Eyeworld

I TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION MAY 2019 | EYEWORLD | 51 OK and collects feedback on how they did. A happy patient tells three of their friends about their good results, Dr. Hovanesian said, but an unhappy patient tells 10 friends. "We want to identify those unhappy or marginally unhappy people before they start to tell their friends." In addition to cataract surgery, Dr. Hovane- sian said MDbackline can help with glaucoma, dry eye, and other diseases. In terms of EHR, Dr. Hovanesian said it's been more than 10 years since his practice has adopted it. For those new to it, he suggested to slow down your clinic a bit initially. He also said that scanning and doing an extensive capture of all old records can be expensive and may not be necessary. His practice keeps active patients' old records in storage. Trying to capture everything from the old paper charts was too much be- cause there are just a few things you really need, he said. Dr. Hovanesian also discussed technolo- gies and software that can be used to improve patient outcomes. He uses VERACITY Surgical (Carl Zeiss Meditec), which he said focuses on improving outcomes. It puts all the information for choosing a lens implant power and type of lens in front of the doctor. Rather than having to look at different technologies to determine this, it shows all the information in one place and uses the latest formulas in simplified work flow. It saves doctors a lot of time and im- proves outcomes by systematizing the way they do things, he said. Dr. Hovanesian spoke about the Vital Inter- action platform, which is software he uses for things like appointment reminders through text messaging to remind patients about upcoming appointments. Dr. Hovanesian said that physicians should look for solutions and software that fit into their existing workflow and don't require a huge amount of time. "Look for solutions that save time and don't cost time," he stressed. accounting system and software may play into performance assessment in the future. "Perhaps in the next 10–20 years, a lot of work done by consultants will be automated and practices will be able to run the diagnostics on how their business is doing, and the system will spit out a narrative on what needs to be done to improve performance." Mr. Pinto expects more software to be developed over time, possibly in other spheres, as ophthalmology is just "a tiny little corner of medicine." Physician's perspective John Hovanesian, MD, weighed in on his expe- rience with EHR and other software he uses in his practice to help with outcomes, the patient experience, improving efficiency, and more. Dr. Hovanesian noted that "it seems like developers develop the systems the way they think they should be developed." There are a few notable exceptions where physicians have developed, and they tend to be better, Dr. Hovanesian said. "Most of us end up working for our EHR rather than the other way around," he said. Dr. Hovanesian discussed MDbackline, which he founded. It's triggered by events that happen in the EHR, he said, giving the example of a patient who is scheduled for a consulta- tion for cataract surgery. With MDbackline, the patient receives communication by email or text before coming into the office, asking them to share some information about their vision and visual habits. Around 80% of patients generally respond. Patients also view general educational ma- terial about cataract surgery and about premium options (whatever that particular surgeon of- fers). At this point, the information is not highly specific because the physician is not sure if the patient is a candidate, Dr. Hovanesian said, but it alerts the patient that these things exist. The system shares more specific information with the patient after their consultation. The system touches base again when pa- tients have upcoming appointments. After sur- gery, it follows them to make sure they're doing About the sources John Hovanesian, MD Harvard Eye Associates Laguna Hills, California John Pinto J. Pinto & Associates San Diego Financial interests Hovanesian: Alcon, MDbackline, Carl Zeiss Meditec Pinto: J. Pinto & Associates

• Blank Page
• Blank Page (1)
• Blank Page (2)