VIEWPOINT

AN INNOVATIVE BEGINNING

WHY NOT START 2016 WITH A BOOST FOR YOUR PATIENTS AND YOUR PRACTICE?

JIM THOMAS
Editorial Director

THOSE SEARCHING for a meaningful start to the new year might consider the resolution that includes innovation. Whether it’s an improvement in patient care or practice management, “Optometric Management” offers pages of ideas in the article “Innovation in Optometry” (p. 26). Compiled by Associate Editor Shannon Simcox, the feature includes ideas submitted by key opinion leaders who write on topics that range from an improved social media presence to investments in the latest diagnostic devices.

UPGRADE TO STAY AHEAD OF THE CURVE

As the article notes, practices can stay “ahead of the curve” by offering new technologies. One example is providing patients with the latest spectacle and contact lens technologies. But for many, this presents a challenge: How do busy practices present advanced vision correction products to patients who don’t necessarily seek change? Senior Editor Jennifer Kirby answers this in “Upgrade Your Patients” (p. 22). The article offers dispensing tips aimed at delivering more to patients than they might otherwise expect. For instance, by asking occupational and lifestyle questions, doctors can present innovative solutions, such as recommending the latest computer glasses to reduce eye strain in those patients who demonstrate heavy computer/smart device use.

When patients understand the direct benefits of new products or treatments (the “why”), they are more likely to leave the office satisfied and motivated to adhere to a new treatment plan. The explanation of the “why” is not a sometime thing, as Whitney Hauser, O.D., explains in her feature, which begins on p. 18. Practices can find the most success when the “why” is explained at each patient-practice encounter, beginning with education on the practice’s website and following through to each touch point within the practice.

LET’S HEAR IT

As this issue of OM demonstrates, the new year can hold many opportunities for optometric practices. We welcome you to take advantage of the ideas presented or to share your ideas with us. Either way, we all win. OM