January 2013
EW CATARACT
25
ASCRS member survey results available
by Cindy Sebrell ASCRS•ASOA Director of Public Affairs
Results show interest
in new online programs
and shed light on
ophthalmology-led
integrated eyecare
practices
A
SCRS recently conducted
a survey to assess whether
the association's initiatives, services, and benefits meet the current
needs of its membership. The survey
also included questions aimed at
revealing trends in working relationships between ophthalmologists and
optometrists. The survey was conducted by Whorton Marketing and
Research, an independent firm based
in Oregon.
The survey was completed online by 1,419 members (19.5%) and
1,063 (11.5%) non-members. All
responses were kept confidential
and were comparatively analyzed to
uncover trends unique to member,
non-member, domestic, and international respondents. The full results
of the survey can be found under
surveys at www.ascrs.org.
The survey results show that an
overwhelming majority of membership look to ASCRS' Annual
Meeting and its print publications
(including EyeWorld and the Journal
of Cataract & Refractive Surgery) to
keep current or to obtain specific
clinical information, with online
resources such as ASCRS' clinical
discussion lists and MediaCenter
ranking a close second. A majority
of members also indicated that they
look to ASCRS to engage them regularly with relevant information,
and a significant majority (80%)
preferred the development of new
online or mobile education options
to the expansion of traditional
member benefits such as journals,
meetings, or practice tools.
A section of the survey was
dedicated to questions about an
integrated ophthalmology-managed
eyecare delivery model (IOMED).
Results showed that U.S.-based
respondents were three times more
likely than international respondents to report that optometrists 1)
provide primary eyecare services and
refer for complex and/or surgical
cases to ophthalmologists, 2) provide comprehensive eyecare to
patients, and 3) provide pre- and
post-op care to patients. Forty-five
percent of U.S. respondents reported
that they directly employ optometrists, with 50% indicating that
they plan to do so in the future.
Thirty-three percent indicated that
they were currently in a referral
relationship with at least one optometrist, while 31% of U.S.-based
ophthalmologists said they do not
employ optometrists. More than
50% of respondents said that they
believe optometrists will play an
important role in helping address
the anticipated demand for eyecare
services in the U.S.
The survey also revealed that
ASCRS members rely more and more
on their hand-held smartphones.
Fully 70% of U.S. respondents said
they now use their smartphones
"intensively." While 76% said they
would likely use an iPhone or Droid
application for on-demand information, relatively few (approximately
15%) felt comfortable using social
media to update their ASCRS membership information or receive news.
The ASCRS leadership will look
to the survey data as part of an ongoing effort to develop new initiatives that better address the needs of
a diverse membership. For full survey results, an executive summary,
and more information on each of
these topics, go to www.ascrs.org/
Press-Releases/ascrs-member-surveyresults-show-interest-new-line-programs-and-shed-light. EW
Scan with your
mobile device for
survey results.
(Scanner available for free at your app store)
Go to ophthalmologybusiness.org to
check out the January issue of
Ophthalmology Business eZine
Featuring: Investing
Ophthalmic sector is highly
attractive for investors
Tax consequences of selling a practice
Averting and resolving partner conflicts
Revising your strategic business plan
Popular eye term dictionary
updates for smartphones
