We want to kickstart your year by reminding you of some fresh optical software features you should be aware of in 2014. Whether you're in the market for a new EHR software or not, these are features you should be thinking about to help increase efficiencies in your practice. Meaningful Use certification, patient portals, interactive reporting and analytics, and E-Prescribing are important features that will only become more relevant as the year goes on!

Optical Software Features for 2014

Complete 2014 Meaningful Use Certification

Meaningful Use is going to continue to be a big trend in 2014. And in order to participate in the Meaningful Use Incentive Program you're going to need a system that is 2014 certified. Most systems are 2011 certified, which "expired" at the start of the year. You have a couple of options when looking for a 2014 Certified EHR System.

• Complete Certified EHR: A complete certified EHR is one system that has been federally approved and has met all government regulations for Meaningful Use. A complete certified EHR system gives you the capability, functionality, and security to meet all Meaningful Use criteria.
• Modular-Based Certified EHR: A modular-based system requires adopting multiple systems with modular certification to meet all of the requirements for Meaningful Use.

A Patient Portal

A patient portal gives your practice an avenue of secure communication between doctor to doctor, and doctor to patient. From a patient portal your patients will have the ability to complete forms and information online about insurance, health history, lifestyle, etc., all before they arrive at your office for their appointment. As an OD you'll be able to request medical history from other providers which the patient may have on file. Additional functionality of patient portals include access to medical history and lab results, easy access to educational materials and treatment instructions for patients, and appointment requests for first-time or follow up visits.

Reporting and Analytics

In order to stay on top of attesting to Meaningful Use you'll need reporting and analytics to keep your information organzied. Not only will this be helpful for Meaningful Use, but having access to easy-to-read visual analytics will help your practice improve profitability and efficiency. Reports will help you better understand the ins and outs of your practice including operational, financial, auditing, and analysis reports that will help identify unusual billing patterns and errors. Reports can also give you insight into your patient database by analyzing appointment durations, demographics, and your best-selling ophthalmic products.

E-Prescribing

Our last fresh feature for 2014 is E-Prescribing. The main functionality of E-Prescribing is the ability to prescribe and send prescriptions to pharmacies electronically. Having access to E-Prescribing will streamline your entire prescription process. Automatic data synchronization throughout the system, access to medical history and education materials, managed care drug formulary support, and instant notifications are just some of the other benefits of E-Prescribing.

Want to check out some of these fresh features on your own? Watch our video.