Eye Care Center of Northern Colorado: Experiencing a Seamless Transition With ModMed Ophthalmology

Learn how Eye Care Center of Northern Colorado successfully implemented all-in-one ophthalmology software from ModMed^®

BACKGROUND

Eye Care Center of Northern Colorado has been treating patients for over 30 years and comprises 14 providers across four locations. The fellowship-trained specialists in retina, cornea, glaucoma and oculoplastics treat virtually any ocular condition and provide comprehensive eye exams and contact lens fitting.

The practice implemented an EHR and practice management system from a well-known vendor that seemed promising but quickly proved ineffective. The group discovered that the software did not actually have the functionalities promised.

Disappointed after one year of trying to make the system work, the group decided to switch to ModMed^® Ophthalmology. Clinical Director Megan Hamilton discusses the implementation of the all-in-one ophthalmology suite and how the experience and solutions offered by ModMed have been a major improvement.

WHY SWITCH TO MODMED?

We were definitely oversold and undelivered by our previous vendor. The system was very slow, even though it was cloud-based, and it crashed often. There were a lot of glitchy errors that continued happening, with billing being the biggest pain point. Payments didn’t post correctly, and we had several issues with claims. A lot of the claims would say that they were billed but never got generated to the insurance. The adjustments weren’t taken from insurance, so it would transfer to the patient’s balance in error.

Also, we were unable to look at all of the providers by location. We had to filter through every single provider to see where they were. The PM system was difficult to use in general, and it didn’t offer any type of internal communication.

When we made the decision to switch after one year, our physicians were already familiar with ModMed. We looked at a couple of other systems, but they weren’t as inclusive as what ModMed had to offer, with the largest driving factor being the billing capabilities.

FEWER CLICKS AND FASTER DOCUMENTATION

The Practice Management system will enable our billing department to be very streamlined and smooth. In turn, we expect an increase in patient satisfaction. With our previous system, patients would receive an incorrect bill three or four times. I personally purchased a pair of glasses from our office, and I kept receiving bills and phone calls to collect money that I didn’t owe. If I were a patient who had already paid for this, I would have been very frustrated. We had a 15-page report of issues like that.

Also in our previous system, it took 12 clicks to add one insurance card. If the patient had two cards, that’s a lot of clicking and longer wait times. With ModMed, we can simply scan it, hit “save,” and we’re done. Patients have already commented on how quick it is. We also used to have three separate tabs open at all times, and now, everything is on one page.

In terms of charting, it takes around 30 seconds to document a repeat patient in EMA^®. Our providers can click on which exam they want to pull through, which is extremely helpful and fast. With our prior EHR, a repeat patient took a few minutes because the providers couldn’t access other provider’s exams. For example, if a retina doctor was seeing a patient that was also seen by our glaucoma doctor, they had to choose which of the visits they wanted to pull forward. They weren’t able to mix and match. If they wanted the glaucoma note to pull through and also the retina findings, that was not possible with our old EHR.

TOP-NOTCH IMPLEMENTATION AND TRAINING

The transition to ModMed was night and day, compared to our previous experience. We felt more supported by the ModMed team from the very beginning. I can’t speak highly enough about the extremely knowledgeable trainers and our dedicated project manager. They ensured we had the information and timelines needed to be prepared for a successful go-live. We didn’t have that high level of support or extensive role-specific training with our previous vendor.

We participated in weekly virtual training sessions, followed by on-site training for a week. We also were able to set up a variety of virtual sessions for specific staff groups who needed extra help or had more complex jobs like the MAs and doctors. The resources available to us were built really well for our staff and gave them the flexibility to complete things on their own.

We reassured our staff that this change to ModMed would make all of their jobs easier and that the functionalities would work as they were intended to. We were a little nervous that another change would decrease staff morale, but everyone knew it needed to happen. The training helped to reassure everyone that this was going to be a positive experience.

We had trainers join us for a week during the go-live, spread across our four locations. We decreased our patient volume to 50% the first week, 75% the second and third weeks, and by the fourth week we were back to full capacity. Having a solid team and quality training was a recipe for success.

ModMed has been consistently reliable, enabling our team to do their jobs every day. The system and features work how they are supposed to, and we couldn’t be happier for making the switch.

The statements and conclusions contained herein reflect the opinions of Megan Hamilton and Dr. Justin Kanoff and not those of ModMed. ModMed makes no representations or warranties as to the accuracy of any such information. Results may vary depending on medical practice size, product usage and other variables.

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