Retina Care Specialists, an ophthalmology practice with offices in Wellington , Palm Beach Gardens and Stuart, recently announced that they are the first ophthalmology group in the Palm Beach and Treasure Coast region to implement a paperless office system.

Dr. Mark Michels and Dr. Adrian Laviña of Retina Care Specialists invested in the system to provide an increased quality of care to their patients. The system enables the doctors to improve their documentation, and patient information becomes portable.

"Dr. Michels and I now have critical patient information at our fingertips during office hours from our Palm Beach Gardens , Wellington or Stuart locations, or after hours and weekends from our home offices," Dr. Laviña said. "Communicating with a patient's referring and primary physicians is more efficient because we can e-mail files and images. Combined with easier-to-read documentation and printable prescriptions, we are taking patient care to a higher level."

The system was purchased from and implemented by Health Care Intranet Technologies Inc.

"This is a $200,000 investment in our patients, and we are proud to be the first ophthalmologists in the region to implement it," Dr. Michels said. "It is just one example of our commitment to providing state-of-the-art vitreoretinal care for our patients."

Dr. Michels and Dr. Laviña of Retina Care Specialists are both board-certified and fellowship-trained ophthalmologists who focus on diseases and surgery of the retina, vitreous and macula. Three areas of critical care include diabetic retinopathy, detached and torn retina, and macular degeneration.

Major pharmaceutical companies recognize Retina Care Specialists as a clinical study center for national, randomized, FDA-sponsored drug trials. Dr. Michels and Dr. Laviña are currently investigating two clinical trials regarding age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness.

Dr. Michels received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Florida . He completed an internship at Georgia Baptist Medical Center in Atlanta and did his residency at Emory University School of Medicine-affiliated hospitals. Dr. Michels completed a fellowship in vitreoretinal diseases and surgery at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA School of Medicine.

Dr. Laviña earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and his medical degree at the University of Miami School of Medicine. After completing an internship in internal medicine at the University of Miami 's Jackson Memorial Hospital , he completed a residency and a fellowship at Vanderbilt University in Nashville , Tennessee. Before joining Retina Care Specialists, Dr. Laviña completed a fellowship at the University of British Colombia in Vancouver .