Over the past year, OfficeMate Software Solutions (OSS) has grown from a company of 65 staff members to a team of 84! I am very proud of the commitment of the OSS Team to continue to grow, not only in numbers, but in areas of support for you, our client. For example, our Client Services department, which is the most visible OSS department to you and your staff in the course of your daily activities, has made great strides in improving your support experience.

Customer and client service is critically important to all of us at OSS. Every day, there's a team focus on how to do things better. It is our goal to answer your calls immediately, have the most highly skilled client service representatives in our industry, continue building our online knowledge base, and conduct even more effective OSSU education courses. We want to make you, our valued clients, more satisfied with every aspect of our eyecare software products and services.

I can tell you, without any doubt, that OSS has an excellent team of client service professionals, a team that truly cares about the success of you and your staff. As I travel across the country, visiting with existing clients, new clients, and industry colleagues, it becomes increasingly evident that while delivering world-class customer service is difficult in any industry, we face a particular challenge in the eyecare software industry due to the nature of providing professional services, retailing frames and contacts, manufacturing glasses, and warehousing inventory. Based on what I continually hear from clients, our OSS Client Services team is successfully meeting this challenge head on and I know we're getting better every day!

In order to bring you the high level of service you expect from OSS, we have assembled an industry-leading client service and education management team. Each of our managers brings a unique set of skills and experiences that complement the abilities of our Client Services representatives.

Here are a few highlights of our Client Services management team.

• Violet Baker, Sr. Director of Quality Assurance and Client Services
  Violet has been the back bone of the OfficeMate Client Services team for over ten years. Her hands-on approach to working with clients and internal departments has been instrumental in finding solutions and enhancing the functionality of our software products.
• Mary Garrison, Director of Client Services
  Mary offers over 21 years of experience within optometric practice management software. As Director of Client Services, Mary's team prides itself on providing timely and accurate support. She continually focuses on improving caller wait times and offering more tools to our clients to accommodate their needs.
• Janet Johnson, Director of COS Client Services
  Janet is a Certified Licensed Optician and brings 27 years of experience in the optical industry. Janet's long history in the industry has allowed her to provide a strong optometric business perspective to OSS software products. In addition to providing support and consulting to our clients, Janet is instrumental in translating client needs to practical software solutions.
• Carlos Talbot, Director of Client Service and IT Support
  Carlos is a Microsoft Certified Professional. In addition to providing client support, Carlos is building the internal infrastructure to provide hardware and IT support to all our clients in the future. His expertise lies in matching hardware and network infrastructure to software demands. Carlos' team also tests new hardware devices with OSS software products.
• Jim Sotiropoulos, Vice President of Client Services
  Jim offers 18 years of optical industry and management experience. In his previous role as Vice President of Operations for an optometric company, Jim was responsible for all aspects of opening new optometric practices including staffing, purchasing, and inventory control. As the leader of the Client Services team, Jim strives to provide the tools the Client Services team members need to utilize their various skills and provide outstanding customer service to our clients.
• Rebecca Johnson, Director of Education
  Rebecca Johnson is the new Director of Education. Rebecca has been in the eye care business for more than two decades, holding manager positions within private practices and teaching positions at college-level ophthalmic programs. Rebecca has taught over 100 continuing education courses for JCAHPO, AOA, and ABO. In addition to enhancing existing iCoach and iTrain courses, Rebecca has developed OfficeMate/ExamWRITER Education Conferences that will be taught throughout the United States beginning in October.

Although there is much to do and learn, we'll never stop caring about our clients and striving to enhance our services for you. My personal thanks to our entire OSS Client Services team for a great job and their continued commitment to being the best!

C. Edward Buffington
President & COO

Does OfficeMate Software Solutions have your current e-mail address?

If you're reading this newsletter on our Web site, and did not receive it in your e-mail inbox, you are also not receiving important information about updates to your OfficeMate and ExamWRITER software. If you did not receive this newsletter by e-mail, take the following actions:

1. Check your Spam folder.
   OfficeMate Software Solutions sends newsletters and announcements from the newsletter@officemate.net e-mail address. If you see e-mail from this address in your Spam folder, mark it as “not spam.” To add OSS as a safe sender and prevent important messages from being buried in spam, refer to our Knowledge Base at: http://www.officemate.net/omkb/Article.aspx?id=10696 .
2. Notify OfficeMate Software Solutions of your current e-mail address.
   We may be sending messages to an old e-mail address or to the e-mail address of a former employee who no longer works for your practice. Send your current e-mail address along with the licensed owner's name and office phone number. Send this information to changeemail@officemate.net or download and fax our e-mail change form from http://www.officemate.net/pdfs/E-Mail%20Address%20Request.pdf.

With each critical update, several hundred e-mails bounce back to us. Hopefully, you're not one of those who are missing out on critical updates.

Michael Opsteegh
Sr. Technical Writer

The soon-to-be-released OfficeMate iPoint VTO 3.0 is virtual try-on made better! OfficeMate's iPoint VTO 3.0 is faster and easier to use than previous generations of virtual try-on technology. It speeds up the process of dispensing eyewear and demonstrating lens options, saving time for both opticians and patients.

The interface with vFrames from Frames DATA now features an expanded selection of colors and sizes of frames from Marchon Eyewear and other vendors. Frames DATA continues to add hundreds of new frame models from over 200 vendors every month!

OfficeMate's iPoint VTO 3.0 offers integration with Eyemaginations' 3D Office software. This feature gives you the ability to seamlessly play interactive 3D animations that accompany the photorealistic frame and lens demonstrations already available in iPoint VTO. The integration with Eyemaginations 3D Office makes iPoint VTO an even more comprehensive education and marketing tool.

iPoint 3.0 supports wide-screen resolutions, allowing your office to use iPoint on the ultra-hip wide-screen monitors and laptops. Additional support for touch screen monitors makes iPoint VTO easier to deploy in tight spaces where a mouse and keyboard just won't work.

iPoint VTO 3.0 features a new, simplified installation, streamlined activation, enhanced camera support, improved networking, additional customizability, expanded support and training documentation built-into the Help menu, and support for the latest multimedia plug-ins for Windows, making iPoint VTO better than ever.

See it in action at Vision Expo West! Or call OfficeMate at 800.269.3666, option 8, ext. 5052 for a personal demonstration.

David Markle
Vice President of Technology Integrated Practice

Many people think about adding an EMR on the basis of neater records, no more lost files, and better patient management. These are all true and valid reasons, but did you ever stop to think about the actual dollars added to the revenue line? The fact is, there is a real dollar benefit from using an EMR like ExamWRITER. There are also real costs associated with a paper system. As an integrated component to OfficeMate ExamWRITER provides a seamless solution and is already viewed as a highly-acclaimed solution for eyecare practices.

So, how much are we really talking about? Let's take a look at several cost factors. Although I am making some assumptions based on the industry in general, feel free to use your own numbers.

Cost of Paper Records
A study completed by the AAO several years ago estimated that the costs associated with a new patient record were $2.50 and a returning visit $0.50. Review of Optometry once estimated that the average practice spends over $6,000 a year maintaining 8 file cabinets full of charts. Another way to look at this is just by adding up the cost of paper and copies. Most costs estimates for paper run in the 7- to 10-cent-per-page range. The number of pages in each patient encounter multiplied by the number of visits per year adds up quickly and easily exceeds $1,000 each year. Although you won't be able to eliminate all paper, you will certainly stem the tide of adding any more paper and reap the cost savings.

Improved Efficiency of Your Office Staff
How much time does your staff take filing and retrieving records? It's easy to see how much money is involved by looking at the number of files handled daily. If each visit results in 3 minutes of staff time for retrieving a file, making copies, and returning the file at the end of the day and you average 20 visits per day this adds up to 15,000 minutes (250 hours) per year! The math is easy at that point, and at $13-an-hour average, there is over $3,200 in savings per year.

Improved Coding
Now let's look at the biggest advantage—coding. In today's world it is becoming increasingly difficult to document to the required level. In many cases under-coding becomes a chronic problem. In several practice studies, it has been estimated that at least one visit per day is under-coded in the average practice for a loss of $25. For a practice that is open 5 days a week this amounts to over $6,200 in recoverable fees!

Very quickly, we have calculated over $10,000 in savings each year!! Of course, your savings may vary. There are an increasing number of laws being proposed that relate to clinical records. There is a looming mandated deadline for electronic records and ExamWRITER is winning accolades from doctors and consultants nationwide. Call the Sales department at OfficeMate to see how we can help you keep an extra $10,000 of your money each year!

Have you heard? We're taking OSSU on the road! OSSU is offering three OfficeMate and ExamWRITER Educational Conferences in October 2007. These conferences will be held in conjunction with Vision Expo West (Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 3), Pioneers in Optometry (Tulsa, Oklahoma, on October 11 & 12), and American Academy of Optometry (Tampa, Florida, on October 23). We will be coming to a town near you in 2008 as we are actively planning for several more Education Conferences. To register, or for more information, call 800.269.3666, option 8, ext. 2962.

Rebecca L. Johnson, COT, CPOT, COE
Director of Education

Staff management is a major challenge in the ophthalmic industry. The goal of this column is to provide you with practical advice to assist in hiring, training, and retaining staff. This article is part two of an eight-part series. Visit our newsletter archive to read the previous article at http://www.officemate.net/newsletters_Summer2007.aspx#Staffing.

Step 3: Interviewing Well

Now that you have a complete, updated job description and know the criteria you will be using to make your selection, it is time to meet your future employee. The first challenge in the interview process is carving out time from your day to conduct the interviews. Telephone interviews can save time by allowing you to make a quick, first impression before you set the interview appointment. A telephone interview can be accomplished by calling the applicant to thank them for applying for the position. Asking about their interest in this particular job will give you insight as to whether the applicant is “just fishing” or if there is a true interest in working in the ophthalmic field. You can quickly determine the applicant's language use and professionalism in a brief conversation. If you continue to have interest in the person at the end of the conversation, schedule time to meet for a formal interview.

The interview meeting should be thought of as an information exchange between you and the candidate. The interviewer tells the candidate about the company and the position; the candidate tells the interviewer about himself or herself.

The interviewer and the candidate both have decisions to make. Providing honest information will allow each side to make the best decision. Interview questions should be thought out ahead of time. Consistently asking the same question to each applicant allows you to compare answers, giving you solid information with which to make your decision. Ask the the following two questions to determine specific characteristics of each individual:

• “In what area do you feel you have a natural talent?”
• “What motivates you?”

People thrive in job positions that allow them to develop their natural talents, and a motivated employee is one who will work hard and remain loyal to your practice. If the position does not match with their answers, this person may not be a good choice. For example, someone who is strongly motivated by money and the desire to win may not be the best choice for an optician if you do not have a competitive compensation program in place. Discussing salary can be a sensitive issue. When discussing salary, ask such questions as:

• “What salary do you expect to make in this position?”
• “What do you base that figure on?”
• “How do you think your compensation should be determined?”
• “What noncash aspects of compensation are important to you?”

If your interest continues once the interview is complete, invite the candidate back for a second interview. The second interview can be held with staff members, particularly those who work in the department with the open position. Skill testing should be a part of the second interview. For instance, if you are hiring back office personnel and the candidate has previous experience in this area, ask them to perform and document a comprehensive history on a fictional patient. If the candidate does not have previous experience, teach him or her how to do an autorefraction to test for technical ability. Allowing your staff to participate in the interview process demonstrates your desire for teamwork.

Rebecca L. Johnson, COT, CPOT, COE
Director of Education

Client Services is here to help. Our dedicated team wants to make sure your experience with OfficeMate Software Solutions' products and your interaction with OSS Client Services are pleasant and productive. Nobody likes having to call for help, but there are steps you can take to simplify your call and make it painless for you.

1. Write down the error message. In most cases, the error message accurately pinpoints the cause of the problem.
2. Write down the version of the software. The title bar in OfficeMate and ExamWRITER displays the version number. In iPoint VTO, click the About iPoint button (?) to determine the version.
3. Document the problem by printing the image on the screen. Press the Print Scrn key and paste the image into a graphics or word processing application. Let the Client Services representative know that you have a screenshot of the error.
4. Search for the error before calling. Press F1 for Help, or search our extensive online Knowledge Base. Help tells you how to perform specific functions in the software, while the knowledge base helps you diagnose and fix many errors. You can access the Knowledge Base online at http://www.officemate.net/omkb/.
5. Restart the computer. Restart your computer as a simple solution for many random problems, and may save you the trouble of calling Client Services.
6. Have your account number handy. Your account number is the office telephone number to which your OSS software is registered. If you call Client Services from home or another location from which you work remotely, you must still give your office phone number as the account number. Having your account number handy expedites your call by allowing Client Services to access your call history quickly.
7. Find the phone number. You can reach Client Services by phone at 800.942.5353 or by e-mail at support@officemate.net.
8. Make sure you have the time. While Client Services makes every attempt to answer your call in a timely manner, there are peak periods when you may have to wait on hold for a few minutes. Additionally, the Client Services representative will need you to assist in correcting the problem, which will take additional time. If you do not have 15-20 minutes to spare, you should put off calling until it is convenient.
9. Make the call. The Client Services representative will ask you for the information that you gathered in the previous steps and help you identify the cause of the problem and finding a solution.

The OfficeMate Software Solutions Documentation team creates a variety of documents to help you use your OfficeMate and ExamWRITER software efficiently in your practice. Each quarter, we'd like to shine a spotlight on one document that we think is important for you to revisit or review. This fall, as you take inventory of your computer systems and networks and begin to plan ahead for end-of-the-year or early 2008 purchases, we want to remind you to view the System Specifications document that is located on our Web site at http://www.officemate.net/PDFs/System Specifications.pdf.

The System Specifications document was recently updated and contains our latest recommended and minimum software, hardware, and network requirements for using OfficeMate and ExamWRITER. One specification that we recently updated is our recommendation for the amount of RAM on your workstations. We now recommend that you have 1 GB or higher of RAM on your workstations; our minimum requirement has changed to 512 MB. It is important that you review this document before you purchase new computer systems for your office. We suggest that you print this document and give it to your computer technician or, if you will be purchasing the computers yourself, take it to the store with you so that you purchase the optimum hardware and software for your use with the OfficeMate Suite.

In addition to listing the operating and processor software specifications; RAM, hard drive, monitor, video adapter, printer, scanner, Fax modem, Internet connection, backup media, and UPS hardware specifications; and cable, card, switch, wireless, and remote access network specifications, the System Specifications document also explains the following system terminology: client or workstation, dedicated server network, network, peer-to-peer network, printer server, and server.

So, click the link to the System Specifications document and review it, especially before you make new computer system purchases for your office. If you have further questions about your computer systems and networks, contact your computer and network technicians.

Carrie Damschroder
Director of Documentation

Our Development team has been busily working on a new product called OfficeMate Enterprise. OfficeMate Enterprise looks similar to OfficeMate, but there are some major differences.  You could say that OfficeMate Enterprise is OfficeMate on steroids. OfficeMate Enterprise features include:

• Multilocation, scalable platform
• Home office administration and management
• SQL database driven
• HL7 interface support for systems integration
  • Direct interfaces to Lab Management systems
  • Direct G/L Accounting system interfaces
• Completely new Appointment Scheduler
• Split commissions between providers and staff
• Centralized inventory management and control
• Centralized and local appointment scheduling for providers and resources

OfficeMate Enterprise is the answer for multilocation practices that need a centralized practice management system that's scalable and can quickly and securely share information between sites. Single-location practices that want to leverage the improved flexibility of OfficeMate Enterprise may want to consider converting from OfficeMate or another practice management system.

While we are allocating considerable resources to OfficeMate Enterprise, we are continuing to develop OfficeMate as the premier practice management system for single-location practices. Many of the features developed for OfficeMate Enterprise will trickle into OfficeMate.

You can read more about OfficeMate Enterprise on our Web site at http://www.officemate.net/enterprise_overview.aspx . Look for more announcements about OfficeMate Enterprise in 2008.

Internet backup is one of the best tools available to protect your practice management data and electronic medical records. Internet backups are cheaper and more reliable than traditional backup solutions with a quicker recovery time to get you back in business faster when a disaster strikes.

OfficeMate and DataHEALTH offer iBackup, an Internet backup solution specially designed for OfficeMate clients. More than just peace-of-mind, iBackup offers you a fully automated process, instant notification of your backup status, speed, reliability, HIPAA compliance, and a great value at about $1 a day.

The vitality of your practice depends on the security of your patient information and practice management data. Even if you backup to CD or flash drive, your backup is still subject to the same threats as the data on your computers. Can you afford to start from scratch, reentering and recreating your patient information manually? You can effortlessly safeguard your data from robbery, fire, flood, earthquake, tornado, hurricane, and more with iBackup.

For more information about OfficeMate iBackup Powered by DataHEALTH, go to http://www.officemate.net/officemate_va_DataHEALTH.aspx or call our Sales department at 800.269.3666.

David Markle
Vice President of Technology Integrated Practice