This quarterly electronic publication will keep you up-to-date on events at OfficeMate and within the eyecare industry. OSS News is our primary forum for communicating with our clients. There have been many changes at OfficeMate over the past few years and many more exciting new changes to come. Stay tuned for future editions of OSS News!

OfficeMate Software Solutions celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2008. On reflecting upon the where we started and where we are today, I can say that OfficeMate has indeed moved forward and upward in the past 25 years.

When I founded OfficeMate in 1983 (as MBR International) along with my two partners, Steve Rosenbaum and Jimmy Moore, I could not have imagined the leadership position OfficeMate would have in the eyecare software industry today. Those early days were tenuous and difficult as computer hardware was expensive and the value of software unknown and relatively unappreciated by eyecare professionals.

How did OfficeMate get to this leadership position and where is OfficeMate headed in the future? Let me give you my “Cliff Notes” version and a quick glimpse into my crystal ball. OfficeMate was founded on the principles of value and affordability. Our clients, then and now, see OfficeMate and ExamWRITER as an excellent value. Our software solutions hit the “sweet spot” and meet the functional requirements of operating an eyecare business at an affordable annual ROI.

The first major event propelling OfficeMate into a leadership position was the acquisition by Marchon Eyewear in 1994. Marchon provided OfficeMate with brand name recognition, working capital, and ECP confidence allowing us to achieve our current phase of growth to over 10,000 offices using our OfficeMate software solutions. Now the acquisition of Marchon and OfficeMate by VSP, and the subsequent merger of Eyefinity and OfficeMate, will be the catalyst in creating a world-class suite of comprehensive, integrated business solutions for the future.

Finally, here’s my crystal ball view into the future based on my 25 years with OfficeMate and experience in the eyecare software industry: With the nearly 200 employees and the expert teams at Eyefinity/OfficeMate, “you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!” OfficeMate version 8.5 will feature a VSP-driven patient out-of-pocket calculator and an electronic remittance advice (ERA). Your staff will immediately know the VSP coverage and how much to collect from your patients. They will also be able to post VSP EOBs with lightning speed and accuracy. The Eyefinity services of eBuy, eLab, reorder contacts, and eWeb Extra (and new services to come!) integrated with OfficeMate and ExamWRITER will offer you the most highly integrated suite of products and services available to assist ECPs in running an efficient and profitable eyecare business.

C. Edward Buffington
President & COO

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 six of an eight-part series. Visit our newsletter archive to read the previous articles at http://www.officemate.net/newsletters.aspx.

Step 6: Encouraging Growth & Longevity

The best way to keep your employees is to let them know that you appreciate them. Don’t be like the man who had been married 50 years. On his 50th anniversary, his wife said, “Honey, I have had a very happy life with you, but something has been bothering me for years—how come you never tell me that you love me?” The man replied, “Doris, I told you that I loved you 50 years ago. If anything had changed, I would have let you know.”

A paycheck and a “thank you” are not the same thing. Appreciation can be in the form of a financial reward, such as a gift certificate for gas, or as simple as a heartfelt thank you at the end of a long day.

In addition to feeling appreciated, people need to have sense of fulfillment and accomplishment. Just because an employee does a great job in a specific area does not mean that they are fulfilled in the role. When a normally prompt and effective employee begins to come in late, leave early and slack in job duties, they are putting up a red flag signaling burnout. It is possible that the sense of accomplishment is gone because the job has lost its challenge. A good manager will check the burnout temperature of the staff on a regular basis by looking for red flags and consistently looking for ways to provide challenges and a sense of accomplishment.

People tend to stay longer in a job that is considered a career. In my opinion, the best way you can help employees view their jobs as careers is to encourage growth through ophthalmic career certification. Encouraging certification is a win-win endeavor. The employee is encouraged to commit to learning and the doctor reaps the benefit of the knowledge gained. The AOA Web site states: “Paraoptometric certification is an important aspect of optometric care. Optometrists who support and reward staffing training and certification aid the progression of the field of optometry by requiring competency and a recognized level of knowledge throughout their office.”

Certification can result in higher staff retention when the value of a certified paraoptometric is apparent in the practice. For more information on paraoptometric certification, call the Commission on Paraoptometric Certification call 800.365.2219 and ask for Sharon Alderson (extension 4210) or Darlene Leuschke (extension 4135). For more information on certification for ophthalmology staff, visit the Joint Commission of Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology’s Web site at http://www.jcahpo.org.

In the next edition of OSSNews: Step 7: Knowing When to Hold and When to Fold.

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

During the month of June, OfficeMate Software Solutions surveyed clients who had contacted Client Services for support. Clients who called through the end of June could complete the survey online.

The goal of the survey was to find out our strengths and our weaknesses, determine how satisfied you are with the support you receive, and determine how we can improve your support experience.

Each client who completed the survey was entered into a drawing for a Garmin Nuvi GPS. We are pleased to announce that Jasmine Harwood, of Dr. Darwin Dalen’s office, Eye Q Optometric in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, was the winner of the Garmin GPS.

We offer our sincere thanks to all of our clients who took the time to participate in our survey.

Did you know that in order to view or download the various resources available to you from our Web site, you now need to log into www.officemate.net with a Username and Password? Logging in gives you access to our Web site, upgrades, and Knowledge Base. Here is a list of FAQs that will help you effortlessly log into the Web site:

Q: What resources will be available to me after I log into the Web site?
A: You will have access to the most comprehensive training and documentation resources in the eyecare software industry, including:

• iTrains 24/7 training videos
• Knowledge Base
• User’s guides, reference guides, and other documentation
• Software updates and downloads

Q: What is my Username?
A: Your Username is the telephone number of your licensed office. If you don’t know which phone number we have on file, open OfficeMate, click Setup, and select Business Names; your phone number appears on the Business tab.

Q: What is my Password?
A: Your Password is initially set as the telephone number of your licensed office. You will be prompted to change your password the first time you log in. You can change your password again at any time.

Q: Does everyone in my office have a different Username and Password?
A: No, everyone in your office will use the same Username and Password, so be sure to share this information with your staff and notify them of any password changes.

Q: What should I do if I forget my Password?
A: If you forget your Password, click the Forgot Password link on the login page, enter the telephone number of your licensed office, and click Get Password. A page displays confirming that your password has been sent to the e-mail address on file. Check your e-mail inbox for your password.

Q: What should I do if I forget my Password and I do not have access to the e-mail address on file?
A: Contact our Front Desk team at frontdesk@officemate.net and ask them to retrieve your Password for you.

Q: Why won’t the Knowledge Base open after I log in and click the Knowledge Base link?
A: You probably have pop-ups blocked. Disable all pop-up blockers, or, hold down the Ctrl key while clicking the Knowledge Base link to open the Knowledge Base in a separate window.

Q: Do I need to enable cookies?
A: Yes, you must enable your Web browser to accept cookies from OfficeMate.net. For information on enabling cookies, click the link for your Web browser:
Internet Explorer | Firefox | Safari

Q: If I have questions about the new Web site login feature or trouble logging in, whom should I contact?
A: If you experience problems logging in, please visit our troubleshooting page to resolve the issue.

Traditionally, OSSU courses have been geared toward our new clients. However, we have determined that a large number of client support calls from long-term clients are related to software training. Many times these calls come from new staff members who were not trained on OfficeMate with the rest of the staff. We are now offering a free solution for clients who have had OfficeMate or ExamWRITER longer than six months. We have added four regularly scheduled Open Forum Question & Answer Sessions to our OSSU iCoach schedule.

• Mondays—Q&A on Receipts and Q&A on ExamWRITER
• Wednesdays—Q&A on Fee Slips
• Fridays—Q&A on Third Party Processing

Go to our Web site to register for these classes.

OSSU is now offering iCoach classes to clients who have already implemented OfficeMate or ExamWRITER. This is a wonderful opportunity to educate a new employee on OfficeMate. The package prices are listed below:

OfficeMate Only:

• 1 month unlimited iCoach courses = $300
• 3 months unlimited iCoach courses = $ 450
• 6 months unlimited iCoach courses = $630

ExamWRITER Only:

• 1 month unlimited iCoach courses = $175
• 3 months unlimited iCoach courses = $250
• 6 months unlimited iCoach courses = $360

OfficeMate & ExamWRITER

• 1 month unlimited iCoach courses = $475
• 3 months unlimited iCoach courses = $700
• 6 months unlimited iCoach courses = $990

Imagine how wonderful it would it be if your office could more quickly and accurately measure patients for eyeglasses, more dramatically and realistically demonstrate the value of various frame and lens options, and reduce your frame inventory, all at the same time! And imagine being able to do all this while realizing a return on your investment in just a few months! You don’t have to imagine anymore, because you can do all of this and more with CyberEYES–the premium virtual try-on solution.

Plus CyberEYES integrates with OfficeMate!

In this economy, every penny counts, so increasing your per-patient profit is becoming more important than ever. Most offices that are using CyberEYES realize a 30% increase in antireflective lens jobs, a 20% increase in photochromic jobs, a 15% increase in polarized jobs, and a 25% increase in bifocal to PAL jobs.

Contact John Lee at OfficeMate Software Solutions to receive an  ROI calculator based on the experiences of offices using CyberEYES and plug in your own monthly numbers to see what you can expect in terms of increased profitability. Online demonstrations are also available. For more information, call 800.269.3666, option 8, extension 5036, or send an e-mail to jlee@officemate.net.

John Lee
Vice President of Technology Integrated Practice

Calling for support? You can now reach us from 6:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. PT.

We have updated the greeting that you hear when you call 800.942.5353 to incorporate options to reach the Client Services teams that are providing legacy support for Delta Add-Power and COS software in addition to the existing options to reach the OfficeMate, ExamWRITER, and OfficeMate Enterprise Client Services team. The additional options will help us route your call more quickly and connect you directly to the person or team you need.

The table below describes how to reach the person or department you need.