As R. Luke Rebenitsch, MD, sees it, the opportunity to help patients feel welcomed and safe as they enter his clinic happens in the first few seconds. As such, his practices have been designed to quickly invoke these emotions. The walls are painted with warm, earthy colors. The lighting is soft, with low-lumen output bulbs and LED fixtures that promote a calming ambiance.

And, perhaps most significantly today, digital screens adorn the walls and kiosks are placed in a manner that assumes each patient will interact with them. It’s what Dr. Rebenitsch describes as the quintessential look for today’s ophthalmic practice, where the presence of patient-facing technology has become essential to the performance of his clinic and the overall health of his patients.

“When someone enters our office, they’re going to see technology and software,” says Dr. Rebenitsch, medical director of ClearSight LASIK and 43Vision. “There’s technology in our waiting room, there’s technology as they walk through the lane and there’s technology where they sit to meet with our counselors. And all this technology needs to be part of an environment that makes patients feel comfortable, like this is a place that will be consistent with their values.”

As more “digital natives” comprise the patient population, Dr. Rebenitsch along with other physicians say they have experienced better engagement with patients, especially when considering the challenges many have faced in attempting to move beyond the pandemic, through a combination of utilizing these technologies onsite and through mobile applications. They also say there is a need to incorporate these technologies into their facilities, protocols and education consistently — and often prior to the patient’s first clinic visit.

A DIGITAL DISPLAY

Comprehensive, efficient patient education

In Dr. Rebenitsch’s clinics, all screens display multiple types of eye-related education, from patient testimonials about the practice and different types of IOLs to trivia and videos that discuss self-care tips.

The information being shared is generated through two platforms in particular: Rendia, a holistic online engagement/education app that is intended to help providers communicate with patients efficiently, consistently, and earlier in their visit through practice-tailored content, and TouchMD, a visual consultation, marketing and imaging software platform that uses touchscreens to enhance patient experiences and to drive revenue generation. In conjunction, the programs allow Dr. Rebenitsch to be more comprehensive and concise with communication and education with content that he can select from stock while also having the opportunity to customize.

“There are so many different platforms available to choose from today, but what we really like about TouchMD and Rendia is the versatility and customization,” Dr. Rebenitsch says. “There are multiple sliders, videos and stock photos to educate patients on the conditions that we treat. We also have the opportunity to discuss different types of premium IOLs and the experiences that can be expected with each.” Explanations that used to require several minutes now take only seconds, he adds.

Boosted by telemedicine

Lance Kugler, MD, founder and physician chief executive officer of Kugler Vision, and his staff have integrated technology as a supplement to how they provide education and offer recommendations, particularly during telemedicine sessions. As the use of telemedicine in Dr. Kugler’s practice has increased since the pandemic, digital technology overall has become more commonplace.

“We had the infrastructure and equipment for telemedicine and these technologies before the pandemic, but when the pandemic hit that accelerated our adoption and we haven’t turned back,” says Dr. Kugler.

During a telemedicine visit, images and graphics are pulled in through the Rendia platform to complement the conversation. Once the patient has been logged into their telemedicine session and it’s confirmed that the provider and patient can see and hear one another, any content that exists within Rendia can be screen-shared to be included during the appointment.

“There’s a lot that can be communicated through visuals or animations, and this is an efficient way to provide that type of communication,” Dr. Kugler explains. “These technologies are useful to help patients understand some of the complexities of their visual system and why we would recommend one product over another product.”

Dr. Kugler says that the most significant benefits for the providers are that the content is streamlined and efficient while the patients benefit from a better understanding of their care. Telemedicine benefits include more engagement among patients and the ability to involve family, as well as more flexibility for appointment times.

With the majority of the practice’s new-patient consults occurring through telemedicine visits, many of Dr. Kugler’s patients are exposed to these technologies earlier in their relationship with the clinic, he says.

“Today, we’re conducting approximately 90% of our new-patient evaluations through telemedicine. We’re using these modalities consistently with them from the beginning of their patient journey. Most of our telemedicine conversations are conducted through Google Meet, but we use a combination of platforms depending on the needs.”

Despite the heavy use of telemedicine, Dr. Kugler says that all patients are onsite for full diagnostics and examination by an optometrist. “By the time the surgeon meets with patients via telemedicine, we have all the data.”

A WELCOME MAT IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Similarly, Brian M. Shafer, MD, who opened his own practice, Shafer Vision Institute, this past summer, introduces his patients to the various digital technologies that have become staples to the operation of his clinic before they even confirm their first appointment. Dash, a product managed by health-care IT company Relatient, allows Dr. Shafer to combine online scheduling with content management software that shares information about the institute as well as his background as a provider. The approach has helped him to set a baseline of comprehensive communication and transparency when opening his own private practice (for more, see Building a Private Practice).

“When I went on my own, it was very important to optimize every single aspect of the patient experience cycle,” says Dr. Shafer. “And the first thing that patients experience when they’re referred to a surgical provider is whatever it is that comes up in a Google search on your practice: the provider’s name and any reviews written by other patients.”

With the assumption being that patients will read those reviews, Dr. Shafer says there needs to be a link from that point to an attractive website for the practice that offers a call to action for them to schedule an appointment. That action is embedded into his website, allowing patients to navigate through a self-scheduling form and offers the clinic the potential to engage patients with personalized messaging for appointment confirmations and reminders as well as instant-chat capabilities for two-way communication once they are successfully registered.

“Once the appointment is scheduled, that’s our first opportunity to deliver personalized care and to introduce patients to us as a practice, and to me as a provider,” says Dr. Shafer.

The result, he believes, is that the groundwork for patient familiarity is laid before they even step through the practice door, while patient anxiety is reduced.

BRING VIDEOS TO YOUR PATIENTS

Dr. Shafer has also taken his multimedia presence to YouTube, where he populates his channel with professional-quality videos produced by film crews and recorded in a rented studio. In all, 40 videos have been posted and can be embedded into email sent to patients through the Dash platform.

“Specific playlists of videos are automatically sent to each patient based on their specific appointment type,” Dr. Shafer explains. “They can view and keep this content, and they can respond to messaging at their own speed. If a patient arrives to an appointment and has not yet viewed our content, we just view the content together in the office. The app also allows you to conduct surveys. When patients rate you highly, you can then push forward a link to your Google page.”

THE PHASED APPROACH

At Florida Eye Associates, Trish Barker, chief operating officer, has found success mingling multiple patient-facing technology tools through a step-by-step method. She too utilizes Rendia to host educational videos on her practice’s website.

Branching out from the group’s website, patients can also communicate with staff via email through a portal built within the Modernizing Medicine EMR’s practice management system, which also allows patients to log into personalized accounts for educational content.

“We have also implemented a two-way text messaging system that confirms appointments and alerts patients to office closings and other announcements,” says Ms. Barker. “Patients also receive texts that are sent out by designated staff members after visits that prompt them to participate in satisfaction surveys.”

AN ANSWER TO THE STAFF SHORTAGE ISSUE

Despite the potential that technology provides for ongoing connectability, chronic short-staffing continues to impact the industry today, according to Samir Melki, MD, PhD, medical director and founder at Boston Vision. A direct consequence of the pandemic, staffing shortages are also compromising customer service at a national level, says Dr. Melki, who recently “secret shopped” 20 practices throughout the United States to evaluate customer service performance.

His data found that 40% of facilities took more than 2 minutes to answer phone calls. Not coincidentally, Dr. Melki faced similar challenges in his clinic in 2020.

“This had a very detrimental effect on our practice,” he explains. In response to his findings, Dr. Melki launched MyTeem, a platform that offers a host of support services such as lead management and patient scheduling. A growing number of health-care practices in various parts of the country have registered for the program, which also connects patients to their providers through a call center staffed by on-hand professionals.

“The goal is to solve the short-staffing challenges we all face, enhance the patient experience and reduce the cost of many administrative tasks,” says Dr. Melki. “The idea is to provide a dedicated team supervised by our managers in what I call a ‘supervised remote’ concept.”

Dr. Shafer says that MyTeem has contributed to the technological advances at SVI while helping to maintain that human aspect that can be lost as the industry becomes more digital. Although most of his LASIK consults are scheduled online, most visits with the older patient population are still scheduled via telephone. MyTeem also syncs with Modernizing Medicine within the call center to provide those who are communicating with patients over the phone with additional resources, Ms. Barker says.

CONCLUSION

According to Dr. Rebenitsch, everything adds up to what seems to be more trust in technology overall among patients of all age groups, as well as a reliance on technology from both patients and clinicians.

“The use of digital tools with patients is ubiquitous regardless of age,” he says. “Almost everyone has email and text messaging. There’s no part of life where technology is not constantly utilized. People are just more accepting and trusting of technology today.” OM