The optometry world looks considerably different than it did 10 years ago. Technology continues to advance at a rapid pace and present opportunities for optometry practices to optimize operations.
Is your practice on the pulse of the future of optometry? Let’s dive into some essential tools your practice needs to use to keep up with the pack.
1. Online Marketplaces
Competing with online sellers can be quite challenging. Thankfully, creating an intuitive online marketplace for your practice is very simple, especially when using a tool like Optify.
An online marketplace allows your practice to display your inventory online, giving your practice an additional revenue stream that requires minimal oversight and effort to maintain. Simply sit back and watch your frames fly off the shelves, and enjoy the benefits of automated follow-up communication and notifications that keep your patients aware of their order status.
When it comes to low-maintenance, high-reward tools for growing your practice’s revenue, an online marketplace is an excellent place to start.
2. Cloud-Based EMR
In the modern age, using a cloud-based solution to manage your patient records is a must.
Lack of compliance with HIPAA and other data privacy regulations can sink your practice with massive fines and penalties, and cybercriminals are constantly trying to hack into systems and access the extraordinarily valuable patient data inside.
According to Healthcare Dive, between 2010 and 2022, 385 million patient records have been exposed by hackers, and the number of breaches has increased almost every year since 2009 ).
EMRs that leverage proven cloud providers ensure HIPAA and security compliance are met and retained at all times. If your practice is not yet using a cloud-based EMR, you could be at risk.
3. Patient Portals
Another excellent tool for making your patients’ lives easier is an intuitive patient portal.
No one likes arriving for their appointment only to be greeted with a handful of intake forms to fill out.
Patient portals not only enable your patients to make payments and schedule their appointments online, but it also gives them the power to fill out intake forms remotely, saving time and headaches upon their arrival on the day of their appointment.
The result? A seamless patient experience, as well as easier, more accurate transmission of data into your systems.
4. Inventory Management Solutions
A great inventory management solution simplifies your retail operations by utilizing serial number tracking and intuitive reporting to give you visibility into which of your frames are selling the best. This provides your practice with the insights you need to order more in-demand inventory, actively promote popular frames, and become more profitable.
5. AI and Diagnostics
We would be remiss to talk about the technology that is fueling the future of optometry without mentioning AI and its potential.
A recent study found that artificial intelligence can perform similarly to, or at times, even outperform human decision-makers in terms of diagnosing glaucoma, neurodegenerative disease, and dry eye disease.
AI is so powerful because it can efficiently tackle time-consuming tasks like looking through hundreds of images of the eye within seconds, digest that information, and use it to make a diagnosis far faster than a human.
As neat as this is, these diagnoses are not 100% accurate. The rise of AI also opens up a can of worms regarding ethics, patient trust, and compliance, among other factors.
It likely isn’t wise for your practice to break the bank on an AI diagnostic solution today, but down the road, these solutions may be a valuable component of your toolset as an OD.
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Want to learn even more about taking your practice’s operations to the next level? We have just the piece for you!
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