Eyeworld

Name of Ad Page number 4 4 Best Practices First, Optimize Internal Practice Patterns #01 BEST PRACTICE TRACK KC PATIENTS LIKE LASER VISION CORRECTION PATIENTS Remember, research sug- gests that treating patients younger than 18 within 6 weeks of diagnosis and adults (18 years and older) within 12 weeks of diagnosis is ideal. 4 Given the importance of time- ly treatment to prevent per- manent vision loss, it is imper- ative that patients be tracked through the process to avoid unnecessary delays or loss to follow-up. Practices should create (or adopt existing) tracking tools using a spread- sheet program, EMR system, or the iLink Patient Com- pliance Tracker from Glau- kos, much like is commonly done for laser vision correc- tion (LVC). It may be bene- ficial to track patients from referral, rather than from con- sult, because patients who do not schedule or show up for a recommended consult are still at risk of kerato- conus progres- sion. Patients' work or school responsibilities, lack of awareness about KC, and lack of symptoms early in the disease may contrib- ute to a higher-than-average no-show rate. Barriers to successful treat- ment can occur anywhere in the process due to patient or pro- vider schedul- ing issues, insur- an c e d e nial s , or even missed phone calls from a specialty phar- macy. Success- ful cross-linking practices often delegate respon- sibility to one or more s taf fers who can serve as a "champion" for the process to avoid these barriers. Categories to track may include consult sched- uled, consult completed, pre-authorization, specialty pharmacy steps or invento- ry, copayments made, pro- cedure scheduled, first eye treatment, sec- ond eye treat- ment, return to referring doc- tor, and reim- b u r s e m e n t s received. Track- ing every step of the process helps to ensure that none of the patient touch points are missed and that patients get access to a medically neces- sary treatment that can pre- vent irreversible vision loss. If a patient who is recom- m e n d e d t o have cross-link- ing does not s c h e d u l e treatment, the patient should b e b ro u g h t back for a fol- low-up with- in 6-12 weeks, d e p e n d i n g on their age, w i t h e arli e r follow-up for those under age 18. 4 The reality is that many patients do not currently undergo treatment within the recom- mended time frames. Effec- tive tracking to shorten the time between diagnosis and treatment is one of the most important things doctors can do to make a positive impact on the lives of patients with keratoconus. Earlier stabi- lization of the disease can affect their vision, quality of life, mental health, and finan- cial well-being. Practices may want to doc- ument reminder phone calls, send a certified letter about You can't let patients fall through the cracks because of paperwork glitches or missed calls. —John Berdahl, MD Educating our staff about the importance of getting the patient scheduled has been beneficial. We show them pictures of hydrops so they know what can happen with unchecked progression. We share letters from grateful patients, so they see the impact of treatment. And we track the follow-through rate. People respect what you inspect. — Br andon Ba ar t man, MD

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