How to Transition from Paper to EHR

Highlights

• An electronic health record (EHR) is the electronic version of patient health records.
• Transitioning from paper to an optometry EHR will save you and your practice time, effort, and money while it improves the security of patient data.
• When choosing an optometry EHR and practice management software, look for a solution that is intuitively designed and easy to use.
• Revolution EHR's solutions are designed just for optometrists, and every member of our team has an optometry background.

Are you drowning in paper files? Spending hours searching through physical records? You're not alone. Many optometrists hesitate to make the switch to electronic health records, concerned about disrupting their practice. But with the right approach, transitioning to an EHR system can transform your practice operations and patient care.

What Is an EHR?  

EHRs, which healthcare practices are required to keep in order to maintain Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement levels, are simply the electronic versions of patients’ health and medical histories.

They offer optometrists a host of benefits, including reduced errors, improved patient outcomes and experiences, and increased information security, according to HealthIT.gov.

They are also far more efficient than their paper-based counterparts, saving optometrists and staff hours of painstaking work.

How Does an EHR Work?

Before switching to an optometry EHR, you will likely want a high-level overview of how it functions. First, you will need to digitize all the data you want to enter into it. Next, you have to store the data, either onsite or with cloud-based servers.

Cloud-based software, which stores data on remote servers, is generally less expensive, safer, and more secure than an on-site system. Cloud-based optometry EHR and practice management software comes with an offsite team of professionals who will do routine security updates, regular backups to redundant servers, and as-needed IT upgrades. 

You will never need to worry about the safety of your data.

Benefits of EHR: Why Should Optometrists Make the Switch?

There are many benefits to deploying a cloud-based optometry EHR. With it, you'll be able to access your data from anywhere you have an internet-connected device. No more slogging through paper files to locate what you need or worrying about misplaced, destroyed, or stolen physical files.

Cloud-based EHR benefits include: 

Improved Security

Paper files are inherently insecure. According to a study from information security firm Shred-it, the majority of data breaches reported by companies involved the loss or theft of physical items — paper files or devices containing sensitive data.

Eliminate that worry when you eliminate the paper. Modern EHR solutions secure all your data with proven encryption and authentication features, so you can rest assured that your patients' protected health information (PHI) is safe.

Increased Efficiency

Digitizing your practice's documentation and storing it in the cloud makes quick, easy work of filing, searching, and sharing. A top optometry EHR will allow you to locate and send specific documents, orders, appointments, and more, in seconds.

A digital EHR will ease and simplify billing, payment, and insurance-claims management as well as help ensure Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) compliance, which will help you get the full annual CMS reimbursement to which you're entitled.

Ease of Use

A paper-based filing system is susceptible to human error, making it difficult and unreliable to use practice-wide. Standardize usability to help your entire staff get the data they need when they need it by using a well-designed optometry EHR instead.

RevolutionEHR was created with the user in mind, so its ease of use is unmatched; ODs and staff can begin using it right away. With tutorials and in-app guidance, RevolutionEHR presents your data in a way that makes sense with an intuitive interface that makes it easy to learn.

Space and Resource Savings

The average American uses approximately 700 pounds of paper and paper products each year, and the paper and pulp industry is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.

What's more, paper files take up space — and lots of it. Many workplaces have dedicated entire rooms to filing cabinets for storage, space that would be better used for patient care or an expanded dispensary.

Going paperless will help your optometry practice reduce pollution while freeing up significant space in the office.

How to Convert to EHR: Making the Transition

Making the switch to a paperless office might seem like a daunting task, but once you've found the right optometry EHR, the process will go relatively quickly, and you'll soon be reaping the rewards.

Invest in the Right Platform

The most important step is the first one: choosing the right EHR software for your practice. There's no shortage of EHR options, but not all were designed specifically for optometrists or built with user-friendliness and security top of mind.

The platform you select should make the lives of providers and staff easier, not more complicated. Pick one, like RevolutionEHR, with an intuitive design.

Next, pay close attention to the solution's security. Because you're handling sensitive, valuable patient information, you'll want high-quality protection from data breaches. Build trust with your patients by ensuring their information stays safe.

Provide EHR Training for Staff

Among the qualities you'll want to look for in an optometry EHR is vendor-offered support and training. You and your staff will all need to be adept at using the software, so land on a vendor who will train your team to use it.

Be sure a solution offers an intuitive in-app help feature and online training resources, such as easy-to-understand instructional articles and videos, for any questions that may arise as you get used to your new system.

Digitize

Digitizing your documentation can be a snap with scanning software that has optical character recognition (OCR) capabilities. OCR-enabled scanning software can quickly and easily “read” and convert hand-written, print, and digital documentation into searchable and editable digital files.

Migrate

If you're already using an EHR but looking to switch, look for software that offers migration support for transferring patient demos from your old system to your new one. Depending on the system you're using now, the process can be simple or complex.

The best vendors will take care of the migration for you. RevolutionEHR has successfully transitioned customers from over 80 different EHR and practice management systems. We know what we're doing; we'll make the process as seamless as possible with little disruption to your practice.

Start Streamlining

Once you're set up with your new EHR, you'll want to use it for all new administrative work. All forms and any newly generated documentation should be created and stored in the new system.

Once they're in, all new files will be instantly searchable and accessible to everyone with the permission to access them.

Why RevolutionEHR Is the Right Choice for Optometrists

RevolutionEHR's chiropractic-focused solutions are the way to go for any optometrist wanting to save time and money and improve the patient experience. Here's what sets us apart:

Know-How

The RevolutionEHR team is made up of experienced specialists who truly understand what ODs want and need because they've all worked in eye care. All of our people are U.S. based and ready to answer your questions or hear your feedback via live chat, email, or phone, anytime.

As for customer satisfaction, our 97% customer-retention rate speaks for itself. Read what our loyal customers are saying.

Usability

You didn't become an optometrist to spend all day on your computer. When you use RevolutionEHR, you don't have to. Our solutions let you use a single program for all your optometry practice management needs.

Access it anytime, from anywhere, using any internet-connected device for instant access to patient information, schedules, reports, and more. Your practice can even connect with numerous vendors, apps, and software solutions from within RevolutionEHR with extensive partner integration options.

With an intuitively designed interface and a high level of usability, everyone in your practice will find that RevolutionEHR increases their efficiency and saves them time and steps during the workday.

Resources

RevolutionEHR offers a website just for our customers. Our searchable, in-app “Knowledge Base” and comprehensive FAQ section will answer your questions about implementation, set-up, and use. We offer a wealth of resources for optometrists, including videos, white papers, webinars, detailed tutorials, and more.

Features

As the leading cloud-based optometry software, RevolutionEHR's platform is a complete EHR and practice management solution in one. Features include:

• Scheduling
• Accounting
• Document and image management
• Customizable test findings
• Exam-data access
• FDA medication database
• Easy, seamless e-prescribing
• Intra-office task management
• Pre-built, customizable reports accounting
• Secure patient access
• HIPAA-compliant SHA-256 encryption
• Easy insurance claim submission
• Instant invoice creation

Still on the fence? 

To learn more about why your practice should consider making the transition, download our free ebook, How Optometrists Switch: Paper to Electronic Health Records. 

It will be the best decision you make this year.