WHEN I GRADUATED OD school, I joined the practice Dr. Gustavo Garmizo started in 1984 right at the height of the 2009-2010 recession… and we got straight to work. This practice is now in its second generation of ownership thanks to his vision, his trust in me as a new grad, and our digitizing the practice for the benefit of our patients, team, and ourselves.
He tasked me with finding an EHR and digitizing the practice. I still have nightmares about scanning charts into that system. Pro tip: Hire a company to scan everything in quickly to get you going.
But now we have data! Think of the link to your EHR system as a data draw bridge to your patient and practice information. Be careful who you share your practice and patient data with; it is the most valuable intellectual property you have. Ask yourself: Can the data bridge be lowered and lifted for the protection of your practice and your patients? If you lower it, can it be closed again or is the damage already done?
Our EMR systems are the neural networks allowing us to run efficient and profitable businesses. To better take care of our patients, teams and practices, we must continue to evolve them and increase their functionality. Today, when we are more short-staffed than ever and there are fewer and fewer ODs, digitization is the key to practice success.
Technology is not an expense, but an investment. If you keep waiting for a system to have all the bells and whistles you want, you are in for a long wait. And you are an important part of the innovation that is taking place, so speak up and be part of the road map. Eyecare is as close to recession-proof as we can get, but we must continually invest in how we take care of the patients in our offices and by giving them the continued opportunity to easily do business with us.
Which brings us to: What can we do with all that data? Can we do something meaningful for our patients and practices? For example, I know who all my contact lens patients are … can I invite them to order their contacts or make an appointment if they’re overdue? (yes!) I know who all my dry eye patients are … can I send them a text inviting them to be evaluated for a new treatment? (Also, yes!)
We are all up against the same things. By investing in front of house technology, we were able to double our practice in a few years by digitizing it, cutting out double data entry (and many other mundane tasks), and measure that progress through benchmarks.
In the 14 years since I began practicing here, we have made some incredible advancements thanks to not being afraid to break current processes and being open to evolving as patient care evolved.
Ask yourself how your own data is being used as a consumer — to your benefit or detriment — and turn that around on your practice. Ask better and tougher questions of yourself, your team and the companies you are doing business with which will benefit patient care and our practices.
Understand the gold mine you are sitting on and be not only part of building this amazing industry but one who can reap the benefits of your hard work and effort.
