Increasingly, ophthalmologists’ offices are moving toward implementing comprehensive platforms that combine EMR, practice management software (PMS) and medical billing capabilities. Integrated systems leverage interoperability, allowing the clinical and administrative side to flow together, seamlessly sharing data. This creates efficiencies for the practice that avoid duplication of data and effort on behalf of physicians and staff. Importantly, this time savings allows more attention to be focused on patient care.

Beyond their benefits for the practice, perhaps just as crucial is the power these platform have to make patients’ health-care experience more convenient, effective and enjoyable. The platforms incorporate patient-facing features that seek to improve convenience, compliance and engagement all while boosting patient retention.

For a deeper dive into these systems, Ophthalmology Management spoke to representatives from several vendors.

COMPULINK

Compulink is a true one-database solution, not separate systems that have been bolted together, says Ophthalmic & ASC Product Director Heather Reyes, COT.

“Our Compulink system encompasses practice management, EHR, optical and ASC all in a single database,” says Ms. Reyes. “We are also Surescripts certified, so we do not use a third-party vendor for e-prescribing and telehealth. These are built into the core platform.”

Integrated software makes patient care easier and more efficient, she notes. “Tools like patient web registration let patients enter demographic information and health history from the comfort — and safety — of their own home before coming to their appointment. Because of this, patients do not have to arrive 15 minutes early to fill out paperwork, and the staff no longer has to key in that information manually.”

Automatic reminders via text and email encourage patients to take their medication or schedule a follow-up appointment, helping them stay on track with their health. “Patients can watch educational videos or read relevant content automatically triggered according to their diagnoses. What the patient views is tracked into the EMR,” Ms. Reyes says. They have a lot to absorb during an office visit, she adds, so this information is available to the patients at their convenience through their secure patient portal.

In addition, Compulink features its own e-commerce platform. “The patient can order products like contact lenses, supplements, artificial tears and eye masks directly from the doctor’s store,” Ms. Reyes says. “Providers can generate revenue without maintaining inventory. We ship directly from our fulfillment center, so no staff time or shipping costs are incurred. Sales are then posted back to the system in the ledger for tracking.”

EYECARE LEADERS

Eyecare Leaders says iMedicWare, its ophthalmology EMR-PMS platform, lets practice owners streamline their processes while delivering a high-level patient care experience. “These systems have become a commodity,” says Director of Operations Jennifer Carman. “What makes a system good or great is not just the software — it is the experience. Success depends on the platform’s functionality and on how well its support team assists the users and improves the software.”

The company’s patient portal integrates with a “kiosk” application that allows patients to send their health history information prior to their appointments. The system knows when the patients arrive for their appointments and can directly process co-payments prior to arrival. “These steps restructure normal practice workflows to improve speed and efficiency as soon as patients set foot into the clinic,” says Ms. Carman. The convenience and time savings associated with a portal are especially applicable during new patient intake.

An effective patient portal should provide patients direct access to eyeglasses prescriptions, contact lens prescriptions, patient education materials and more, says Ms. Carman. “These quick-access tools translate to patient compliance and remove barriers between the patient and the care team,” she adds.

Of note, the platform’s prescription notification feature has received great feedback from users. Ms. Carman estimates 25% to 35% of written prescriptions are never filled. “To combat this non-compliance, Rx Notification utilizes secure text messaging to provide reminders to patients,” she says. “These reminders prompt a patient to pick up a sent prescription, to refill a prescription or to contact the pharmacy.”

EYEMD EMR

EyeMD EMR Healthcare Systems is specific to ophthalmology with an all-in-one EMR, PM and picture archiving and communications system.

A decade and a half ago, ophthalmology offices weren’t interested in engaging patients via technology, assuming their older patients would not use it, says Vice President of Sales Gus Savloff. Today, almost everyone is smartphone and computer savvy.

“These platforms are essential to provide patients with an experience that will reflect positively on the practice,” he says. “It tells patients that the doctor cares about making the process easier for them, which is crucial to patient retention and revenue.”

EyeMD EMR’s patient engagement platform is easy to read with large, clean, uncluttered screens. “Information populated in the EMR is in layman’s terms for patients but translates back into medical terms on the physicians’ side,” Mr. Savloff says. “This shows we are taking the patient into consideration, respecting their time. We provide a technologically advanced value to medical practices that they then deploy to patients. For patients, it is as easy as logging into their bank account to check balances and make transactions, which they are used to doing.”

“The tone of the patient engagement is conversational with easy navigation, Mr. Savloff adds. “Whether it’s reminding them to take their medication or sharing presurgery instructions, we believe our software is more engaging, because we have thought of the little things that are focused on helping patients through the health-care process.”

In addition, EyeMD EMR created a telemedicine platform that is really a teleshare platform. “Another person can securely and compliantly join the visit, whether it’s a parent, child or significant other — a meaningful and important tool,” Mr. Savloff says.

MODERNIZING MEDICINE

ModMed’s ophthalmology-specific EHR and PMS, built by practicing ophthalmologists, is an all-in-one suite that saves practice’s time and improves performance, says Director of Ophthalmology Michael Rivers, MD.

“It’s really important for us to provide an environment for patients to feel safe, happy and connected to a medical practice,” Dr. Rivers says. “Outside technology sets expectations. Our patient-engagement tools give busy patients an easy way to contact and connect with doctors’ offices.”

The company’s products help patients engage with medical practices in a frictionless way, he says, shepherding them along the patient journey, which starts before the actual visit.

“You want to inform the patient they have a visit, ask them to confirm or cancel, provide a way to check in and update their information,” Dr. Rivers says. “Patients can securely message the office to ask questions and request prescription refills without spending 20 minutes on the phone.”

On the backend, checking out is a breeze, Dr. Rivers says. “Copays and financial discussions can be done remotely, not at the front desk. Our patient app allows practices to develop a relationship with patients that makes their lives easier. When patients perceive the practice as being more modern, they will also see the care they get as higher quality.”

Health care has been deeply affected by the “great resignation.” Amid staff shortages, employees are required to multitask, and many practices are under pressure to train new employees. “As a practice owner, I know that offloading more repetitive work onto technology will also decrease incoming call volume, enabling my staff to spend more time with patients,” Dr. Rivers says.

Don’t forget about patient feedback. “As a medical practice you certainly want to know how well you’re doing,” Dr. Rivers adds. “Our software has surveys that connect to online sites like Google and Health Grades to promote your good reviews. Happy patients are everything.”

NEXTGEN HEALTHCARE

NextGen supports better outcomes with solutions that improve quality of care by helping physicians spend more time with patients. “Patient-friendly features are important to engage the patient in their own care,” says the company’s vice president, Solutions, Cheryl Lejbolle. “Engaged patients drive better health outcomes.”

Patients are active consumers in their health care, she adds, and they expect the same ease of use and convenience that they experience from other industries. That influences their view of and interactions with providers.

“Patient satisfaction levels have a positive or negative impact on the practice’s reputation, which affects financials. Now more than ever, ambulatory care is extending beyond doctors’ walls, and patients need convenient access and the ability to take charge of their health from home.”

A case study from one NextGen client showed that almost half of patient visits were conducted virtually during COVID. “What really resonated with me was that their no-show rates for telehealth visits were lower than their in-person clinic visits. By making it convenient and providing access, practices help ensure patients will have that follow-up visit,” Ms. Lejbolle says.

NextGen’s patient experience platform is a companion to the EHR-PMS. Providers can choose what features they want to enable. “We support the external processes around patient care as robustly as we do the internal aspects of care,” Ms. Lejbolle says. “Our platform is fully integrated with the rest of the EHR-PMS to ensure it works within the workflow. The processes work the same on the physician side whether a patient schedules an in-person or virtual visit.”

NextGen solutions provide a wealth of data insights, Ms. Lejbolle shares. “We are capturing patient-reported information from the EHR as well as external data from other aspects of the patients’ total care.”

The platform ties into the practice website with widgets. “Links on the practice website let patients pay their balance or schedule an appointment as a guest without going through the portal,” Ms. Lejbolle says.

NEXTECH

Nextech’s ophthalmology-specific fully integrated solution was designed by ophthalmologists.

“Healthcare leaders were really already driving toward a more self-service experience for patients,” notes Chief Medical Officer Jason M. Handza, DO. “That transition clearly skyrocketed as a result of COVID-19. While offering this technology is important, at Nextech we understand the greater importance is ease of use for patients of any age to drive success and adoption of the technology.”

The more the patient, family and caregivers are active participants in medical care, the better the compliance. “The patient will ultimately be more engaged if they’re given information in language that they can understand,” Dr. Handza says

To assist in this effort, Nextech allows practices to customize charts to include only the areas they need and to offer patient-friendly visit summaries.

In addition, Nextech’s telehealth feature is easy to use regardless of how technologically savvy patients are, Dr. Handza says. “Physicians can show a treatment plan, draw a diagram or send an informational brochure live during the visit, which the patient can download with one click.”

A shared-care feature allows the physician to electronically share ultra-granular information about a patient with other practices, Dr. Handza says. “This eliminates endless pages of disorganized information on paper. Imagine you’re a comprehensive ophthalmologist who has a 10-year history on a glaucoma patient you are referring to a specialist. With Shared Care, the glaucoma specialist can now view every single visit the patient has ever had with you, including their vision, pressures, fields and medications.”

The platform tracks MIPS/MACRA quality scores in real time as well. “A live tracking tool knows the criteria that any given physician has selected. A widget blinks red until all criteria is met; then it turns green,” Dr. Handza says.

CONCLUSION

EMR-PMS systems features that increase efficiency, compliance and accessibility enable patients to be an active partner in their medical care. With a patient-focused experience, they can take ownership, which improves compliance and in turn outcomes. Patients are consumers after all, and they now expect these features — think instant gratification. Happy patients stay with a practice and ultimately improve the bottom line. OM