Practice Management and EHR Software. Shopping Kit

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Practice Management

and EHR Software

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2 How to Use this Shopping Kit

Evaluating the various practice management and

EHR software options can be a lot of work. It’s not a

decision that any practice should take lightly

because it’s going to have such a big impact on the

way you do business. But, the process can be a little

less daunting if you have some help!

We filled this shopping kit with a number of templates

that you can use to help get you through the

evaluation process as easily as possible. We hope this

will be useful as you compare solutions!

The Software Shopping Kit includes the following:

• Practice Profile Template

• Functional Needs Template

• Requirements Description Template

• “Which Technology is Best for You?” Flow Chart

• Total Cost of Ownership Worksheet

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3 Practice Profile Template

The first step in preparing your practice to start evaluating practice management and EHR solutions is to develop a clear and concise practice profile. You’ll want to think about your current practice situation in terms of your staff, your hardware and IT infrastructure, and your practice workflow. You should be able to write this profile in a few paragraphs.

_________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________

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4 Practice Profile Template

Because of this, I am looking for a solution that is going to be easy to use and that doesn’t require me to maintain a server setup in my practice. I need something that I can implement quickly without a huge investment in hardware. I like to work from home sometimes, so it would be a big benefit if I could access the system anywhere.

We asked Dr. Palmer of All About Eyes in Georgetown, TX

to put together a practice profile. She came up with a

great example that we had to share. Check it out!

I run a single location practice where I am the sole practitioner. I have a staff of 3 employees that manage the front desk duties, and I do not have a practice management and EHR solution. My staff isn’t technical, and unfortunately, I do not have the IT expertise nor the bandwidth to add an additional resource for IT needs.

Lori Palmer, OD

All About Eyes - Georgetown, TX

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Once you’ve created your practice profile, it’s time to think about functionality. What do you want your system to be able to do? What processes do you currently have in place that the system can help improve? List the functional needs that you expect from a system, along with additional functional wants that you would like to gain from a new solution.

1. ________________________________________________________________________ 2. ________________________________________________________________________ 3. ________________________________________________________________________ 4. ________________________________________________________________________ 5. ________________________________________________________________________ 6. ________________________________________________________________________ 7. ________________________________________________________________________ 8. ________________________________________________________________________ 9. ________________________________________________________________________ 10. _______________________________________________________________________ 11. _______________________________________________________________________ 12. _______________________________________________________________________ 13. _______________________________________________________________________ 14. _______________________________________________________________________ 15. _______________________________________________________________________ 16. _______________________________________________________________________ 17. _______________________________________________________________________ 18. _______________________________________________________________________ 19. _______________________________________________________________________ 20. _______________________________________________________________________

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_____________ is looking for a _____________ practice

management and EHR solution that will help our practice _____________ and _____________. We are a _____________ doc, _____________ location

practice with _____________ staff members. We use _____________ for claim filing and _____________ for product ordering. We _____________ currently have a practice management and EHR solution. We utilize

_________________________________________________________ and want to continue to utilize these or similar solutions with our software. The solution needs to be _____________ , _____________ , ______________, and __________________. Can your solution __________________________? Will it be compatible with people that ___________ technologically savvy? Is it __________________________ if our practice grows?

Practice Name Cloud-Based/Client-Server/Cloud-Hosted

Primary Goal

Secondary Goal Number Number

Number Claim Filing Solution

Ordering Solution Do/Do Not

Third-Party Solutions for Patient Recall, Inventory, Coding, Patient Education….

List Key Attributes You Want from a Solution

Need You Want Fulfilled

Are/Are Not

How You Want it to Scale

Requirements Description

Template

Much like writing a job description for a new employee, creating a requirements description can help you clearly define your needs and expectations. We made it easy for you with these mad libs!

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Our ideal solution will: (List the attributes you’re looking for in a solution, think about how it will interact with the practice)

• ________________________________________________________ • ________________________________________________________ • ________________________________________________________ • ________________________________________________________ • ________________________________________________________ • ________________________________________________________ • ________________________________________________________ • ________________________________________________________

Required functionalities include: (List the functionalities you want the system to be capable of handling)

• __________________________ • __________________________ • __________________________ • __________________________ • __________________________ • __________________________ • __________________________ • __________________________ • __________________________ • __________________________ • __________________________

Requirements Description

Template

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8 Requirements Description

Template

All About Eyes is looking for a practice management and EHR solution that will help our practice function more efficiently and provide better patient care. We are a single-doc, single-location practice with 3

additional staff members. We use a clearinghouse for claim filing and an online solution for product ordering. We don’t currently have a practice management and EHR solution.

The solution needs to be easy to install and implement in the practice, adaptable to our workflow, easy to use, and able to work with our

existing equipment and hardware. Can your solution reduce or improve our workload? Will it be compatible with people that aren’t

technologically savvy? Is it affordable and scalable if our practice grows? Yes? That’s the solution we need!

Here’s Dr. Palmer’s

Requirements Description.

Notice how she takes both

functionality and the

overall fit in her practice

into consideration.

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9 Requirements Description

Template

• Patient Recall • Product Ordering • Claim filing • Scheduling

• Support our workflow without overhauling the way we interact with patients

• Be easy for someone that isn’t computer savvy to use • Make it easier for our OD to complete an exam

• Be easy to operate but capable of handling complex tasks • Be certified for 2014 standards for meaningful use so that

we can attest

• Be accessible without having to maintain a server

• Work well with the computers and tablets that we already have

• Be packed with features, such as a scheduler, that will make our work easier

• Help us avoid coding errors and maximize insurance reimbursements

• Improve patient care and facilitate patient education

• Be affordable and not require a major upfront investment • Patient Education

• Electronic Health Records

Required functionalities include:

Sample

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No, but I have a brother-in-law that does!

Are you okay with spending thousands of dollars on servers?

Yes

Yes

Are you feeling dizzy or otherwise ill?

If your system has an upgrade, do

you want it?

Do you know how to maintain a network of

servers?

Would you like to buy a bunch

anyway?

No

Okay, next question…

I want updates all the time without any disruption. Ok, well… Yes Yes No No No No Yes Yes, I’m really

ok with it! Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No

You’re too sick to make any decisions today!

Would you trust them in your office when

you aren’t there? Do you have an IT department?

Do you know that you don’t have to? No No Do you already have perfectly good computers in your office? Yes Yes No No No No _Yes_Yes

Who should decide which computers you use? Yes Yes My vendor _Myself No No

How do you want the upgrade to happen? In a controlled manner, with a complete update managed in my practice. Periodically, when there is a big overhaul that my vendor manages for

me.

If you are cool with vendors picking your computers, what about

them managing your servers? Yes Yes No No

Cloud-Based

Cloud-Hosted

Client Server

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11 Client-Server

Cloud-Hosted

What it is:

Client-server refers to the situation where your practice owns servers that are housed locally in your practice. The software and all of your data is stored on the local server.

What you might like:

• Full ownership of software and hardware

• Everything is on-premise and easily accessible

What you need to prepare for:

• Cost of hardware

• Knowledge on installations and maintenance

• Manual data backup and security measures

• Expertise to make updates or install upgrades

• Commitment to one device

What it is:

Cloud-hosted refers to the situation where your software vendor hosts your software and data remotely on a server that is off-site. You will access the same application that you would use if you had a local server; it’s just not stored in your practice.

• Low upfront cost and no hardware to purchase • Easier implementation • No maintenance

• Manual installation of software • Investment on reliable internet

connection

• Commitment to one device • Time consuming upgrades • Inflexibility for multiple users

Which Technology is Best for You?

So you completed the flowchart and it says that either the client-server, cloud-hosted or cloud-based solution is best for your practice. Read on to find out what these terms mean.

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12 Cloud-Based

What it is:

The cloud is simply the Internet. Cloud-based solutions are those that are accessed and programmed through the Internet without having to store data or software locally.

• Low upfront cost

• Predictable, subscription-based pricing • No servers to install or maintain

• Freedom to choose the device and hardware used • Accessibility through any location and device • Automatic data back-up and upgrades

• Flexibility and scalability for multiple users

• Ensuring a reliable internet connection • Keeping a 3G or 4G device as backup

• Policies on data management and availability

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Total Cost of Ownership

Print a copy of this for each of the vendors you want to evaluate, then compare the 5 year totals for each.

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Features Vendor 1 Vendor 2 Vendor 3

Ease of Use

Easy to Use

Number of Clicks

Accessible from Different

Devices (e.g.: Tablets, etc.) Interface Designed for Different Devices

Patient

Patient Portal

Patient Education Patient Notification (e.g.: Scheduling, Reminders)

Secure Messaging Claim Filing Eligibility Checks ERA Secondary Insurance Submission Claim Tracking

Here are some important features to look out for when shopping for your solution. Fill up the table with checkmarks when

shopping around for a solution, and feel free to add other features that you think are essential.

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15 Software Comparison

Third Party Tools

(List desired integrations, e.g.: Frames Data, Reimbursement Plus, etc.) (1) (2) (3) Optical Ordering Preloaded Catalogs Inventory Management Order Tracking Practice Management Scheduler Internal Messaging System Reporting EHR Easy Documentation Graphical Annotation Instrument Integration

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16 Software Comparison

Other Features (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) Notes:

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Know what you want in your practice

management and EHR software?

See if Uprise fits your needs!

Uprise was built specifically for independent optometrists, based on three simple principles. The system must have a beautiful design, a smart workflow, and enable practices to go-live fast. The result is a

cloud-based practice management and EHR system like nothing you’ve seen before.

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Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Uprise is a product of VisionWeb, the leading provider of software and technology solutions to the optical industry. As a technology pioneer in the eyecare industry, VisionWeb aims to drive practice efficiency through the delivery of dynamic solutions, all available via the Internet. Services include direct-to-supplier online

ordering, online multi payer insurance transaction processing, and Uprise, a completely cloud-based practice management and EHR solution. With over 17,000 connected ECPs, over 400 suppliers, and thousands of insurance payers, VisionWeb services are to the benefit of opticians, optometrists, ophthalmologists, optical manufacturers, laboratories, distributors, and payers alike.