medical exams each week easily. It’s also a big plus to have online resources available 24×7 that walk you through the software.” –Chet Myers, OD.
7. Enjoy Peace of Mind with Certified EHR Software and Built-In Cloud Security Data Protection
According to Healthcare Dive, a data breach costs companies an average of $3.8 million. Patient data security is critical in today’s digital landscape.
Certified optometry software like MaximEyes.com prioritize cloud data protection by adhering to strict secure cloud data protection, backup, and disaster recovery by partnering with Microsoft® Azure multi-layered cloud security services. We are committed to staying current with privacy and security measures to protect your data.
Consider the following questions to ask your EHR vendor:
- Does the software encrypt protected data while at rest?
- Is two-factor or multi-factor authentication used?
- What authentication tools do you have to get into the system?
- What measures protect data from theft, loss, and hacking?
- Do you adhere to HIPAA requirements for user access controls, privacy, and security?
Related: 6 Cybersecurity Tips to Protect Your Eye Care Practice
“Protecting our patient data is critical due to potential cyberattacks and ransomware. MaximEyes.com always emphasizes secure data protection and disaster recovery and pays close attention to staying on top of security and privacy issues.” –Brad Bodkin, OD.
There Are Many Optometry EHR Software Options. Which One Is Right For You?
Are you ready to see how MaximEyes.com’s all-in-one EHR, practice management, and patient engagement system will take your practice to the next level? Consider investing in robust and feature-rich optometry software that provides many benefits that unlock the full potential of your practice.