Tired of working around OfficeMate- what do you use?

[CECOpt]

Extracting financial data from OfficeMate is a huge chore, and I find that using it is a lot of work.

How do you reconcile your reporting and inventory with general retail stuff? Thanks in advance!

[Uilleann]

I've usually found with OfficeMate (and several other ophthalmic based practice management programs) that the quality of the reports you get out is directly proportionate to the quality of data you put in. I've used OfficeMate in three practices now, and found it to be superior in almost every regard to other software. I wasted six months of my life trying to correctly program and re-program a practice who used MaximEyes incorrectly for over five years. Oi! That was a complete nightmare.

What is the data you're trying to reconcile? What aren't you getting that you are trying to get as an end result? Not sure if I can help long distance like...but I'll try if I can. :)

[CECOpt]

What is the data you're trying to reconcile? What aren't you getting that you are trying to get as an end result? Not sure if I can help long distance like...but I'll try if I can. :)

Thanks... are you Irish, like? :lol:

There are a few, but mainly trying to get sales for each staff member and doctor, conversion and capture rates, and the different kinds of financial transactions being separated- deposit, paid balance, paid in full, etc.

I also find measuring sales and sales per vendor, etc, to be challenging. The excel reports I run come out hard to modify and require intense cleanup.

Any tips are greatly appreciated. :) Thanks!

[optigrrl]

That was the wall I kept coming up against with Office Mate - lack of quantifying reports. There isn't any way to seperate optical from practice management to get a departmental cash flow report nor can you get an accurate cogs by department either.

And while I agree that the GIGO method is the best advice, this is not Quickbooks you are working with...

If you are Excel-saavy you could create your own reports by importing data - if you have the time or inclination. Compulink was robust but expensive imho though...

[fjpod]

Try Visual Management System from MS Group Software.

[Matthew]

I am tired of all of the Software that just doesn't do it for me and costs way too much.

I am just going to have an Access database built for me that will do what I want it to do.

The things that are important to me are:

1 accounting/reports
2 Diversified recall and marketing system.
3 having on one screen all the appropriate patient info.

Things that I dont care about because i have other means of doing it.

Electronic billing
Bar scanning / Inventory


What features are you exactly looking for?

[CECOpt]

That was the wall I kept coming up against with Office Mate - lack of quantifying reports. There isn't any way to seperate optical from practice management to get a departmental cash flow report nor can you get an accurate cogs by department either.

Yeah- this is a huge problem. We really need to get an accurate picture of what numbers go to what area and OMate just lumps them all together.

And then if you do manage to get an approximation of what you want, the Excel formats aren't even close to formatted to be readable, or workable. It's just so much work.

If you are Excel-saavy you could create your own reports by importing data - if you have the time or inclination. Compulink was robust but expensive imho though...

I am pretty good with Excel, but our Optical staff if technophobic. We've been using Google Docs to keep an Excel ledger daily but the amount of data entry is staggering and mistakes are rife. I just can't find any other way for them to update their ledger in real time and even this method is very messy.

Try Visual Management System from MS Group Software.

I'll take a look, thanks!

I am just going to have an Access database built for me that will do what I want it to do.

Now, that's intriguing, I hadn't even thought of that. We need to access this from a few computers throughout the day- maybe Access is the way to go for us.

1 accounting/reports
2 Diversified recall and marketing system.
3 having on one screen all the appropriate patient info.

The wind up of all our reports (this is the conclusion, mind you) boils down to:

# of patients buying glasses;
# OF 2nd pairs; (and some breakdowns like complete, frames only, new lenses only)
# of Rxs written;
Capture Rate;
Sales by type: SV, DV, Progressives, Bifocals, et al (12 categories)
Rxs written vs. Rxs sold by Doctor;
Sales per Optical Staff member;
Sales per insurance method accepted;
Sales by type (routed down, walk-in, return);
Contact lenses boxes, pairs, type, cost/profit;
# of coupons given out and used.

Things that I dont care about because i have other means of doing it.

Electronic billing
Bar scanning / Inventory

What are you using to manage inventory? I am wrestling with OMate right now to pull a report on top sellers and it just ain't intuitive. I can't group it by vendor, or by other things I might want to pull together when I do my marketing report. Granted, those who came before me may not have built a very solid database but each item at least has a vendor/designer and even that is like pulling teeth to get the report.

In actuality, it should take no time at all to find out the biggest sellers (and not-sellers) per annum and per quarter but instead I'm playing with column width and deleting empty lines to be able to add stuff. I hate this program, I really do. :angry:

[rbaker]

You might want to try Crystal Reports. I believe that they have a 30 trial version available. Hopefully the data structure of your optical software is in a recognizable format and not in some proprietary data structure. Of course, I would assume that you have the appropriate security level to access the raw data that you want.

[bwoz]

Some of the reports that may be able to help you are:

Internal Marketing
Business Analysis
Production
Of course like someone mentioned, it only pulls info if the patient records are flagged in a certain way. Hope that helps

[bwoz]

Also wanted to mention that we needed to create an Excel spreadsheet too to get certain data that wasn't able to be pulled.

[Uilleann]

...Granted, those who came before me may not have built a very solid database...

From the problems you're describing, it sounds like you may have hit it more or less on the head there. Data out is only as good as data in. There are means to track much of what you're looking for fairly easily though it would depend on how you are using OM to track and pull info. Have you gotten in touch with the OM guys directly? They're generally pretty good at helping to unlock 'hidden' features in the program that may make life for you and the practice much easier. It's a good place to start at any rate.

We've actually made custom tags that we insert on fee slips to help track insurance, lens types, 2nd pairs etc. It could easily be modified for: optician, Rx percentages etc. Do you use anything like that at all?

[sharpstick777]

Extracting financial data from OfficeMate is a huge chore, and I find that using it is a lot of work.

How do you reconcile your reporting and inventory with general retail stuff? Thanks in advance!

Crystal Practice Management and Revolutions EHR are the two most popular in this area. My Vision Express ranks third.

[Uilleann]

Out of curiosity, what do the independents choose for their in-house inventory/accounting/sales system? Assuming you don't have a doc on site, and perhaps don't worry about insurance billing either, but you do want to have the ability to code ICD-9/10 and CPT's for flex spending etc. You obviously wouldn't need anything nearly as robust as OfficeMate, MaximEyes, Compulink etc., so what do you guys utilize?

[Crystal-Opt2]

Hi, just wondering if you ever got an answer about what independents choose for their software. I am also independent-optician only, do little insurance, and all the companies offer soooo much I'll hardly if ever use.

[Now I See]

I'm looking, too...right now I use Quickbooks for my accounting and the 'ol pen-n-paper technique for record keeping and inventory.

[NCspecs]

I am pretty good with Excel, but our Optical staff if technophobic.

The wind up of all our reports (this is the conclusion, mind you) boils down to:

# of patients buying glasses;
# OF 2nd pairs; (and some breakdowns like complete, frames only, new lenses only)
# of Rxs written;
Capture Rate;
Sales by type: SV, DV, Progressives, Bifocals, et al (12 categories)
Rxs written vs. Rxs sold by Doctor;
Sales per Optical Staff member;
Sales per insurance method accepted;
Sales by type (routed down, walk-in, return);
Contact lenses boxes, pairs, type, cost/profit;
# of coupons given out and used.

What are you using to manage inventory? I am wrestling with OMate right now to pull a report on top sellers and it just ain't intuitive. I can't group it by vendor, or by other things I might want to pull together when I do my marketing report. Granted, those who came before me may not have built a very solid database but each item at least has a vendor/designer and even that is like pulling teeth to get the report.

First, what a bummer about your optical staff- I have no work orders saved in my computer system from before I started because the gentleman before me was elderly and completely opposed to doing anything but write out orders by hand. It's a real pain when I am trying to figure out what a patient has for eyewear, especially if there is a loss or breakage.

As for sales reports, I am the only optician at my office so I hand write all of the data I need regarding SRx orders. I compile a report using this data and I use a report Luzurne (my lab) compiles for me regarding my percentages. Works pretty well for us but we are only a two OD pratice.

Inventory is a breeze now that I have the system under control and I have everything listed properly. I have an easy formula for pulling data from OM that easily gives me my "best sellers" list and my "dog's". I do it weekly because we meet with reps weekly (every Tuesday morning) and I also reorder product as we go especially if it doesn't sit long.

I think Uilleann is right, you get what you put into OM. Everybody has to be on board. :)

[grif892]

I'm looking, too...right now I use Quickbooks for my accounting and either the 'ol pen-n-paper technique for record keeping and inventory.

I still write up my orders on paper forms, but I manage all of my accounting as well as my inventory in Quickbooks. I have it programmed to manage my frame sales, as well as track my "non inventory items" (lenses), and my taxes were a breeze. Also, becaue I invoice all of my patients through QB, I can create letters from my patient list. This will work indefinitely, but eventually I will have to go to EMR because I'm NOT going to file orders forever! Filing is for the birds...