Practice Management

Business Technology: Upgrade Now to Benefit Long-Term

By Chad Fleming, OD, FAAO

August 16, 2017

Business operations technology can make your practice run smoother for you, your staff and patients. In our practice, making technology upgrades also has lifted some time-consuming tasks off my shoulders and allowed me to fulfill my two main tasks: being practice CEO and the main revenue generator.

Spending $10,000 on such technology upgrades can yield $30,000-$50,000 in office efficiency and revenues.

Outsourced Web Site Management
Outsourcing web site development to an optometry-specific web site management company has improved our search engine optimization on Google, saves time with first-round recruitment interviews, and has increased staff communication efficiencies, with patients able to more easily reach us online. The site also has been upgraded to be mobile friendly for quick search and call of our office, and has become a resource for patient education.

I had been doing all the web site design, search engine optimization and mobile optimization for our office, and it was getting too overwhelming. I could not keep up with how fast online technology changed. As I researched options for web site development I stumbled across a company that developed web sites for optometry offices. I sold my partners on not only investing in a service like this, but investing big enough that we could gain new patients and have it pay for itself. Now we have enough new patients each month that the service pays for itself, and we have a great looking web site that is mobile friendly and easy to use.
Cost = $1,200 monthly

Data-Mining Software & Automated Recall
We use data-mining software and automated recall for recalling patients who slipped through our pre-appointment system. Our office does a relatively good job pre-appointing patients, as more than 90 percent of patients are pre-appointed after each exam. We used to employ an individual to go through all of our paper charts (10,000+) to find patients who had not been seen for over two years. This is a task that can easily be done when patients are in an electronic database. But once the patient is identified, the execution of pre-appointing is still manual without the right software. We invested in a software service that does automated recalls, reminders and notifications, and as an added benefit, does patient mining and then sends out notices that the patient has not been seen for over two years. The older and bigger the practice, the more important this is.
Cost = $400 monthly (part of complete package software, not stand-alone technology)

Voice-Over Internet Protocol  
We are a two-location practice that has phone systems in both locations serviced by a local provider. We needed to link the systems together and have a seamless transition of phone calls and transfers so that patients wouldn’t have to worry about where to call. When we discussed our needs with our local provider, we discovered we would need to update the phones and complete system, which was going to be expensive. The question I asked myself: “What technology is available that could possibly save money and make communication with patients a great experience?” I landed on voice-over internet protocol (VoIP). After researching the options, it was obvious that this was not only a good immediate fix due to better pricing, but long-term it would allow us the flexibility to add phones or users (doctors not at the office, but their cell is an extension within the system), and it would grow with us, keeping costs low.

The VoIP allowed us to add lines, without adding cost, so each staff member now has their own line. We have gone from six lines between two offices to 20 lines, and we are paying less for the services. The system has an app that allows me to call from my home so that it looks to the person receiving the call like I’m calling from our office number. These are little things, but they make big differences in efficiency. Imagine driving home while you are waiting for a call from a patient. Your staff receives the call at the office, and they transfer the call within the VoIP system to your cell phone as you are driving home or headed to lunch. This allows for you as the doctor to be flexible without patients and vendors knowing your cell phone number.
Cost = $300 monthly

In-Office Text Messaging To Communicate with Staff
Texting seems like a technology that all practices would optimize in day-to-day communications, but many practices have not committed to a service that enables texting as part of the daily workflow. This service has given patients access to our office and staff for improved patient care. We recently changed the texting service from one software to the VoIP software as they coordinate well together, and the VoIP software looks like a phone on your computer screen, or can be used with an app. It’s extremely user-friendly.
Cost = Free, a feature of Google Chat (not HIPAA-compliant, so no protected patient information is transmitted through this platform)

Online Scheduling
We invested in this in January 2017 as we have been forward-thinking in meeting patients where they are. Patients want convenience, and want to do business when it is convenient for them. We want patients to be able to schedule appointments any day and time. We have received great feedback, and have new patients scheduling over the weekends and in the evenings. They can see our open spots and schedule in those spots online, anytime. It has generated many great new patients and positive reviews.
Cost = No additional expense; included as part of the $1,200 monthly spent on maintaining the practice web site

eFax
An electronic fax line has been in place in our offices for over five years, but has just recently become our sole means of faxing. It was difficult for staff to let go of using the physical fax machine, and more importantly, to make sure all the health care offices communicating with us use our new e-fax number. But it’s paid off with a more efficient process for receiving faxes, and we have also been able to reduce the amount of paper we use.
Editor’s note: eFaxing, and other modes of communication, should only be used to transmit patient information if HIPAA-secure.
Cost = $40 monthly plus one-time cost of an upgraded router

Upgraded Router
Most optometry offices use a router that is commercially available on Amazon or Best Buy. Routers are never talked about because the IT person is in charge of that, and the owner is trying to save money on technology. So, when asked do you want a $200 router or a $500 router, most of us would choose the $200 router. But sometimes there are benefits to paying for more expensive, high-quality products. Recently, we invested in a small business size router for around $400, and, wow, what a difference in traffic management and overall capability for speed of network and control of data going through each of our computers!
Cost = $400-600 for router + installment by IT

TextExpander
This online tool  expedites charting, documentation and communication, saving an hour per day in typing and dictating. This software allows the four doctors at our office to cut down documentation time by one hour per day. Each doctor averages about 20-25 patients per day, and this tool helps with the documentation process for each of those patient visits.
Cost = $40 annually

 

Chad Fleming, OD, FAAO, is a partner with Wichita Optometry, P. A. in Wichita, Kan. To contact: chad@optometryceo.com

 

 

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