Eyeworld

December 2016 • Ophthalmology Business 3 www.OphthalmologyBusiness.org Vol. 7, No. 4 TM December 2016 Donald 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 C ataract surgery has more options than ever, but coun- seling patients on out-of-pocket refractive options for cataract surgery without feeling like a salesman can be tricky. In "7 tips for presenting refractive cataract surgery to patients," Richard Tipperman, MD, and Shamik Bafna, MD, offer pearls for counseling patients on options to help them make the best decision for their refractive goals. These tips— including choosing the right wording and bringing in patients' family members—could help improve your conversion rate, as they did in Dr. Bafna's practice. As health care becomes more complex, the desire for high quali- ty but less expensive care has increased. At the University of Southern California, a Virtual Care Clinic (VCC) is aiming to change the way health care is pursued. The VCC will allow patients with smartphones to interact with doctors and obtain reliable patient education information. "On your mobile device, you can contact the physician, and an avatar of that physician will interact with you, wherever they are, and answer questions one on one," said Rohit Varma, MD. In addition, patients can use the physician avatar to obtain information they may have forgotten, such as drug precautions or how to instill eye drops. Read more about this innovative new program in "Virtual Care Clinic transforms tradition- al health care model." Physicians are faced with a myriad of insurance options, and while they may be familiar with the ones that allow them to practice and run a business, there are other policies worth considering as well—such as cyber liability coverage. The types of policies and coverage can be over- whelming, so be sure to read "Are you sure you're covered?" This article presents some lesser know insurance offerings and resources to learn more about the different options. This issue also contains useful information on conducting local sur- veys to capitalize on potential LASIK patients in "How potential patient research improves your LASIK marketing"; looking at long-term indica- tors to get a clear backdrop of what is going on in the markets in "Long- term indicators can provide buy or sell signals"; and adding dry eye services to your practice in "The 'opportunity' in dry eye is the chance to improve patient outcomes." If there is a topic you would like to see covered in a future issue, please contact us. As we close the year, the staff of Ophthalmology Business would like to wish you and your family a happy and healthy holiday season. We look forward to providing more practical articles to help you in 2017. Don Long, Publisher

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