Back-to-school season is a time of high energy for ophthalmology practices, with increased visits from kids and teens. As patients enter into a new school year, now is a great time for ophthalmology practices to boost their own knowledge. One place to start: tech innovations that increase efficiency and drive revenue.

There is a tug of war underway in healthcare, and physicians are sitting squarely in the middle. On one side, patients are demanding providers’ attention and expertise to address often complex medical conditions. On the other, there are evolving regulatory requirements, such as those found in the 2019 Quality Payment Program (QPP), which requires providers to regularly submit detailed measures of quality, cost, interoperability and more. As a result of the constant push and pull, physicians are becoming increasingly frustrated and disheartened. Most entered the profession to treat and care for patients, however, they are becoming sidetracked as they try to effectively demonstrate their performance to receive adequate reimbursement.

As highlighted in our previous blog, bringing innovation that constantly seeks to be more effective while holding patients at the center of the care experience is a key factor in a successful practice; something that Nextech user, Colorado Retina Associates has been able to achieve. Although the idea of transforming your practice into a forward-thinking, high-achieving entity may seem daunting, these goals are closer than you may realize. Here are a few ways you can apply some of Colorado Retina’s philosophy and passion to take your practice to the next level.

Driven by a growing need for change, in 2007 three prominent retina practices in the Denver metropolitan area merged to form Colorado Retina Associates (CRA)—the largest retina practice in the Rocky Mountain Region with six locations, including two satellite offices in Kansas and South Dakota. The impetus for the merger was to maintain a strong and progressive organization and effectively compete in an increasingly managed care marketplace; focusing on treating several ocular conditions. This includes macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment, eye tumors and uveitis.

Does your Ophthalmology practice struggle with slow charting? Are you frustrated by how much time it takes to fully document patient care?

EMR Slowing You Down? Ophthalmology practices everywhere are looking for ways to increase patient visits and ensure patient satisfaction. Some physicians look first to their staff to find the source of any delays, while many others—without investigation—assume they simply have no capacity to add new patients.

The 2,398-page final rule for the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) was released in October. In the wake of this new ruling, a survey conducted by Medscape found that nearly 30 percent of physicians had never heard of MACRA as recently as mid-September. This seems like a large number of physicians who are still in the dark, considering that the law could positively or negatively affect their Medicare reimbursements by as much as nine percent.

Nextech believes in giving back to the medical communities that have partnered with them over the years. That’s why Nextech is donating a $30,450 package of its solutions and services, including a two-year subscription to Nextech’s Ophthamology-specific EMR software, IntelleChartPRO. Nextech’s donation is provided to support the educational, quality-of-care and service programs of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO).