For many years I have been presenting business courses to optometrists. There are many optometrists who tend to abdicate from the financial management of the practice — those who firmly believe that someone else must take care of the business side of things. So, my core message in these courses has always been, you must have the right information in the right format at the right time, which will turn the task of financial management into a simple matter. This demands that the chart of accounts be set up to deliver this, but there always seems to be a problem to make this happen. The main reason is that current optometric software packages don’t have an integrated accounting system. They have to rely on journal entries to marry accounting with the practice management system.

Enter Humint O, a new web-based software programme, which can, at month-end, spit out the required reports that will make financial management as easy as pie. Humint O incorporates an integrated accounting system.

The fact that it is web-based offers several benefits as far as support is concerned, but especially for a multiple practice set-up. Humint O comes with all the bells and whistles one can imagine. To mention the most important ones:

• Built-in accounting
• Amazing reporting structure
• Paperless
• Claim switching
• Automated price list
• Practice web site
• Bar-coded stock-takes
• Built-in eCommerce

Humint O was developed on the back of Total Optometric Management System (TOMS), which has been in the market for twenty years. The new clinical module was built on Odoo. Odoo is an Enterprise Resource System with the ability to manage all facets of a business. Humint O will be launched in the near future. In my opinion, the value of your software package should, at the very least, be equal to what you pay a good employee. In other words, if I had to pay the same for software that enhances my net profit as I paid for an average worker, it will still be worth it. Most software programmes available locally are very reasonably priced. Humint O will be no different, but it appears, it will carry a much heavier punch.

CHRIS FAUL OD