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A Great Time to Be Practicing

Advances in medical technologies will help the profession to grow

FROM THE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Jim Thomas

The list of innovations in medicine appears to grow every day. Headlines announce new therapies for cancer and heart disease, improved diagnostic testing (faster, cheaper, more accurate and painless), wearable computers, biological materials created by 3-D printers and smart contact lenses that monitor conditions and deliver drugs.

It’s a great time to be involved in healthcare delivery, but the rate of technological improvements also begs the question: How will advancing medical technologies affect optometry?

In this month’s OM, Dr. Walt Whitley provides answers, as he discusses three areas of medical eye care where innovation will contribute to the growth of the profession: refractive surgery, diagnosis/disease management and drug transmission. (See “Medical Eye Care: The Next Frontier,” page 14.) Along with his discussion of each innovation, Dr. Whitley explains how optometrists can add value to patient care and ultimately, their own practices.

Retina: an area of focus

Many of the advances in medicine will address patients who suffer from age-related diseases, diabetes and hypertension — all areas that lead to problems in the back of the eye. To help address the needs of these patients, Dr. Sherrol Reynolds offers 10 practical strategies to help develop retinal care in the optometric practice (see “How to Develop a Retina Niche,” page 24).

These steps not only help to build successful practices. As Dr. Reynolds notes, the “proper identification and treatment of retinal problems” can help “prevent vision loss for millions of patients.”

Avoid failure and disservice

Dr. Josh Johnston, echoes the patient care sentiment in his article “How to Build a Medical Practice” on page 22. “By failing to practice to our full extent, we do a disservice to our patients and ourselves,” he concludes. Dr. Johnston also provides five other compelling reasons to practice full-scope medical eye care, as well as 10 steps that will help practices achieve success.

Maintain financial health

To help understand the finances of the medical portion of the practice, Dr. David Mills identifies the metrics that can determine whether a practice is thriving or languishing (see “Financial Foundations,” page 54). By paying attention to these “vital signs” on a regular basis, you can ensure that your practice enjoys continued health. OM