OPTO 1

by Professional Practice Systems, Inc.

OPTO 1
OPTO 1

PATIENT INFORMATION, COMMUNICATIONS, AND APPOINTMENT SCHEDULER

OPTO 1 is the base module which is used with all other modules of the program. You may enter information such as Patient name, address, billpayer, insurance numbers, refraction, contact lens and spectacle prescriptions, type of patient, birth date, last exam date, credit rating, recall date, next appointment date, referral history and service agreement expiration date.

There are specific notes for cataract surgery dates and VSP coverage information for use on insurance forms, as well as free form notes to use as you wish.

A refractive surgery information note is used to keep the pre-op information and the surgery dates. This information can then be printed on a refractive surgery follow-up form.

A specific note is included to keep track of when information is sent to entities not covered by the HIPAA requirements.

Patient screen

Customized patient labels are easily printed with a dedicated label printer to use with your exam charts, family folders, contact lens forms, and other in-office forms.

A form is printed which has the patient's existing information for them to check for changes. This form has a place to sign that they have received the office privacy policies notice (required by HIPAA).

One of the main purposes of this module is to help you communicate easily and effectively with your patient base. This increases utilization of your services by existing patients and encourages them to refer other patients.

Electronic instruments (autorefractor-keratometers, autolensometers, autorefractors, and electronic phoroptors) from companies such as Marco and Nikon can be hooked up to pull information directly into the patient's Rx file with the push of a button.

Letters included in OPTO I:

A series of letters is included so that you may get started immediately on the recall system. However, the wording of the letters is easily modified with Microsoft Word to suit your style and meet your needs.

Introduction to the practice: a welcome to the practice letter to be used before the patient gets to the office.

Contact lens inquiry: this is to explain your philosophy of contact lens services to telephone shoppers.

Follow-up letters: these letters are usually sent out 2 or 3 weeks after the patient was in for an exam thanking them for coming to the office and reminding them to refer their friends and family to you for care.

Recall Letters: on his or her recall date, each patient will receive a different, individually printed letter on your stationery. This letter explains the need for a return visit and follow-up care. The many different patient types each receive a letter composed especially for them. Additional paragraphs are automatically inserted for patients with special conditions such as high intraocular pressure, diabetes, or cataracts urging them to return for preventive care. A Spanish version of these letters is also available.

Service agreement renewals: this is a reminder notice that the patient's contact lens service agreement is about to expire.

Progress evaluation notices: this letter is sent out to remind a patient that they are due to call for an appointment for a progress evaluation.

Frequent replacement lens expiration letters: this is used to remind the patient that they are about to run out of frequent replacement lenses. The date the lenses were dispensed, the number of lenses dispensed and the replacement frequency is stored in the prescription information and is used to calculate when the letter should be sent out.

Thank-you-for-referring note: this is sent to patient's who refer other patients. OPTO automatically keeps track of the patients who have been referred. When a patient has referred three or more new patients, a reminder will show up on the calendar messages the next day to remind you to do something special for that person.

Collection letters: this is used to keep your slow paying accounts to a minimum.

Appointment reminders: these are used to send to patients who have made their appointment several months or years in advance. It gives the appointment time and date of their next appointment. This is coordinated with the confirmation list in the appointment schedule and with the recall system. A "missed appointment" letter is also triggered if the patient is a no show.

Notice of Privacy Policies: required by HIPAA.

Calling lists

A telephone recall list may also be printed which includes phone numbers, age, type of patient, credit rating, insurance information, and date of last exam. This is very helpful for following up the letter with a telephone reminder system.

A library of several specialized reports is included:

Patient vision report

Family practice physicians vision report

Referral letter to comanagement physicians

Refractive surgery referral report

Vision therapy report

Student report for school nurses

Authorization form to send HIPAA information

Laser signatures

If you have a laser printer, the doctor's scanned signature may be printed on the letters and insurance forms automatically.

Specific marketing

You may select specific groups of patients based on several different pieces of information, such as age, type of contact lenses, zip code, city, credit rating, exam date, Rx, etc. You may use this information to send them an individually typed letter announcing a new type of lens, a new solution, refractive surgery services, etc. This will enable you to market very specific types of services to patients who are potential candidates for those services.

Mailing labels are used to mail newsletters and other information to your patients. The labels are printed in zip code order, facilitating the use of bulk mail rates.

Spanish letters

The letters are available in both Spanish and English if you are in an area which has a lot of Spanish speaking patients.

Integrated with Microsoft� Word

Microsoft Word 97 or 2000 is used to edit and compose letters. Those letters used for recalls, follow-ups, etc. are coordinated with OPTO. The commands are actually given to the word processor, so you don't have to remember any complicated commands. You merely put an X in front of the recall choice and OPTO will do the rest. OPTO will find all those patients needing specific letters, bump recall dates, figure out which letters to print, which special paragraphs to include, and print the letters.

Appointment Scheduler

The appointment scheduler is totally integrated with the recall system and the frequent replacement system. It is on a "Hot Key" and may be called up while performing almost any other function. Both the week-at-glance and the day-at a-glance screens are colored coded with different colors for different types of appointments and openings are easily and quickly spotted.

Reports include a confirmation list, an insurance company prior approval list which allows you to fax your list directly from the computer to companies that accept faxes , and appointment statistics, in addition to the actual schedule for the day. Exam appointments can be highlighted, so you can see them at a glance.

Calendar messages

You may enter messages for yourself to show up on any date or series of dates in the future. These messages show up on the screen the first time you enter OPTO on that day and may be printed for you.

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