I used to really enjoy the stock market. As a new graduate I would make trades between patients and study charts at night. Like many doctors, I thought that if I could do the doctor thing then why couldn’t I be a trader. That was fun until my schedule at the practice started picking up. I figured that I went to school all those years that I should probably put it to use, plus my general health was better practicing optometry compared to the ulcers I had over the fluctuations of the market. The best decision I made was to hire a professional investor and financial planner. I haven’t worried about it since.
Due to my history of relating everything to ticker symbols, I now see EHR (Electronic Health Records) and it brings back memories of technical charting and resistance points. There are some strong parallels between EHR and the future of a stock (your practice). We all want to buy a stock that is going to make us money. We also all want to see our practice grow while limiting the expenditures required for that growth. As the CEO of your practice, you make wise decisions in purchasing an OCT because you know that each OCT you order has a direct return on your investment. Many practices have hesitated with the implementation of EHR due to the lack of ROI (return on investment). It is difficult to calculate and some would argue that you can not accurately calculate the ROI of EHRs. I would agree with the latter, however, there is an underlying expectation from our patients that comes along with the ROI.
Until you have made the conversion and are on the other side, you do not realize the expectations and perceptions that patients carry with them. If you are a doctor that is 
using EHR to the fullest extent in your practice then you have heard the patients, especially new patients, comment on the quality of care. Whether it is true or not, the patient perceives the use of EHRs as, the doctor is current with her knowledge and care and the practice cares enough to give me the best. This does not mean that optometrists who have not implemented EHRs are giving bad care. This is about a perception that affects the growth of new patients, younger patients, and professional patients, as your Medicare patients most likely do not care, as a majority, if you are still on paper.
Put yourself in the patient’s shoes. If you went to the dentist and they checked you out using a carbon copy slide machine to charge your credit card, you would immediately question if the practice and doctor are staying current. You may question if the treatment the doctor is using on you is still relevant and practiced today. It is unfortunate that technology controls our perception so easily but it is too costly to not stop and take notice.
Your practice is going to pull back with the cost of transitioning to EHR. However, like all good stocks, a pull back is a great time to buy because what follows is a return on your investment that you don’t want to miss.
