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TIPS, TRENDS & NEWS YOU CAN USE

CMS Considers Proposals to Modify MU Requirements

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced it intends to update its rules for the EHR meaningful use (MU) program this spring. The proposed changes to MU include shortening the 2015 EHR reporting period from one year to 90 days, as well as other measures that would decrease providers’ reporting burdens and reduce complexity.

“Shortening the reporting period provides some relief, as is the case with the Summary of Care Record in that most O.D.s would be able to use an exclusion,” says Jeff Grant, president and founder of Healthcare Management & Automation Systems, Inc., and a medical practice management consultant. “But practitioners are finding the patient portal measures very hard (if not impossible) to meet even if the reporting period were one week because these measures are contingent on getting patients to provide their e-mail addresses and use their personal portals, and practices are having a lot of trouble getting patients to do this. For this reason, I hope the proposed rule includes some changes to these Stage 2 measures.”

Scot Jens, O.D., F.A.A.O., who practices in Middleton, Wisc., and is CEO of RevolutionEHR, says his practice has found that by educating and engaging a certain number of patients on patient portals, the practice has been able to meet the Stage 2 patient portal measures (Patient Electronic Access - Core Measure 7, Summary of Care Provided Upon Transition of Care - Core Measure 15 and Use Secure Electronic Messaging - Core Measure 17).

“In my practice, we say to every few patients, ‘I have a paperless copy of your visit on your patient portal. I know that you probably occasionally want such data, so I wanted to let you know that you have 24-hour access to it online. Logging in to the portal is pretty easy. Can we show you how to do it?’ This action has enabled us to meet Stage 2 Core Measures 7 and 15,” he explains. “To meet Core Measure 17, we send patients a question on their portal, such as “How is that eye drop working for you?” Once patients receive an e-mail that alerts them to a message in the patient portal, many send a secure message in reply.”

Lens Materials in Percentages Revealed

According to data from the Vision Council for the first half of 2014, a total of 40.7 million pairs of prescription lenses were sold, amounting to $5.9 billion. Among lens treatments, AR was most popular (29.8%), followed by photochromic (15.9%) and polarized (7.4%).

Chief of New ICO Vision and Aging Center Provides Care Tips

The Illinois College of Optometry recently opened the Alfred and Sarah Rosenbloom Center on Vision and Aging at the Illinois Eye Institute. The Center, named for Alfred Rosenbloom, O.D., former ICO dean and president, and his wife, Sarah, focuses primarily on the aging population, though also caters to underserved minority populations. It provides adaptive technology; electrophysiology; occupational therapy; psychological support; primary and secondary vision care; and vision rehabilitation. Further, the Center will conduct clinical vision-related geriatric research.

“Dr. Rosenbloom had an extensive career in caring for geriatric patients and saw that the needed resources simply weren’t available to properly care for them,” explains Eric Baas, O.D., the Center’s chief. “The Center was born out of his vision of such a place, and its goal is to serve as a template for how to effectively manage these patients.”

With this in mind, he recommends private practitioners meet the needs of the ever-growing geriatric population by:

• Getting family involved. Ask patients to bring a family member to each and every appointment, so they have an extra set of ears and know they are not alone in their care — something that can provide great patient comfort, he says.

• Approaching with patience. Remember that these patients often move and talk slower and can’t hear as well as other patient populations. Also, many have cognitive issues, such as forgetfulness, Dr. Baas explains. “Make sure you’re taking that extra time to ensure you understand their needs, so you can effectively meet them,” he says. “To do this, consider designating time slots for geriatric patient exams and also schedule follow-up visits if patients have needs that go beyond the basic comprehensive eye exam.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY

• Providing patient education and support. “It’s important to keep in mind that vision loss equals a loss of independence, which can have a profound negative affect on these patients’ quality of life,” explains Dr. Baas. “Therefore, provide patient education, in terms of what the diagnosis means today and what it could mean in the future, and a list of support services, such as a sheet that easily defines the condition and includes the names of local low vision centers and psychologists who specifically deal with geriatric issues.

“By doing this, you empower them to be proactive in the next steps,” he explains. “Also, such a sheet may prevent misguided online research, which can cause unnecessary panic.”

O.D. Becomes Amazon Best Seller

Carl J. Blackburn, O.D., “Joe” of Houston, Texas is an Amazon best seller for his participation in “Transform: Transforming Your Life, Business & Health” (Celebrity PR, 2014). Specifically, Dr. Blackburn contributed the chapter “Aim Higher for Success.”

The book achieved Amazon best-seller status in the Direct Marketing and Marketing and Small Business categories.

Dr. Blackburn, who is credited with the one-hour optical concept, says O.D.s should read the book because it contains “great personal development and success motivation stories.”

Starting this month, Sony’s SmartEyeglass Developer Edition SED-E1, eyewear that links with smartphones to display information in the user’s field of view of the transparent lenses, is available for sale in the United States for $840. Apps for the device, which currently include access to Gmail, Facebook, RSS and Twitter, are available from Google Play. For additional information, visit http://bit.ly/1EJo24I and http://bit.ly/1EkCRea.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SONY

Vision Source Launches Web-Based Solution for the Optical

Vision Source, an independent optometric alliance, has launched Optical Dream, a web-based solution that incentivizes Vision Source members’ optical and office staffs to learn and use effective strategies for improving patient experience and practice profitability.

Specifically, Optical Dream is comprised of audio, written instruction, video role-play demonstrations, questionnaires and several practice management tools to be used as a reference to help doctors and their staffs learn. Based on participation and performance, doctors, opticians and staff have several chances to win prizes, including cash and paid vacations to destinations, such as Paris.

O.D. Notebook