HERE’S HOW TO ENSURE PATIENTS ACTUALLY COMPLY WITH YOUR REFERRALS

A CLIENT recently shared a very sad story. He remembered a patient he diagnosed with a retinal condition about three years ago. While asymptomatic, the patient required immediate attention and treatment by a retinal specialist. The patient’s BCVA then was 20/20. Returning to the optometrist three years later, the patient’s BCVA was 20/400 in the affected eye. (Fortunately, the fellow eye was unaffected.) The retinal damage took its toll, as it was never treated.

“Did you see Dr. Retina three years ago?” the optometrist asked, somewhat dumbfounded.

“No. I never got around to it,” the patient replied. “And I remember when I left here last time, my vision with my new glasses was really good. I guess not getting that retinal thing looked at is why my vision is so bad now?”

The doctor frustratingly muttered, “Yes. Let’s make sure your other eye doesn’t suffer a similar fate.”

REMEMBER THE GOAL

How do you refer patients out of your practice? There’s a spectrum of ways that fall between laissez-faire and alarming. Regardless of what or how you communicate, remember the goal: Get the patient seen by the appropriate professional.

Here are a two things you must do to ensure patients actually comply with your referrals.

MAKE THE REFERRAL

First, actually make a referral.

Telling patients, “I suggest you see Dr. Retina,” or, “As an option, you can see Dr. Retina,” is not referring. If patients seem unimpressed by the urgency, then step things up. “I’m referring you out now because this needs to be looked at right away” is different than, “You can call their office when you get a chance.” In extreme emergencies, when patients still don’t understand the severity, it is usually warranted to say, “I’m calling the doctor now to set up an appointment.” Tell the patient directly. Add the appropriate sense of urgency for the specific condition with a concrete timeline.

For example, “I’m referring you to Dr. Retina because I’m concerned about what I’m seeing in the back of your eye. Call her today, and see her no later than tomorrow.” Or, when less urgent, “Your son has problems coordinating his two eyes when he reads, so I’m referring you to an eye doctor who specializes in these sorts of problems. Here is her card. The sooner you address this, the sooner he should have fewer problems reading.” The key here is that you did not say, “Here’s a card for a doctor who does vision therapy. You might want to Google it and then decide what to do.”

ALIGN YOUR STAFF

Next, align your staff on what is said in the exam room. It’s not uncommon for patients to approach your staff and ask questions they might not ask you.

“Dr. Jones gave me a card for this other doctor. He said that doctor will help slow down my daughter’s myopia. Do I really have to go?”

Remember this. An offhanded comment by an uneducated staff member (your fault) can result in a retinal detachment when your -1.00D, 8-year-old patient winds up a 32-year-old -7.00D, because of a lack of a proper referral. OM

DR. GERBER is the president of the Power Practice, a company specializing in making optometrists more profitable. Learn more at www.powerpractice.com , or call Dr. Gerber at (888) 356-4447.