Let me ask a question in return. Is eye care a simple business? Call me naive but I can't think of a more sophisticated business than eye care. People ask me all the time what I do. It's no easy elevator speech to sum up scheduling and recalls, insurance and patient billing, scanning and barcoding, glasses and contacts, pre-test and exams, imaging and drawing, e-RX and ARs, opticianry, optometry and ophthalmology in one fell swoop. Ding. Third floor.
So what's my point? Well, when you go EHR shopping, be careful what you ask for. While software architects understand the need to hide complexity from end users, "simpler" may be the more appropriate word. But, lest I reduce the issue to mere semantics, the real point is not to expect simple solutions for a highly sophisticated business. Your practice will not be well served by free, inexpensive or simplistic solutions. You'll get what you pay for.
Mind if I share some more search tips?
- Software that wasn't built for eye care is not adequate for eye care. You can't bolt on an optical module for example. If inventory management wasn't part of the original design, it's just not that simple to add it in to your system's workflow.
- Eye care is second only to radiology in its volume of imaging. Think of your instrument suppliers when you ask about doing your eye exam on a mobile device, and remember that the MDs who are making it all sound so simple probably don't have to worry about fundus cameras, phoropters and OCTs.
- You're looking for a 20 year not a 2 year solution, right? So think ahead, way ahead. Look under the hood for a technology platform that will go the distance. Clinical Decision Support (CDS) is going to be the mantra of Stage 3 Certification, so find a software solution that shows true promise in that department. You can't bolt on CDS any more than you can bolt on an optical module. For more on CDS, read Part 5 of Behind the Stimulus Program, the Eye Care Opportunity in Health Care Reform.
Alistair Jackson, M.Ed.
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