• IDENTIFY MEDICAL PATIENTS

Patients who answer “yes” to any two of the three following questions are medical patients who require treatment: Does your vision fluctuate and if so, does it get better when you blink? Are your eyes ever red? Do you ever “feel” your eyes?.
(OD to OD, p.2)  bit.ly/2tQRsTz

• CONSIDER VIRAL ETIOLOGY

Use in-office point-of-care testing to confirm the viral etiology of viral conjunctivitis, so you can determine a proper treatment plan and educate the patient or his or her parent on whether it’s infectious and decrease unnecessary sick days. These tests take a few minutes to perform and provide accurate results in about 10 minutes, having a reported 90% sensitivity and 96% specificity rates.
(Cornea, p.34) bit.ly/2tR9TYl

• PROVIDE INSTRUCTIONS ON WARM COMPRESS USE

While not likely to make a significant impact on severe DED, patients who have mild to moderate symptoms can find relief from proper use. Written instructions, or digital ones, available on your practice’s website, can streamline the education process, while also maintaining direction uniformity. Without consistency of education, compliant patients will be discouraged and won’t appreciate hearing, “you haven’t been doing it right.”
(Dry Eye, p.36) bit.ly/2tQTUtf

• CONSIDER CORNEAL MEMBRANES

This is a valuable treatment option because of its speed and effectiveness at providing patients with relief. Consider it when a patient presents with a high severity anterior segment issue, such as a corneal ulcer, and for a variety of keratitis cases.
(Contact Lens, p.41) bit.ly/2tR0ujA

• EDUCATE THE CONSUMER

When consumers have greater clarity around the value of a product or service, they are more likely to pay for it.
(CEO Checklist, p.52) bit.ly/2uqdRnO

• GET PAST THE “NO”

Even though patients may regularly decline purchasing glasses or other products and services from your practice, continue to offer them. The few “yes” answers you get will eventually help you reverse the “no” cycle and prevent the burnout that eventually accompanies the recurrent losses.
(Business Strategies, p.53) bit.ly/2uqcrJM

• BE AN INVESTIGATOR

Many new point-of-care tests, diagnostic tests and clinical treatments assist us in providing efficient and effective care. To provide proper clinical care means being a great investigator; listen carefully and examine prudently. Properly record any complaints or symptoms of eye disease or injury provided by the patient and record any clinical findings that you discover in your examination and subsequent diagnosis.
(Coding Strategies, p.54) bit.ly/2uqd1au

• RESOLVE CONFLICT IN THE OFFICE

Conflict breeds tension, lack of productivity and affects the entire team. Left to fester, it can eventually blow up and cause you to lose a staff member (usually the best one). You can deal with conflict in numerous ways; start by sitting with the individuals, with you as mediator, and try to sort through the problem. But deal with it, you must.
(Personnel, p.56) bit.ly/2uqdTMe

• DRY EYE PREVENTION FOR ALL

To be successful with a model of practice that includes dry eye preventive care, you must be willing to invest your expertise and time with each patient, even in the absence of symptoms.
(Merchandising, p.57) bit.ly/2uqkUgb

• CREATE A PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL PRESENCE

LinkedIn offers you the ability to leave out the food porn, kid pics and concert videos. It allows you to post your professional expertise for the professional world to see. Think of it as Facebook for business.
(Social Media, p.58) bit.ly/2uqwsjk