Care1 Uploading Tips

1. Designate a Care1 Uploader

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To streamline your clinic workflow, assign an optometric assistant or technician to handle all uploads. This allows the doctor to focus on clinical decision-making without interruption.

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If your technicians or staff need extra training, Care1 offers:

• In-person or virtual sessions - Book a training session
• Training videos - Watch the training video

2. Ensure Demographics Are Included on Patient Letters

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Each patient letter should include:

• Patient’s full name
• Date of birth (DOB)
• Personal Health Number (PHN)
• Optometrist’s name
• Address*

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*Patient address with postal code is required on referral letters for NL, PE, NS, NB, QC, YT, NT, and NU.

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This information is required for proper documentation of patient care.

3. Choose the Most Recent Images to Upload

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It can be difficult to choose which photo, OCT or VF to upload to Care1 if there are multiple.

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We recommend uploading the most recent image that you have on your system. Remember that, if Care1 or the ophthalmologist ever needs better imaging, we can contact your office.

4. Follow Ideal Upload Guidelines

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To ensure Care1  has the necessary information for each patient, you can follow these image guidelines by case type:

• Retinal Diseases (e.g., diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration):
  
  • Fundus photo
  • OCT Macula

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Ideal Retina Upload

• Glaucoma:
  
  • Fundus photo
  • OCT RNFL
  • Visual Field

Ideal Glaucoma Upload

‍5. Identify Appropriate Cases for Upload‍

Upload for patients with:

• Diabetes
• Macular Degeneration (aka. Drusen, AMD, etc.)
• Glaucoma or Glaucoma Risk Factors
  
  • High IOP
  • Family history
  • Large C/D
  • OCT or VF abnormalities

6. Promote Your Practice to GPs with Care1

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Care1 can help you with promoting your practice to GPs.

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GPs are increasingly looking for relationships with good optometrists to send their patients. This is especially the case as the Canadian population ages, and the accessibility of ophthalmology declines for non-emergent care.

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It is confusing for GPs to know which ODs to refer to, because there is a wide variation between ODs with regards to which cases they are familiar with and what diagnostic equipment the OD has.

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Shared Care between ODs and OMDs, delivered by ODs, is a concept that is very attractive to GPs, and can help an OD get new referrals for patients with diabetes and macular degeneration.

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If you would like more information about promoting yourself as a Shared Care clinic, please feel free to reach out to Bruce at bruce@care1.ca.

7. Get Help or Training Support

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We’re here to help make Care1 as easy and efficient as possible for your team. Whether you have questions about the upload process or want to schedule a quick training session for your staff, feel free to reach out.

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Email Cassie at cassie@care1.ca or schedule a one-on-one support session directly.

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We're happy to walk you through best practices and get your clinic running smoothly with Care1.

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