EW
IN OTHER NEWS
May 2011
73
The makers of the popular
Eye Handbook app have de-
veloped an app to help doc-
tors spread the word about
their practice and more
I
n today's digital world, if your
business doesn't have an on-
line address, or in cyber terms,
a URL, it basically doesn't
exist, said Vinay A. Shah,
M.D., Kresge Eye Institute, Detroit,
and a co-founder of the smartphone
and web application maker Cloud
Nine Development.
In the near future, however, the
team at Cloud Nine predicts that
with the multitude of apps being
created and downloaded every day,
personalized apps will soon take
over the role of establishing a busi-
ness's presence.
Apps are much more user
friendly than websites, Dr. Shah
said, and in public places like airport
terminals, more people can be seen
glued to their smartphones than
their laptops.
"I think more people are going
to be using their smartphones or de-
vices that are smaller than a laptop.
It makes complete sense that as
physicians we would like to have a
presence in our patients' pocket," he
said.
Thus, Cloud Nine Development,
formed by a group of ophthalmolo-
gists, came up with the Doctor App.
Launched at the American Academy
of Ophthalmology in October 2010
in Chicago, it's a custom-built appli-
cation that when downloaded for
free, allows patients or referring doc-
tors access to an incredible amount
of information about a practice in-
cluding the physician's history and
credentials, patient education mate-
rial, the staff at the clinic, opening
hours, and contact information. Be-
cause the app is GPS-enabled, it al-
lows the user to easily map out a
route to the clinic and start driving.
The app's utility list doesn't stop
there. Patients can get instant access
to everything from scheduling ap-
pointments to requesting refills, ac-
cording to customer Brad H.
Feldman M.D., Philadelphia Eye As-
sociates. "The Doctor App is putting
the tools to interact with our office
staff literally in our patients' hands,"
he said. "Now our patients can re-
view the clinical trials that we are
advertising, scan through the serv-
ices we offer, and then with a push
of a button on their phones, make
the call that brings them back to our
office."
In addition, the Doctor App can
allow for quicker referrals.
"Our phone center can get busy
during certain times of the day and I
was searching for an iPhone applica-
tion that my referring doctors could
use to send patient contact informa-
tion directly to me without the risk
of being put on hold or being sent
to voicemail," said customer Peter
W. DeBry, M.D., Wellish Vision In-
stitute, Las Vegas.
by Enette Ngoei EyeWorld Contributing Editor
The Doctor App
Accutome
Page: 61
Phone: 610-889-0200
Fax: 610-889-3233
www.accutome.com
Alcon Laboratories
Inc.
Page: Cover 2, 3, 19,
and 25
Phone: 800-862-5266
Fax: 800-241-0677
www.alconlabs.com
Allergan
Page: 23, 24, 49, 50, 74
and Cover 4
Phone: 714-246-4500
Fax: 714-246-4764
www.allergan.com
APACRS
Page:
51
Phone: 65-63278630
www.apacrs.org
Angiotech
Page: 33
Phone: 610-404-3308
Fax: 610-404-2061
www.angiotech.com
Aton Pharma
Page: 40 and 41
Phone: 609-671-9010
Fax: 609-671-9046
www.atonrx.com
Bausch & Lomb
Page: 7 and 8
Phone: 585-338-6536
Fax: 585-338-0898
www.bausch.com
Diamatrix Ltd.
Page: 63
Phone: 281-367-8081
Fax: 281-292-5481
www.diamatrix.com
ESCRS
Page: 57 and 67
www.escrs.org
Eagle Laboratories
Page: 43
Phone: 909-481-0011
Fax: 909-481-4481
www.eaglelabs
Eye care and cure
Page: 71
Phone: 800-486-6169
Fax: 877-321-1267
Gulden Ophthalmics
Page: 71
Phone: 215-884-8105
Fax: 215-884-0418
www.guldenophthalmics.com
Katena Products
Page: 55
Phone: 973-989-1600
Fax: 973-989-8175
www.katena.com
LensAR
Page: 5
Phone: 954-889-7804
Fax: 407-386-7228
www.lensar.com
Marco
Page: 31
Phone: 904-642-9330
Fax: 904-642-9338
www.marcooph.com
MicroSurgical
Technology
Page: 10
Phone: 888-279-3323
Fax: 425-556-0437
www.microsurgical.com
Medownick Laser
Eye Clinic
Page: 71
Phone: 800 37 39 37
www.Medownick-
lasereyesurgery.com.au
New World Medical
Page: 12
Phone: 909-466-4304
Fax: 909-466-4305
www.ahmedvalve.com
NexTech
Page: Cover 3
Phone: 877-228-7821
Fax: 813-425-9292
www.nextech.com
Rhein Medical Inc.
Page:
21
Phone: 813-885-5050
Fax: 813-885-9346
www.rheinmedical.com
Ziemer Ophthalmic
Page: 14
Phone: 41 32 332 7052
Fax: 41 32 332 7071
www.ziemergroup.com
ASCRS•ASOA
Meeting Information
ASCRS•ASOA 2012
Chicago
Page: 17
ASCRS Winter
Update 2012
Page: 29
ASCRS Membership
Page: 53
EyeWorld Webminar
Page: 45
ASOA Membership
Page: 47
Index to Advertisers
continued on page 74
