Dr. Mark Brown of Oculo-Facial Consultants Improves Efficiency and Finds a Better Work-Life Balance With ModMed® Ophthalmology

Learn how one oculoplastics surgeon improved efficiency and saved time with ModMed Ophthalmology 

Dr. Mark Brown specializes in eyelid, orbit and lacrimal cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. When he opened his own practice, Oculo-Facial Consultants, in Mobile, Alabama, he wanted an all-in-one technology system that had oculoplastics content and was intuitive and cloud-based. His goals were to lessen staff burden and to create a happy and efficient work environment. 

Dr. Brown selected EMA^®, the award-winning* ophthalmology EHR system, and a year later added Practice Management (PM), ModMed Pay and Patient Engagement tools from ModMed. Here, he shares why the all-in-one ophthalmology software has been a game changer for his practice.

WHY MODMED?

In my previous group, we used a hybrid of paper and server-based EHR. At the time, it was a reasonable blend of technology. As time went on, government requirements made it difficult to continue to use that system, not to mention that the bridge connecting the EHR and PM often failed. It was like a series of bandages were put on the issues as opposed to its being a true ground-up solution. I have a very strong IT background, so it was extra frustrating to me because I knew things could be better. 

When I started my own practice, I had so much more clarity on what I wanted for my EHR system. I didn’t just want to stick with what I was used to. Change can be uncomfortable, but I had to look down the road — my quality of life is important. I didn’t want to cut corners. 

I was starting over with a purpose. I wanted a solution that was easy to use and offered integrations for faxing, retrieving lab results and managing images. This would ultimately help relieve some of my staff’s frustrations. I also wanted to turn the focus back to my patients. I didn’t want to sit facing a desktop computer screen, I wanted to look at my patients. I watched ModMed over the years while cloud capabilities continued to get stronger. I felt that ModMed Ophthalmology would help me accomplish my goals.

TIME-SAVING FEATURES

The Protocols feature was a game changer. I can create visit notes for common diagnoses, procedures or post-op visits and then apply this information to each individual exam with just a few clicks. It’s very logical and efficient. For instance, when we conduct a post-op exam with a protocol, 99% of our time is talking to the patient and 1% is spent documenting. The note can be closed by the time the patient walks out of the door. On a typical day, my staff leaves at 4:55PM and I leave at 5:15PM with all of my charts done. Anything I do at home is my choice rather than a sense of obligation to review and “close” unfinished notes. 

We also value Image Management, which integrates seamlessly with EMA. I can quickly load our diagnostic images, such as external photos, OCT images, visual field images, MRIs and CTs, into the system and easily access them from the chart. It’s like I have my scans with me wherever I go via my iPad or PocketEMA. I can show my patients the iPad and go through their previous and current scans, which is huge. 

Having a cloud-based system has helped eliminate the emotional fatigue I dealt with when using server-based systems. I no longer have to rotate hard drives, or deal with frequent downtimes. If I need to, I can simply turn on my hot spot on my phone and check charts. EMA is packed with so many features.

ALL-IN-ONE OPHTHALMOLOGY SOFTWARE

When we started with EMA, we were comfortable with our existing bridge, so we waited a year to implement Practice Management. I would select ModMed a thousand times again, but one thing I would change is that I wouldn’t have waited to sign up with PM. Now that we’ve experienced the benefits of the all-in-one system, we wish we would have implemented it at the same time as EMA. 

The PM system is very visual and easy to navigate. We can easily see the schedule on the iPad and the check-in/checkout process is more streamlined. We use OCR [optical character recognition] and can scan the patient’s insurance card and driver’s license right into the computer. This helps reduce manual data entry while saving time. 

MAKE THE SWITCH

If you are considering switching EHR systems, you have to look past the transition phase and think about the benefits you will gain. Change is scary. I started a new practice with a new software system, and it was 110% worth it. If you don’t make this bold decision, you will have these incremental Band-Aid solutions that don’t work. ModMed Ophthalmology is the best software I’ve used. I consider it a luxury item that has improved my quality of life.