Eyeworld

July 2016 • Ophthalmology Business 3 www.OphthalmologyBusiness.org Vol. 7, No. 2 TM July 2016 Donald R. Long Publisher don@eyeworld.org Stacy Jablonski Editor stacy@eyeworld.org Julio Guerrero Graphic design julio@eyeworld.org Susan Steury Graphic design assistant susan@eyeworld.org Carly Peterson Production assistant carly@eyeworld.org Paul Zelin Sales paul@eyeworld.org ASCRS Publisher: OphthalmOlOgy Business is published quarterly by ASCRS Ophthalmic Services Corp., 4000 Legato Road, Suite 700, Fairfax, VA 22033-4055; telephone 703-591- 2220; fax 703-273-2963. Printed in the U.S. Editorial Offices: OphthalmOlOgy Business, 4000 Legato Road, Suite 700, Fairfax, VA 22033-4055; 703-591-2220; fax 703-273-2963; email: stacy@eyeworld.org. Advertising Offices: ASCRSMedia, 4000 Legato Road, Suite 700, Fairfax, VA 22033-4055; toll-free 800-451-1339, 703-591-2220; fax 703-273-2963; email: cathy@eyeworld.org Copyright 2016, ASCRS Ophthalmic Services Corp., 4000 Legato Road, Suite 700, Fairfax, VA 22033- 4055. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Letters to the editor and other unsolicited material are assumed intended for publication and are subject to editorial review and acceptance. From the publisher M ore and more, physicians are planning their work and personal lives to achieve some balance. The key is iden- tifying personal priorities. "Whatever those priorities are for you—whether it's health, sleep, family, work— and trying to put those all into order, knowing that everything is not going to get accomplished all at once," said Deborah Ristvedt, DO, a comprehensive ophthalmologist and mother of 3 children. To find out how she and others are striking this balance, read "Maintaining a good work-life balance in ophthalmology." Ophthalmology practices can make a lot of errors when it comes to compliance—and some can be downright dangerous. For instance, if you receive an after-hours call from a patient post-surgery, do you al- ways make a record of the advice you gave in the patient's chart? If you don't and the patient ultimately develops a complication and decides to sue, it is very difficult to defend against such claims without doc- umentation. "Avoiding compliance mistakes that can attract govern- ment attention" contains more information on this topic. Has a family member or friend of 1 of your patients ever expressed interest in seeing what goes on in the OR? At some forward-think- ing ophthalmic practices, family members and friends are able to get a closer look with surgical observation rooms. These rooms contain a wall with 1-way glass, a digital screen connected to the surgeon's microscope, and a large model eye. The key component is a knowl- edgeable staff member who can narrate the process. According to phy- sicians who currently have observation rooms in their practices, the rooms help to create an exceptional experience for patients and their family—which may lead to them recommending the practice to others. Learn more in "Letting patients look in at the OR." Finally, recognizing personality differences—and matching some- one else's personality type during social situations—can make for a smoother practice, among staff and with patient interactions. At an ASOA course at the recent ASCRS•ASOA Symposium & Congress, 2 speakers described the 4 personality types: Driving, Expressive, Ami- able, and Analytical. To learn more about these personality types and how you can utilize this knowledge in your practice, read "Pinpointing personality type helps with workplace and patient interaction." All of this and more is packed into this issue of Ophthalmology Business. We hope you find the information useful for both your pro- fessional and personal life. Is there a topic that you would like to see covered in a future issue? Please contact us with your ideas. Thank you for reading! Don Long Publisher

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