CLINICAL

  DIVERSIFY YOUR PORTFOLIO

TAKE CHARGE OF SUPPLEMENTS

INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF PATIENT ADHERENCE WITH IN-OFFICE SUPPLEMENTS

JEFFREY D. GERSON, O.D. F.A.A.O

WE KNOW the importance of nutrition to health and, specifically, to eye health. In particular, many of us discuss lutein/zeaxanthin for AMD, fish oil for dry eyes or other supplements for a bevy of ocular conditions. We need to realize it is not enough to discuss these, we must also provide them to our patients.

For many of us, the way our patients acquire their supplements is at a store. If this is the case, it is crucial that we give a specific prescription vs. a simple suggestion. Even then, when patients go to the store, there is no way for us, as doctors, to know what they will get. Often times, there are generic versions of the supplements that we’ve discussed, and they are sometimes labeled to look like a direct substitute, which is not always the case.

How can we ensure patients use exactly what we want them to? Why not allow them to leave the office with the product?

STOCK OR DIRECT PATIENTS TO PURCHASE THEM

Stock the actual bottles in your office, or direct patients to a specific portal for ordering. A hybrid of this would be to have a staff member do the ordering on behalf of the patient before he or she leaves the office. This way, the money is exchanged between the patient and the actual vendor/manufacturer.

THINK AHEAD

Just like any other treatment, there is often a problem with long-term adherence. One way to facilitate better adherence is to ensure that patients have what they need in advance. With contact lenses, this equates to a year supply purchase. With supplements, this can either mean a year supply or auto-shipments, either quarterly or monthly. This takes some of the guesswork out and is easily set up through the manufacturer without any added workload on staff.

CREATE ADHERENCE

Offering supplements for sale is a way to diversify the offerings of your office. It is also a way to ensure that patients receive your recommendations. Many reject this notion as, “we are doctors, not sales people.” The reality is that we are doctors, but there is more to medicine than medical knowledge. We must impart that knowledge and facilitate its acceptance and adherence in our patients. OM

DR. GERSON practices at Grin Eyecare in Olathe, Kan., a full-scope combined O.D./M.D. practice. Email him at jgerson@hotmail.com, or visit tinyurl.com/OMcomment to comment on this article.