Eyeworld

EW FEATURE 56 you have to consider the investment and reimbursement options. In his practice, any technology that is $50,000 or more is brought to the board meeting, and the surgeon who wants that technology has to make a presentation as to why it's necessary, what the reimbursement looks like, etc. Deciding to purchase it would require a vote. When it comes to purchasing new technologies, Ms. Brown said that best practices include research- ing needs and the desires of the phy- sicians and staff regarding clinical and administrative equipment and software. Ms. Cook added that decisions may be made based on the budget of the practice, the cost of the equip- ment, and reimbursement factors. Sometimes it depends on the need and utilization. For example, if it's something that's going to only be utilized a few times a year, it prob- ably wouldn't be considered. She added patient outcomes come first when considering new technologies. Ms. Simerson said it often depends on the practice size when deciding what new technologies are needed in the practice. In her experience working with a large practice, she found that many of the doctors were involved with new technologies and would suggest ones to consider. She added that it's important to negotiate a trial for the technology and to do a cost/benefit analysis to figure out what the re- turn would be and how it would fit with current equipment in the prac- tice. In a smaller practice, it might be something that a consultant or an administrator would identify and suggest for a gap. EW Editors' note: The sources have no financial interests related to their comments. Contact information Brown: lbrown@bsmconsulting.com Cook: jdcook@bsmconsulting.com Simerson: candy.simerson@gmail.com Weinstock: rjweinstock@yahoo.com In the past, it was more about technical skills, Ms. Simerson said, but now there is a focus on intrap- ersonal skills. It's important to focus on the patient experience and mak- ing sure staff is engaged, she said. Dr. Weinstock said that his practice currently places an em- phasis on physician extenders and collaborative care. For example, they are focusing on the concept of optometrists in the practice who subspecialize in certain areas of oph- thalmology. That way, the optom- etrist can help with patients on the preoperative and postoperative side and notify the ophthalmologists if more treatment is needed. There's a lot of collaborative care going on in our practice, he said, and as things get busier and there are more people in the "eye- care age group," this will set the stage to help the practice handle the volume of patients without losing the personal touch, he said. Ms. Cook finds a lot of practices are trying to handle the changes that the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) brings and how they'll make that work in the day-to-day operations of the practice. She said another main goal is to be sure that the practice doesn't lose sight of what they do well by getting distracted with trends or technologies. Ms. Brown added that strategic planning is imperative so that the practice can set strategic and tactical goals to accomplish the overall mission. Purchasing new technologies When it comes to purchasing new technologies and incorporating them into a practice, Dr. Weinstock said it's handled on a case-by-case basis. You have to look at the tech- nology and ask, "Do I need this?" or "Do I want this?" If you need something, that's an easy decision, he said, because you have to spend the money no matter if you get the return on investment or not. When it's a technology you want to have, Pearls continued from page 55 Register Now: www.icoph.org/WOC2018

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