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The Lincoln, Neb.-based Williams Group has announced that its Practice Director 4.0 electronic health records (EHR) program for optometric practices has been certified for use in the federal government’s Medicare and Medicaid incentive programs.

The health records program is offered as part of Williams Group’s Practice Director EHR & Practice Management Software package for Windows & Mac OS X.  It was certified on July 14 as a complete EHR system appropriate for use in ambulatory health care practices by the Drummond Group, one of several testing bodies authorized by the federal Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology to certify electronic health records systems for use in the incentive program.

“The Practice Director optometric EHR and optical software program for Windows and Mac OS X is ideal for eye care professionals and retail optical locations wanting a simple and easy-to-use system to manage operations,” said Brad Rourke, who oversees software operations for the Williams Group.

“It is designed to be the most complete and affordable optometry software on the market. It provides a complete patient records and practice management system with certified EHR, scheduler, invoicing and everything else a practice needs. All of the components are integrated and work well together,” Rourke said. “We honestly believe Practice Director is the best optometry software value on the market. It is a comprehensive system that meets all the practice’s needs.”

The system was developed by the Williams Group, one of the nation’s largest and most established practice management consultancies, Rourke said. The company’s background in practice management and a long-term commitment to providing quality products and services is reflected in the design of the Practice Director software, he said.

“It is a big time-saver for a practice, both from the standpoint of making the office more efficient in its day-to-day operation and in making the conversion to a complete electronic records system faster and simpler for the practice,” Rourke continued.

Practice Director’s application as either a Windows or Mac program is a distinct advantage, Rourke said.

“What is really appealing about Practice Director is that switching to Practice Director Optometry Software for Mac OS X is easy. The main problem with switching from IBM PC-style computers is the expense of switching all computers at once. With Practice Director, you can switch one at a time and the program works with all.”

Practice Director EHR & Practice Management Software for Windows & Mac OS X is compatible with Apple’s iPad, which an increasing number of practitioners are now using in their offices, Rourke said.

The Practice Director program is also easily customizable to meet the specific needs of practices, Rourke added.

Practice Director 4.0 uses the DrFirst Rcopia electronic pharmaceutical prescribing system. Record storage will be provided through Google Health and Microsoft Healthvault.

Practice Director becomes at least the ninth EHR system, developed specifically for use in optometric practices, that has been certified for use in federal incentive programs.

Additional information can be found on the Practice Director Web site (www.practicedirector.com).