OSSNews This quarterly electronic publication will keep you up-to-date on events at OfficeMate. OSSNews is our primary forum for communicating with our clients. There have been many changes at OfficeMate over the past few months and many more exciting new changes to come. Stay tuned for future editions of OSSNews!
As the summer of 2005 wanes and Fall approaches, OfficeMate Software Solutions heralds the release of OfficeMate and ExamWRITER 6.0! These new versions advance the strong enhancement initiatives you have come to expect from us over the last two years.
OfficeMate 6.0 features a significantly redesigned and enhanced financial module including new features in the Patient Ledger, Fee Slip Item Returns and Adjustments, Receipts and Adjustments, and Reports, Statements and Graphs windows.
We’ve also listened to your suggestions and enhanced the appointment scheduler and inventory modules. You can now scan your inventory into OfficeMate, automatically populate a physical inventory count screen, and organize the scanned count by inventory cycles. To read the complete document detailing the enhancements in OfficeMate 6.0, go to http://www.officemate.net/PDFs/OM 60 Enhancements.pdf.
ExamWRITER, our electronic health record (EHR) software, continues its explosive growth and popularity among OfficeMate clients! Now widely recognized as the premier EHR for eyecare professionals, ExamWRITER is the envy of ECP’s using competitive software. We’ve been pleasantly surprised to see new clients motivated by the desire to use ExamWRITER converting from competitor’s software to ExamWRITER!
ExamWRITER 6.0 includes, among hundreds of enhancements, the ability to track and graph glaucoma elements such as IOP’s. The new ExamWRITER Editor provides clients with the ability to customize exam data and auto letter sequences as well as the ability to exclude data from auto letters.
Through the great efforts of Dr. Ian Lane, OfficeMate’s Vice President of Professional Services, ExamWRITER now integrates with Optos, Marco, Topcon, Huvitz, Humphrey, and Kowa diagnostic instruments to provide speed and efficiency in your office.
In addition to growth in our software’s functionality, our company has grown! Recently, we opened a second office in Salem, Ohio, that is staffed with experienced optical professionals who are focused on OfficeMate Suite coaching and education. All OfficeMate Software Solutions University (OSSU) efforts have moved from California to Ohio. The new team in Ohio offers private and small group coaching on an expanded schedule. To learn more about “iCoach,” contact the OSSU team at 1.800.942.5353, option 3, or ossu@officemate.net, or go to the OSSU portion of www.officemate.net for course curriculums and schedules.
Another exciting development at OfficeMate Software Solutions is the redesign of our Web site (including this newsletter)! Keep checking back at www.officemate.net to see the new changes to our new Web site! This new site will be your primary gateway to all OfficeMate and ExamWRITER news and updates.
If want to see a live demonstration of OfficeMate or ExamWRITER, consider coming to Las Vegas and attending Vision Expo West! Not only will you be able to see a live demo, but you’ll also meet the OfficeMate management team. Come visit us in the OfficeMate/Eye Designs booth (#14063) or the new Marchon Software Solutions booth (#11057), adjacent to the very popular Marchon Eyewear booth!
As always, my personal goal is to give you the best eyecare software products, the best service, and the highest overall satisfaction with OfficeMate and ExamWRITER. If you have any ideas, comments, or suggestions, contact me at ed@officemate.net or directly at OfficeMate at 1.800.269.3666, extension 5001.
I also welcome your referrals from friends and colleagues who may be “less than happy” with their current practice management software programs. Referrals from happy clients remain our primary source for new business!
OfficeMate Software Solutions has traditionally licensed and supported OfficeMate and ExamWRITER based upon the number of physical locations rather than the number of workstations within that location. Beginning on October 1, 2005, we will adopt what has become the industry norm and base software purchases and annual support fees on the number of workstations actively using the software.
The logic behind this new policy is simple—those offices with fewer workstations typically require less support than offices with a higher number of workstations. Adopting a tiered pricing structure more evenly and equitably distributes support and development costs over our user base. With this new structure, OfficeMate will continue to offer the industry’s highest level of customer support along with aggressive product enhancements.
If you are currently using OfficeMate and/or ExamWRITER this new pricing structure will not affect your ASMA (Annual Software Maintenance Agreement) fees because you will be “grandfathered” into the new pricing structure. In addition, all new OfficeMate and/or ExamWRITER purchases made before the October 1st timeframe will not be affected by the new tiered pricing.
All software purchases made after October 1, 2005, will be priced under the new tiered structure which is based upon 1-5 users, 6-10 users, and 11+ users and will advance your existing OfficeMate and/or ExamWRITER ASMA to the new tiered pricing structure.
If you are considering adding OfficeMate and/or ExamWRITER to your practice we encourage you to purchase before October 1! And as always, feel free to contact us at 1.800.269.3666 or sales@officemate.net with any questions or comments that you may have.
The OfficeMate and ExamWRITER version 6.0 beta/pre-release period crossed the finish line at the end of June after three months of close communication and collaboration with our designated beta/pre-release sites. The beta/pre-release period is a period when the upcoming version of the OfficeMate Suite software is released to a limited number of offices to verify software functionality and reliability in a real business environment before the product is distributed to all offices.
The Quality Assurance (QA) department at OfficeMate has grown during the previous year. This year, the members of the QA department took a leading role in gathering defect and enhancement information for the version 6.0 release. Discrepancy reports and enhancement requests from our beta sites helped OfficeMate to improve the overall quality of the long anticipated OfficeMate and ExamWRITER 6.0 versions. Your ideas on how to improve our future versions of the software give us direction and reassure us that we are on the right track.
We are looking forward to working with you on future versions of OfficeMate and ExamWRITER!
Did you know that OfficeMate and ExamWRITER help is available to you 24/7? Read further to see where you can find answers to your questions any time of the day (or night)!
If you have a question about how to perform a task in OfficeMate or ExamWRITER, you can press the F1 button on your computer keyboard in either program and access context-sensitive online help.
If you prefer to find answers to your questions in a book, you can read the OfficeMate User’s Guide and ExamWRITER Getting Started Guide—look in the table of contents or index of the books to help you get started. If you can’t find your guide, or if you own an outdated guide, go to http://www.officemate.net/CS_Documents.asp and download the latest version of the OfficeMate User’s Guide and ExamWRITER Getting Started Guide. You can also click Help on the main toolbar of OfficeMate and ExamWRITER and select the appropriate user’s guide.
If you are a visual learner and you need a quick answer to your OfficeMate or ExamWRITER questions, view one or more of our iTrain training and demonstrations at http://www.officemate.net/OSSUiTrain.asp. These short videos will get you up-to-speed in no time!
In addition to answering questions about using OfficeMate and ExamWRITER, OfficeMate Software Solutions publishes documentation that can help you maintain your networks, map network drives, share folders, and back up and restore your data—just go to http://www.officemate.net/CS_Documents.asp and download the appropriate documents!
Our documentation team is constantly updating and creating documents that will help you do your job better. Soon, we will be publishing a knowledge base that will help you find answers to your questions with the click of a mouse.
"Your CSR was so patient with me when I was in a panic. The CSR stayed on the phone with me until everything was fixed. He is a true example of what customer service is all about."
"You were so nice and helpful!"
"I just wanted to thank your support staff for the help they gave me yesterday, everyone that I talked to was very friendly and helpful."
As always, Client Services’ goal is to continually enhance the level of service we provide to you, our valued clients. Here are some pointers that can help make your support experience easier, faster, and more useful.
Be Specific No matter how you are contacting us—by telephone, e-mail, or FAX—be clear and concise and give examples of the issue, or issues, you are having. Even though we know our programs inside and out, your system is as unique as a fingerprint and we often need your help doing a little "detective work" before we can solve your issue.
Use Teamwork & Communication Teamwork and communication are vital components between your office and our office. Here are some things to keep in mind when your team is working with our team:
Give us information about what might have happened and any irregularities just before, or sometime before, the issue occurred. Has this issue occurred for awhile? Did it surface after a specific update, or updates? Did you upgrade or install some other program, or uninstall some other program? All of this may be pertinent. Remember to be a detective!
If you call us, be in front of the computer where the issue is occurring. We will probably want to do some things in the program to see exactly when things are failing.
We will want to know what version of the program you are using. This information can be found by clicking on the Help menu, and then selecting About. We need to know what specific version you are using, for instance, 5.2. If you are sending us an e-mail, be sure to let us know what version you are using in your e-mail message.
Let us know about any preference settings that you have established that may be pertinent to your issue.
Be sure that your hardware and network is up to date. Sometimes we receive calls from clients about support issues that arise from a flaw in our program. However, 95% of all support we do is related to the client's system, not the program’s failure.
Please Show Respect & Courtesy We understand your frustration when you are experiencing problems using OfficeMate or ExamWRITER. We are here to help you though! If you are upset about something that just occurred to your system take a deep breath before calling Client Services and stay focused on the issue. Here are some other things that you can do to help us solve your issue:
Please don't get angry with the person with whom you are talking.
Use positive language that promotes cooperation.
Remain calm and avoid arguing.
Listen with patience. Please don’t interrupt.
How to Contact Support There are many ways to contact our Client Services team and get support. Read the Reminder: Help is Available 24/7! article to learn where you can get help any time of the day or night. If you are experiencing an issue that cannot be resolved by reading the OfficeMate or ExamWRITER online help or user's guide, call us at 1.800.942.5353, option 1, or e-mail us at support@officemate.net.
We want to give you the best support possible, but we need your help to make the experience truly rewarding and helpful to you. Please review the Help Us Help You article for more tips on how you can help us quickly solve your support issues.
Great things are happening in our online educational services division. In June OSSU relocated to another building. That other building also happens to be in an entirely different state! We are settling into our new office located in beautiful, rural Ohio.
Advanced technology in telecommunication allows the new OSSU office in Ohio to be in constant contact with the California main office. So while the miles separate the offices, we are able to remain unified in purpose, which is meeting the needs of our clients.
We now have three staff members dedicated to meeting your needs and helping you learn and navigate efficiently in your OfficeMate software.
We will be working closely with the technical experts in the Client Services department to add classes to our current OSSU schedule and add new online iTrain videos to our Web site. Stay tuned!
The latest and greatest version of ExamWRITER will be arriving at your office soon! The entire team at OfficeMate has worked hard to add feature-rich enhancements to version 6.0. For a complete list and explanation of ExamWRITER 6.0 enhancements, go to http://www.officemate.net/pdfs/EW 60 Enhancements.pdf. This document is a “must read”—you’ll learn how version 6.0 takes ExamWRITER to a new level of ease and sophistication! To view a pre-recorded video that shows you how to use all of the new version 6.0 features, go to http://www.OfficeMate.net/iTRAIN/ExamWRITER/EW6Enhancements.html.
One example of a very useful new feature in version 6.0 is our all new Patient Information Center that enables you to view all prior examinations in one view, thereby eliminating the need to “flip through prior exams” before re-examining a patient. The Center also includes the following information:
Demographic information
Family member and patient exam history for OfficeMate patients
Graphical representation of Glaucoma trends (including pachymetry, CD radio, and IOP)
Medication history
Spectacle prescriptions
Contact lens prescriptions
Electronic documents attached to current and prior exams
Correspondence history
I am also pleased to announce the addition of the following two new interfaces to make your ExamWRITER user experience even more efficient and complete:
Dr. Ian Lane, Vice President of Professional Services ian@officemate.net
Today’s computer and Internet technology offers 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 office activities. The OfficeMate Mall division is exploring new, creative, and cost-effective ways for you to enhance your business using OfficeMate and ExamWRITER as the platforms for integrating business solutions.
OfficeMate iBackup Powered by DataHEALTH
Are you concerned about the security of your client’s personal information? With the recent media attention on corporations losing customer data and having it stolen, it has become even more important to make sure patient information is routinely and properly backed up to a secure off-site location.
OfficeMate offers the ideal backup solution for you—OfficeMate iBackup powered by DataHEALTH. All you need to use this service is an Internet connection and a few minutes to set up the backup parameters—and then your worries are over! Rest assured that iBackup powered by DataHEALTH securely transmits and stores your files to a safe location. Also, no one except you can view the data. iBackup powered by DataHEALTH provides you with the assurance that your backup was successful and gives you the ability to restore data easily, if necessary.
Remember: Before you backup your OfficeMate data, you must close OfficeMate on all of your computers.
OfficeMate iBackup Powered by DataHEALTH is now offering a free 30-day, obligation-free trial! For more information on this offer and how OfficeMate iBackup Powered by DataHEALTH can secure your vital data, contact Marci Miller at 800.269.3666, ext. 5004, or marci@officemate.net.
Are you moving? Do you want to make sure that your patients move with you?
4PatientCare and OfficeMate can effectively, quickly, and affordably communicate your office move to your patients at a fraction of the traditional notification cost. With 4PatientCare you can combine your move announcement with a recall notification for select patients due for an appointment. You can target the message based on any or all of the following criteria:
Last Visit or Next Recall Date
Recall Reason
Assigned Doctor
Age
Gender
Insurance
4PatientCare will prepare a message, similar to the one below, tailored for your office.
Hi, this is Amy, from the office of Dr. James Williams, your optometrist. I’m calling from our new office at 2020 Great Vision Lane. It has been a while since we have seen you for an eye exam. Please call (562) 861-1800 to schedule your next appointment, or schedule online 24 hours a day at www.4yourvisioncare.com. Thank you and have a nice day!
The OfficeMate Mall Introduces Motion Computing Tablet PCs!
Through the use of digital ink, Motion Tablet PCs automate much of the laborious paperwork that eyecare professionals currently complete by hand. Eyecare professionals and administrative staff can record information in OfficeMate and ExamWRITER using a digital pen and the Motion Tablet PC.
Using the full features of Motion Tablet PCs, eyecare professionals can better manage and communicate the details of patient care. Electronic health records in ExamWRITER are easier to access and share with patients using the large 12.1" display. Patients can use Motion Tablet PCs to view educations materials on planned treatments, operations, or medications—all accessible over a wireless network.
Back at their workstations or desks, administrative staff members can use Motion Tablet PCs with FlexDock docking stations as their primary computer to perform their daily work in OfficeMate and ExamWRITER. The digital ink and Speak Anywhere audio technology enhance day-to-day office tasks.
Motion Tablet PCs enable eyecare professionals to bring the power of real-time information to the point of care, streamlining office workflows, increasing productivity, minimizing errors, decreasing costs, and enhancing the capture of billable charges.
If your staff spends excess amounts of time handwriting and printing insurance claims and the wait for processing paper claims is affecting your cash flow, GatewayEDI is a wise office investment for you!
It's no secret anymore—transmitting claims electronically saves time and money and with HIPAA in full force, electronic claims processing should be a standard part of your daily business operations.
GatewayEDI is the premier HIPAA compliant electronic data interchange provider and has served over 3,500 offices across the United States. GatewayEDI’s state of the art electronic data interchange (EDI) solutions help you to:
Although you may not be aware of it yet, the PC world has undergone a quiet revolution in the last few months. New technologies have been introduced that will change the course of the PC world for years to come: 64-bit ‘dual-core’ processors and the latest (now 64-bit) versions of Windows XP/Server x64. Both advances are pushing the PC world into new frontiers of power and speed. Multi-processor systems and 64-bit computing have been around for some time in the mainframe and super computing worlds, but they have now moved into the mainstream PC world as well.
How will these advances help offices like yours? They will most likely appear in your office as more powerful and less expensive servers and workstations. These 64-bit systems support more memory and allow more processes to run simultaneously (i.e., your work gets done faster!). Both Intel and AMD are now offering processors featuring both 64-bit and dual-core capabilities. When these new processors are combined with the new 64-bit Windows (they will work with the 32-bit versions of Windows as well) your existing 32-bit programs like OfficeMate and ExamWRITER will still function and you may see greatly increased performance. If you are considering new servers or workstations, you may want to consider these new 64-bit computers and operating systems. For more information on 64-bit processors and operating systems, go to these Web sites:
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?
As the summer of 2005 wanes and Fall approaches, OfficeMate Software Solutions heralds the release of OfficeMate and ExamWRITER 6.0! These new versions advance the strong enhancement initiatives you have come to expect from us over the last two years. 
