WALKING A FINE LINE TOWARD EFFICIENCY (Excerpt from on-line article) https://optometricoffice.com/walking-a-fine-line-toward-efficiency/
BY SHAROKH KAPADIA, OD, FAAO ON PATIENT CARE
By using technology to our advantage, we can see more patients without sacrificing care.
Many of us find ourselves walking a fine line as far as how many patients we see each day and for how long. Consider: To compensate for reduced reimbursements from managed-care plans, we want to be more efficient so that we can see more patients to make up for lost revenues. Also, I’ve found that many of my patients, who have busy schedules themselves, don’t want to be in the office for more than one hour. But, if you trim the exam time too much, patients may start to feel as though they aren’t getting the care they deserve.
My associates and I try to perform 18 complete exams a day as well as see patients whose visit is for a specific issue or a contact lens check. That means we had to become more efficient. Fortunately, technology has enabled us to do so in several ways.
PAGING SYSTEM
We use the Optometry/Ophthalmology Office Paging Software from Comlite Systems, which tells us where patients are and which room the doctor needs to go to next.
The Comlite software uses light buttons and audible chimes to show which exam room patients are in and what tasks need to be done. The Comlite system lets you view eight messages at a glance, and dropdown messages are available. In the image shown above, for example, the screen to the left shows that doctor 1 (the white DR 1 button) has a patient waiting up front, is in exam room 1 (the red light on the Ex 1 button) and has a patient waiting in exam room 4 (the green light on the Ex 4 button). Doctor 1 has paged a tech to exam room (the red light on the white tech button).
Doctor 2, meanwhile, has three patients (the red light on the blue DR 2 button) waiting up front, is in exam room 2 with a patient (the red light on the blue Ex 2 button) and has paged an optician to exam room 2 (the blue OPT button with a red light). Dr. 2 also has a patient who is dilating and is in the dispensary.
Sharokh Kapadia, OD, FAAO, graduated from Michigan College of Optometry and did a residency in ocular disease at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. He is in private practice in the Greater Jacksonville, FL, area.
