The Federal Trade Commission just instated a final ruling that requires prescribers to obtain confirmation from their patients that they have received their contact lens (CL) prescription through digital or printed receipts as well as provide additional copies of the prescriptions when the patient requests.
For many optometrists, the optical dispensary is a big part of our practice revenue. When our contact lens capture rate is low or our sales are not keeping up with previous months, it can be a big stress for our team and business. While we recognize this FTC rule will cause frustrations for both patients and eyecare professionals, we want to make adjustments easier for Uprise EHR & PM customers.
Keep reading to see how exactly the new change affects eyecare practices and how Uprise can reduce disruptions to your workflow and make CL prescriptions accessible for patients.
2020 Changes to Contact Lens Rules for Optometrists
What is the new rule?
In an effort to allow patients to comparison shop for contact lenses, the new FTC rule requires that practices must do ONE of the following in order to prove they gave the patient their prescription.
- Patient-signed and printable confirmation receipt of CL Rx.
- Patient-signed copy of CL Rx that acknowledges they received a copy.
- Patient-signed copy of CL Exam receipt with Rx OR provide a downloadable & printable digital copy of CL Rx via the patient portal.
Optometrists will also be required to keep record of the patient's electronic delivery method for three years. Also, ODs must provide additional Rx copies upon the patient's request within 40 business hours.
How will this change your workflow?
This extra step can be frustrating, especially with practices taking extra precautions and time to reduce the spread of disease currently. However, Uprise software can help by including and highlighting the tools needed for compliance. Practices that use Uprise EHR and PM can upload a PDF form to the patient portal in order to obtain e-signatures for confirmation of prescription receipts. Furthermore, we can upload the CL prescription in the patient's portal for viewing and printing when it's convenient to the patient.
Watch Dr. Nafey go through an exam in Uprise in under 17 minutes in the video below.
