Time is limited in your optometric practice. So, when a patient comes into your office, you want to make sure you’re spending as much time as you can to meet their needs. However, inefficient processes are keeping your practice from optimizing the office workflow so you can effectively see more patients throughout the day without decreasing the quality of care.
Use the tips below to streamline your office workflow and see more patients.
5 Tips To Optimize Your Office Workflow
Automate Recalls
It’s easy to forget to schedule an eye exam, especially if a patient only comes to your practice once per year. Reminding your patients that they are due for an exam is vital to keeping a steady stream of repeat patients. Instead of using postcards and phone calls as a reminder, automate the process with recall software that can send patients an email or text based on the patient’s preferred means of communication.
Use A Web-based Scheduler
Your practice and your office workflow need to evolve with technology and the demands of your patients. Using antiquated scheduling methods slow down your optometric practice and switch your front office staff’s focus from assisting the patients in your office to sitting on the phone scheduling appointments.
Using a web-based appointment scheduler will enable your staff to efficiently manage the schedule. If the scheduler is integrated with the patient portal, then your patients will be able to schedule their appointments without having to call into the office.
Stop Collecting Paper Forms
Reduce the amount of data entry and time that your patient has to sit in the waiting room by encouraging your patients to use a patient portal to fill out electronic copies of forms and securely transfer the forms into your practice management and EHR solution.
Offload Pre-testing
As an OD, the time you have with your patient is valuable. However, many of the pre-testing tasks cut into your patient’s time. Offloading your pre-testing screenings to your technician will reduce cumbersome handoffs and will enable you to see more patients and focus on the patient’s exam.
Use An All-inclusive Optometry Software
To run an efficient, modern optometric practice, you need to leverage a number of software solutions. Trying to connect all of the software solutions together to reduce data entry can get complex. And when one solution is updated, it may break the connections. An all-inclusive EHR and practice management solution bundles together some of the most common solutions into one tool at no extra cost, so you can focus on your patients and not on your software.
Check out these other tips on how you can improve your practice efficiency.
