Eyeworld

MARCH 2021 | EYEWORLD | 111 P continued on page 112 "We have worked on improving our patient communications using new digital technology. I use the Doximity app for voice dialing from my smartphone (using the office caller ID) as well as for easy telehealth visits. Our practice adopted CareCloud Breeze, a pre-visit, patient registration solution that integrates with our practice management system to decrease office visit time. […] We've seen co-manage- ment of refractive surgeries increase, and we utilize CoFi to improve our compliance and transparency with refractive service fees. CoFi allows us to generate a multi-party invoice, where the patient swipes their credit card once and simultaneously makes direct pay- ments to the surgeon, postoperative OD, and facility." Tal Raviv, MD Eye Center of New York New York, New York Dr. Raviv is an investor in CoFi. "COVID-19 has made it challenging for my practice from a business point of view as I am part owner of a group practice ASC. We have had to adopt lean management practices, and in order to sustain the practice, we have had to drill down to cost control and improve effi- ciency of our practice to minimize waste." Mun Wai Lee, MD Lee Eye Centre Perak, Malaysia "[…] at the outset of the pandemic I began to wear scrubs to clinic daily rather than my typical professional dress. Over time, I treated myself to some 'fancy' scrubs, embroidered with my name and specialty. I gradually accumulated enough that I now have five pairs and wear them 5 days a week. Having a 'uniform' for work has made a tremen- dous difference in my morning stress and decision-making, virtually eliminating any thoughts about what to wear. I simply do one load of laundry each weekend and am ready for the new week." Alison Early, MD Cincinnati Eye Institute Cincinnati, Ohio "We elevated the decision-making capabilities of our team. We found that we are true to what we always say. Team and patients come first." John Berdahl, MD Vance Thompson Vision Sioux Falls, South Dakota "I think that telemedicine has become more developed and more widely accepted as a result of practices being closed during COVID outbreaks. We still have some challenges like standardizing vision checks, inability to check eye pressure, and inability to perform topography or additional testing online with telemedicine, but external diseases can be viewed and treated based on history and exam in many instances. Technicians can also be trained to do fundus photography in other clinics for evaluation via the computer." W. Barry Lee, MD Eye Consultants of Atlanta Atlanta, Georgia "One thing that has improved is my clinic max. Prior to COVID, my clinics were out of control with typically 65 patients per day. Since COVID, I have put a hard stop of 55 pa- tients a day and strive to keep to that max, as I don't want to fill up the waiting rooms with patients and their family members. I have also been more selective in my ordering of tests, forgoing testing in many cases where there is not a surgical need at that particular visit." Leon Herndon, MD Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine Durham, North Carolina "Dramatic increase in virtual clinics—color photos of the fundi with OCT, IOP, […] and VA all done by technicians, then the doctor is reviewing, making decisions without seeing the patient. In wet AMD, injections [can be] given on the same visit. [There has been an] increase in telephone consultations where appropriate to reduce the number of patients in the hospital." Ziad Estephan, MD Spire Healthcare Glasgow, U.K.

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