Due to the continued social constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic, patients are exceedingly more likely to expect of their eye care practitioner, among other health care providers, technology that allows them to continue to receive care and related services.

With this in mind, eye care professionals discuss the patient communication systems that have enabled them to stay in touch with patients.

SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION

Adam Ramsey, O.D., Socialite Vision, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., says that, when the pandemic first hit, his office posted a walk-through of what office procedures would look like on his social media channels. This allowed patients to adjust their expectations regarding protocols, such as waiting in their cars instead of the waiting room, receiving a text to come in to the building when it’s their turn and filling out forms in advance of coming to the office.

“You have to be willing to be transparent,” Dr. Ramsey says of social media. “You have to be willing to give of yourself.”

By this, Dr. Ramsey means embracing the “social” part of social media: Using photos from the practice, getting in front of the camera, being authentic, connecting and engaging with the customers on that platform.

For example: “My wife just had a baby. My parents got to see my wife pregnant.” Then, he says, when it came time to move two weeks of patients around, so that he could spend time at home with his wife and child, patients were very understanding. Now, they come in and want to see pictures of the baby.

“You should know some of the people who are coming in to the office from outside of the practice,” Dr. Ramsey says, to be successful in investing in the community and creating real connections, whether online or in person.

To measure the effectiveness of his social media campaigns, Dr. Ramsey says he focuses on brand awareness.

EMAIL NEWSLETTERS

Alexandra Gelt, O.D., of Clearvue Vision Center, Kent, Wash., says that her practice regularly uses email newsletters to connect with patients.

“This has been especially helpful during the COVID-19 pandemic to allow us to communicate frequently with our patients regarding the COVID-19 safety protocols and changes in our office,” she says.

To be successful, the practice has found that the subject line matters. For example, “Use Your Eye Care Benefits Before They Expire” worked better than “Newsletter from Clearvue Vision Center.” Additionally, practice staff can segment an email list to cater its messages to an audience that is more relevant to the message. For example, an email with information on eyelash growth can be sent to female patients older than age 21.

To monitor the newsletter’s effectiveness, the practice runs reports through its patient communication system, Solutionreach, that will tell Dr. Gelt how many patients opened the newsletter and how many patients clicked on certain links in the newsletter.

“This information helps us study and customize our marketing efforts,” says Dr. Gelt.

TEXT MESSAGE REMINDERS AND PAPERWORK

Wes McCann, optometrist and owner of Central Optometry, and multiple other optometry practices in Southwest Ontario, says that with implementing services, such as text message appointment reminders, his practice has seen increased efficiency and prevented loss of revenue. (His practices utilize Acuitas, Ocuco’s practice management software.)

Case in point: He says the practices have set up a workflow in which the pre-appointment e-paperwork is required to be electronically submitted to the office 48 hours prior to the appointment to reserve the spot.

“The patient gets into the exam room as fast as possible,” Dr. McCann says, of patient benefits.

He points out that this procedure has reduced no-shows and allowed the practice additional time to fill a spot from a patient who has not confirmed their appointment. Specifically, the practice sends the reminder in the morning, around 9 a.m. or 10 a.m., so the patient has the opportunity to cancel early in the day, and the practice then has the opportunity to fill the slot.

“The more work that the patients can do for us ahead of time, prior to entering the office, the more face time they have when they are in the office, with technicians, optometrists and opticians,” says Dr. McCann.

To measure patient satisfaction, he says that his practices employ a patient feedback survey, whose answers are reviewed at staff meetings.

Calculate No-Shows

ONE OF THE REPORTED BENEFITS of automated patient communication systems is a reduction in the number of patients who do not show up for their scheduled appointments. Several sources estimate the national no-show rate in optometry at 25%. To determine the rate in your practice:

 

 

ONLINE APPOINTMENT SCHEDULING

Joy Gibb, A.B.O., practice manager at Daynes Eye & Lasik, in Bountiful, Utah, says online appointment scheduling via Solutionreach, has been a boon to practice efficiency.

“It’s not unheard of for us to schedule for a family of six,” she describes. “It becomes a nightmare to do that on the phone.”

In addition to the online appointment scheduling saving staff time, the appointment scheduler is also there and available when parents have time, which may not be until after office hours.

“To me, it enhances the patient experience, not only for the person who is scheduling online, but also for the patient who’s in during clinic hours,” Ms. Gibb says. “It’s so nice to have someone else taking care of that, so that I can focus on the patient in front of me.”

The platform, Ms. Gibb says, gives the staff final control of the schedule, as it’s left to them to finalize the appointment. This allows for the consideration of external variables, such as COVID-19 procedures that the practice has in place, which limit in-practice appointments per day to a maximum of three patients from one household at a time. An overseeing staff member can then call the patient, let her know of the procedure and hatch a compliant and efficient way to get that previously mentioned family of six scheduled for their appointments.

Ms. Gibb says she tracks the effectiveness of these procedures via the platform’s dashboard.

E-COMMERCE SOLUTIONS

All those interviewed indicate that e-commerce solutions also have added value to their practices and aided in improving the patient experience.

Ms. Gibb relays Daynes Eye & Lasik has employed a payment solution, which, following a traditional billing statement, is sent to the patient, giving them the option to pay via mobile. She adds that this system has allowed for the collection of small payments that might not have been recouped.

For his part, Dr. McCann says an online web store for the ordering and dispensing of items, such as contact lenses and eye drops, has provided his patients with the convenience of buying online, while also shopping local — a win-win.

Dr. Gelt’s experience has been similar in that she has found patients appreciate being able to order contact lenses online and the text reminders of when it is time to reorder. OM