Case Study on Dakota Eye Institute
From data overload to actionable insights for Dakota Eye Institute
How a 13-provider eye clinic went from manual data pulls to real-time visibility by modernizing their healthcare reporting infrastructure
At a Glance
Client
Dakota Eye Institute
Size
13 providers (5 MDs, 8 ODs), 3 clinic locations, 1 ASC, multiple satellites
EHR/PM System
ModMed (practice management), ModMed Gastro (ambulatory surgery center), Compulink (optical)
Challenge
Cumbersome reporting, manual data pulls, limited drill-down capabilities, poor recall system integration
Solution
Focus Insights with custom dashboards, filterable reports, and Klara integration workarounds
Results
Significant time savings, real-time data access, leadership dashboards, better recall tracking
Background
Dakota Eye Institute runs one of North Dakota’s leading ophthalmology practices with 13 providers across multiple locations.
When Aleesa Brorby joined as CEO, she brought experience from a large multi-state hospital system where robust reporting was standard. She expected the same at Dakota Eye Institute. What she found was different. Like many healthcare practices, Dakota Eye was dealing with the common challenge of disparate systems that don’t talk to each other. Their EHR and practice management systems were built to perform clinical functions, not to provide the kind of comprehensive analytics modern practices need.
“”We were looking for a solution to have more real-time data that was more of a filtration system versus a manual pull each time.”
— Aleesa Brorby, CEO
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The Challenge
Dakota Eye Institute was dealing with reporting that couldn’t keep up with their needs.
The practice faced multiple reporting roadblocks:
- Manual reporting process: Every report required a fresh manual pull (no saved filters, no quick updates)
- Limited drill-down: Could not get to the detailed level needed for some operational decisions
- Integration challenges: Their patient recall system and other practice tools operated in silos, making it difficult to get a complete picture of patient outreach and recall tracking
- Time-consuming data manipulation: Staff spent excessive time reformatting and restructuring data for different needs
- No leadership dashboards: Executives could not get quick snapshot views of key metrics without requesting custom reports
Finding the right partner
Aleesa and her Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) manager were not settling for good enough. They vetted multiple healthcare-specific reporting vendors, looking for specific capabilities:
- HIPAA compliance (non-negotiable)
- Smooth integration with ModMed
- Ability to own their reporting (not always depend on a vendor to pull data)
- Dashboard capabilities for leadership
- Cost effectiveness
- Strong references from similar practices
“We vetted numerous groups,” Aleesa explains. The team didn’t just ask if practices were satisfied – they wanted to see how they were using the system and whether they had true data independence or were still dependent on the vendor for every report.
At ModMed’s Momentum conference, they connected with Focus Solutions – and when they checked references, they found what they’d been searching for: true data independence.
The Solution
Structure, not just software
Dakota Eye got more than a reporting tool. They got a framework with clear timelines and a roadmap to follow.
“So many vendors seem like they’re putting it in your court of ‘it can be whatever you want.’ Well, you don’t know what that is sometimes. You have an idea of what you want, but not necessarily how to get there. And you might be omitting things that are a great feature that you just don’t know about.”
The Focus team structured the process:
- Clear implementation timeline: Specific milestones and expectations set upfront
- Guided discovery: Instead of asking “what do you want,” Focus showed them what was possible
- Data mapping assistance: Worked closely with the RCM manager to properly map all ModMed data fields
- Custom report building: Built reports specific to Dakota Eye’s needs, then taught the team how to modify and filter them
- Klara integration workaround: Found creative solutions to track recall progress despite Klara’s limited ModMod integration
- Regular check-ins: Bi-weekly calls during implementation, tapering as the team became self-sufficient
What it was like to work together
Our team showed up as expert partners, not just technicians. With deep RCM background, we could share best practices based on what we’ve seen work at other practices.
“The response time has been great, the support has been great. They’ve done a very nice job formulating a plan that works well for our office with our providers. They have a lot of RCM background and so that’s been really helpful to help us understand what a best practice might be for other practices that they found.”
As implementation progressed, Dakota Eye gained independence. The team learned how to filter and manipulate reports themselves instead of constantly reaching out for vendor support.
The Results
From manual pulls to real-time insights
Today, Dakota Eye operates with a completely different reporting infrastructure:
- Significant time savings: “You’re not having to reformulate the data each time. You’re really just doing a filtration system. The reports are built and you’re filtering them how you want versus doing a pull every single time.”
- Clinical operations visibility: Real-time tracking of cataract conversion rates, appointment slot occupancy, no-show rates, and cancellation patterns
- Better recall management: Comprehensive reports track patient outreach attempts and recall progress despite Klara’s integration limitations
- Leadership dashboards: Executives can view snapshot metrics without running reports: “I might not necessarily be running our cancellation rate on a weekly or monthly basis, but I’d really like to know overall what that looks like from a snapshot.”
- Self-sufficiency: The team now manipulates data and creates custom views independently
Aleesa's advice to other practice leaders
She emphasizes three critical factors:
- Look beyond the initial pitch: Many vendors promise flexibility but do not provide the structure practices need
- Check references thoroughly: Talk to practices actually using the system about day-to-day experience
- Prioritize ongoing support: The relationship after go-live matters more than the implementation itself
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