IF YOU WANT TO MAKE SOMETHING BETTER, JUST ADD SCIENCE
IS THERE any corner of our lives free from technology? Consider this statement: More coverstock enhances the coefficient of restitution, which is the ratio of the differences in velocity between two objects before and after a collision. It’s not rocket science, literally. It’s marketing language for a bowling ball.
No matter the issue — bowling balls, bowling ball marketing — chances are, there are experts who can apply science to it.
And they have. Scientific principles have been used to describe running shoes, furniture and countless other products. (The American Chemical Society’s “Adventures in Science” website describes the “cool science” of diapers.) When done well, a high-tech approach to everyday items can deepen a consumers’ appreciation of science. In terms of marketing and education, a high-tech approach can also help patients appreciate your practice’s level of sophistication and care.
THE “TECH-GEEK” PERSPECTIVE
In this issue of OM, dedicated to office technology, Dr. Scot Morris, a confessed “tech geek,” offers a systematic approach to equipment purchases (p.2). He also discusses the issues surrounding remote diagnostic testing and eye care (“A Look at Remote Technology,” p.26).
With consumers spending extended hours on smart devices, optometrists must understand how their patients can become “more productive and efficient while reducing eye strain,” writes Dr. Paul Harris in the cover feature “Treat Digital Eye Strain” (p.16). By using the full scope of optometric services, optometrists can “make a major change in the quality of life for the patients of the 21st century.”
As new information technology is introduced, all health care providers must consider a comprehensive approach to patient privacy and data security. To help practices develop a solution, Matt DiBlasi, president of Continual Compliance Solutions, presents a five-step approach to HIPAA compliance, beginning on p.22.
Many of this month’s columns and departments also discuss technology in the optometric practice, from coding to social media. But that is only our starting point: OM also invites you to share your own tech-related successes, challenges and memorable moments with us by emailing james.thomas@pentavisionmedia.com. OM