OSSNEWS This quarterly electronic publication will keep you up-to-date on events at OfficeMate and be our primary forum for communicating with our clients. There have been many changes at OfficeMate over the last months and many more exciting new changes to come. Stay tuned for future editions of OSSNews.
Seldom in my 20 year career in the eyecare software business have I been so excited about what’s going on at OfficeMate!
I equate my excitement to conversations I’ve had with hundreds-and-hundreds of ECP friends over the years. Spinning a phoropter day-after-day becomes routine, unexciting, and simply not challenging. In most instances, these friends have elected to expand the scope of their clinical practice, or focus on the dispensing aspects of their business, or in some cases, partner with OfficeMate in software R&D efforts.
So what has been done to reinvigorate OfficeMate? Virtually all aspects of OfficeMate have been re-engineered over the last two years. An elite local and national advisory board of ECPs, led by Ian Lane, O.D., Vice President of Professional Services at OfficeMate, and an extended focus group of staff members now guide all aspects of our software design efforts. Complementing OfficeMate’s advisory board are select alpha and beta offices that serve as key sites for the installation, testing, and clinical feedback on all new OfficeMate versions.
OfficeMate’s expanded team of software developers, headed by Vice President Rob Adams, is releasing timely, exciting new versions. OfficeMate continues to meet the contemporary practice management software demands of today’s ECPs.
Providing enhanced support levels in Client Service has been a major focus at OfficeMate over the past two years. Led by Violet Baker, Director of Client Services, I place OfficeMate’s help desk at the top of the list among all major competitors in the eyecare practice management industry. The days of “callbacks” are a distant memory! You now get a live, knowledgeable customer service representative when you call OfficeMate for help!
In addition, the creation of OfficeMate Software Solutions University (OSSU) has filled the gap in training and education. OSSU features affordable, Internet-based technology to conduct live training sessions and pre-recorded “iTrain” courses that are available 24x7x365. Marci Miller, Director of OSSU, invites you to stay tuned for major enhancements to OSSU throughout this year and into 2005!
With all of these changes, what has me the most excited? Without question, the introduction of our new electronic medical records (EMR) software, ExamWRITER 5.0! An intensive nine month re-write effort produced the eyecare industry’s premier EMR, ExamWRITER. ECPs at SECO in Atlanta, Vision Expo in New York, and the AOA in Orlando crowded the OfficeMate booth to get a first glimpse of ExamWRITER. Pre-release sales were off the charts notes Mark Bruskin, Vice President of Sales.
What’s next on the OfficeMate horizon for you? We're expanding the OfficeMate Mall and focusing on Eyecare Business Solutions for your practice. This new emphasis will take your practice to the next level! The OfficeMate desktop is your catalyst for generating incremental practice revenues while enhancing your eyecare business’ efficiency and effectiveness. Carol Wilcox, Product Director, states that “industry partnerships, enhanced Internet-technology initiatives, and intensive vendor integration campaigns will present a total suite of affordable 'eyecare business solutions’ for your practice.” Visit our Web site at www.OfficeMate.net frequently over the next few months for major announcements!
OfficeMate’s industry-leading client base, our great team, software products, and services all foretell of a successful future and “win-win” situation for you and OfficeMate. Yes, I am excited about the future! Join me as we focus on making OfficeMate your tool to generate more revenues, increase efficiency, and create a happier staff with more time to focus on patient care!
The new ExamWRITER 5.0 will be available in August 2004.
For an overview of ExamWRITER, go to www.OfficeMate.net or schedule a live, complete Internet demo of this exciting new EMR by contacting OfficeMate sales at 1.800.269.3666 or Sales@OfficeMate.net.
Sept. 16, 2004
Through
Sept. 15, 2004
ExamWRITER® Software
$2,495
*
$2,495
*
OSSU Training
300
300
Annual Software Maintenance
350
350
Pre-Release Discount
N/A
-500
Total Investment
$3,145
$2,645
*Marchon MVP discounts may apply; discounts based upon retail price; only one discount per order. Offer expires on September 15, 2004.
2004 Show Schedule
Show
Start
End
City
Vision Expo West
Sept. 9, 2004
Sept. 11, 2004
Las Vegas, NV
EastWest
Oct. 14, 2004
Oct. 16, 2004
Cleveland, OH
American Academy of Ophthalmology
Oct. 23, 2004
Oct. 26, 2004
New Orleans, LA
American Academy of Optometry
Dec. 9, 2004
Dec. 11, 2004
Tampa, FL
...Stop and Visit Us!
If you are a current OfficeMate client and want to invest in ExamWRITER, our new electronic medical records software, you may be eligible for a Marchon MVP discount! Check with your local Marchon sales representative or call OfficeMate sales to determine your MVP level and discount.
Marchon also allows you take a rebate against your Co-Op dollars that apply to the software license portion of your OfficeMate investment. You can save up to 50% on your investment—a great reason to buy more Marchon frames throughout the year! Ask your Marchon representative for full details on MVP and Co-Op.
Wish you could have an immediate response from OfficeMate when you need help? Well, there’s good news!
Now your calls are answered live by our knowledgeable client services team and you get immediate answers to your questions. In fact, we’re confident that OfficeMate’s service levels are equal to or exceed the best service levels provided by any competitive help desk services in our industry today.
Your investment in the OfficeMate Software Solutions Annual Software Maintenance Agreement (ASMA) fee is still among the lowest in the eyecare software industry. This reasonable annual fee includes development of future products, yearly software upgrades, iTrain courses, and toll free help desk support. For support, contact our Client Service department at 800.942.5353 (select option 1) from 7:00am to 5:00pm PDT. Or, if you want, send us an e-mail at Support@OfficeMate.net.
Can’t attend a live, hour long instructor led Internet training course offered by OSSU during traditional business hours? Do you have new staff members who need to learn OfficeMate and ExamWRITER? Do you want to increase your use of OfficeMate Software Solutions products?
Now there’s an ideal alternative to learn OfficeMate available 24x7x36—iTrain courses given over the Internet through OfficeMate Software Solutions University! You can have your staff properly trained and efficient in using OfficeMate and ExamWRITER! Now there are no excuses for not fully implementing the OfficeMate Software Solutions products.
To view the course selections now available, go to www.officemate.net and click “iTrain 24/7 Training & Demos.” New courses and updates are being added weekly.
iTrain courses are another extended service provided as an integral part of your ASMA fee. For more information on iTrain courses, go to www.officemate.net or call Marci at 1.800.269.3666, extension 5004, or Bridget at 1.800.269.3666, extension 5013.
We want to hear from you! What features of our software are you using? What features do you like and use daily? How can we improve OfficeMate and ExamWRITER? Would you like to offer any other suggestions to enhance our business and services?
Your input is valuable in guiding the direction of OfficeMate and ExamWRITER in the future! Thanks for your input!
Another OfficeMate exclusive is having an O.D. in professional services! Yes, there may be a few competitive software companies owned by ODs, but no other software company employs a staff optometrist.
OfficeMate has committed the services of an O.D. to you to assure that we are delivering the best level of professional services and products to you, our clients. Dr. Lane has led the development efforts of OfficeMate’s new EMR, ExamWRITER 5.0, scheduled for release this summer. Dr. Lane is also responsible for providing direction for all future OfficeMate features and functionality.
Dr. Lane’s breadth of experience in the eyecare industry spans from clinic chief at the University of Houston College of Optometry to Vice President of R&D at Hydron. Prior to joining OfficeMate, Dr. Lane was in private practice in Southern California for over 20 years…and he was an OfficeMate client!
We are pleased to have the expertise and professional stature of Dr. Lane on the staff at OfficeMate. To share your ideas about our products and services with Dr. Lane, send your e-mails to DrLane@OfficeMate.net.
Today’s computer and Internet technology offers so many opportunities to generate more practice revenues, make you and your staff more efficient, and focus your attention more on patient care and less on day-to-day role activities. The OfficeMate Mall division is exploring new, creative, and cost-effective ways for you to enhance your business using OfficeMate as the platform for integrating business solutions.
Currently, OfficeMate partners with DataHEALTH to offer a secure, encrypted, automatic Internet backup of your OfficeMate and ExamWRITER patient data. Each day DataHEALTH assures you that your valuable patient and financial data is backed up offsite. This offsite backup meets HIPAA requirements and provides you with the security of a good, reliable backup free from staff or mechanical errors.
For a very low monthly fee, DataHEALTH backs up your data after business hours and notifies you by fax or e-mail of a successful (or unsuccessful) backup. If you have a hardware failure or a natural disaster, restoring your patient and financial data is quick, easy, and complete—and no data is lost!
Contact Carol at 1.800.269.3666, ext. 5015, for more information on DataHEALTH.
Save 60 to 90 Minutes of Staff Time and Frustration Every Day! Does your staff enjoy calling patients to remind them of their appointments? How about notifying them that their glasses or contacts are ready to be picked up? How about phone recalls? Staff typically dislike these tasks yet spend hours each day doing them!
Now there’s 4PatientCare from OfficeMate! Internet technology combined with intelligent telephony services can change the way you run your business and save you many staff hours each day and month.
4PatientCare accesses your OfficeMate system through the Internet and downloads data for patient appointment reminders, product pickup notifications, and recalls. Then “Amy,” your new virtual staff member, calls your patients with the proper notification. Amy and your patients communicate using voice prompts or touch tone commands. You then receive e-mail or fax confirmation at your home or office of Amy’s successes in reaching your patients for her intended purpose.
Amy is affordable, professional, never calls in sick, and will be a welcomed member to your existing staff! Meet and introduce your staff to Amy by calling Carol in OfficeMate’s Eyecare Business Solutions division at 1.800.269.3666, extension 5015.
Future versions of OfficeMate that ship after January 2005 will use enhanced resolution to make better use of the “real estate” on the screen. Confirm that your monitors can accommodate screen resolutions of no less than 1024x768. With LCD flat panel display prices dropping, it's a good time to consider purchasing them.
New OfficeMate versions will also require the use of either Windows XP Professional or Windows 2000 Professional operating systems at each workstation to enhance reliability, stability, and security. Check with your CPA about tax credits and the other tax advantages of upgrading your computers before the end of the year.
For complete hardware recommendations, go to www.OfficeMate.net, click Support, and select FAQ. Click “Recommended System Specifications” to download a PDF with a complete list of software, hardware, and network specifications.
