Creating an efficient office workflow in an eyecare practice is easier said than done. With so many hand offs between different members of your team there is almost always some area where your workflow can be improved.

As an OD, your time in the practice is valuable. So maybe it's time to hand over more responsibilities to your technician to help free up some of your time and eliminate bottlenecks in the workflow. Technicians can help take non-exam work off your plate, and it's likely that these shared responsibilities will help create a stronger work relationship between you and your staff.

2 Ways to Adjust Your Pre-Exam Office Workflow

Review Patient Info Before the Exam

By now you probably know the benefits that a patient portal can have on your front office, but it can also help with some tasks in your pre-exam lane too! Patients are able to submit information including medical history, medication history, and allergies, and if your patient portal is integrated with your practice management solution your tech will be able to review and import patient information into the EHR before the exam. This will help save you time, allowing you to get straight into the exam without having to review redundant information with the patient.

Give More Responsibility to Your Technician

As we mentioned earlier, there are a few tasks that your techs can help with that will free up more of your time. If your techs are spending time with your patients they migh be able to help answer patient questions regarding standard paperwork or procedures that can be easily explained, while saving the harder questions for you.

Your pre-testing equipment should be synced to your EHR so that the results can be directly imported for easy use. While your technicians can perform the standard pre-tests as usual, based on the needs of your patients, there might be other areas that your tech can help reduce your workload. Some of these responsibilities could include:

• Patient History
• Lensometry
• Visual Acuities
• Ocular Motility
• Cover Testing
• Confrontation Fields
• Color Vision Testing
• Stereopsis Testing
• Amsler's Grid Testing

If you want helpful tips on ways to increase your office workflow in other areas, download our latest eBook, that will walk you through each step of the way!