Ophthalmology Patient Portal and Online Communication Editorial

Better Educated Patients - Better Encounters

April 1, 2009

As people continue to grow older and live longer, the quality of their vision tends to decrease over time. In fact, cataracts are the leading cause of vision loss among people over the age of 55. Fortunately, cataract patient’s today have exciting new treatment options that will allow them to see better in ways they could never have imagined. With the advent of new premium IOL’s, patients may actually pay more to see at all distances, not simply far or near. This presents a unique financial opportunity for cataract and refractive surgeons in an economy that continues to weaken and deteriorate. But how can a busy surgeon present the many options available to the patient within a given unit of time? It’s challenging, especially because patients still  require the basic information regarding their eye care not just the latest and greatest options available.

Wouldn’t it be ideal to have a patient come into the office with a full understanding of  what a cataract is, how it is treated, and the premium options available?  Thanks to patient education

 Michael A. Sopher

 VP of Business Dev.
 Eyemaginations, Inc.

products like 3D-Eye Home™ from Eyemaginations, patients receive a complete education even before they visit the clinic. Quality solutions will allow practices to send emails with high-definition educational narratives, to each patient, customized from the surgeon. This serves many purposes for the doctor and his/her staff. Patients now come into their office visit with a much better understanding of their condition and treatment options. Specifically, 3D-Eye Home™ has proved to be a very efficient practice marketing tool because of its viral capacity with a patient load rate of 114%.

Taking things to the next level, wouldn’t it be nice if the doctor or staff did not have to take up their time to send educational email invitations to each patient? That is exactly where this technology is heading, and integration is key. 3D-Eye Home™, for example, is currently integrated with a select group of EMR, patient portal, and practice management systems so that the emails are sent to every single patient that enters the practice door, completely automated through custom identification integration. With this smart technology, codes are pulled from the patients’ EMR chart and emails are sent with the appropriate recommended education without the involvement of the doctor or staff. The result of this collaboration is that practices can now see more educated patients per unit of time AND receive referrals from existing patients through the viral marketing aspect of the education emails. All of this can now be done without changing the office work flow or taking up any time from the office team. The best form of “advertising” a successful procedure is through patient accolades. Customized educational emails last forever so these accolades can be shared to large groups with just the touch of a button and give the practice an easy way to remain connected with its patients.

Michael A. Sopher
VP of Business Development
Eyemaginations, Inc.

Email: michael@eyemaginations.com