A patient visit to the practice and optical enables the optometrist, ophthalmologist or optician to employ personalized action steps that can create long-term patient loyalty to the practice and optical services. Here, I will show you these steps.

ESTABLISH RAPPORT

1 The first step that will develop a proper rapport and help make a satisfied and loyal patient is to create a connection with them.

In a sense, it’s a good idea to try to treat every patient interview as a “first date” in which you’re trying to get to know them better. To do this, ask about their job and hobbies, which is information you can also use when helping them select frames and lenses. Ask about their family’s medical/ocular history, and their personal medical history, their medications, and chief ocular concern. This method of interview will help you establish the course of the exam while also allowing you to determine what will be covered by the patient’s medical insurance and vision plan.

For example, if I talk to a patient and learn he is 54, male, a computer software engineer, a cyclist and swimmer, and diabetic, then I can assume he will need standard dress progressive lenses, possibly multifocal contacts, possibly computer progressive with blue light filtering, swim goggles, and cycling sport sunglasses, or perhaps LASIK.

I will then briefly discuss optical or surgical treatment possibilities and/or relevant medical conditions (i.e. diabetes) and then promise to review these after the exam.

The most important rule during the interview process is to keep things friendly – people like to do business with friends, not salespeople.

When required or appropriate, you should engage patient family members to discuss the exam outcome as well as treatment and/or corrective options. As an example, with a pediatric patient, talk with the child as a young adult while fully informing and engaging the parent. For teenagers and adults, explain and involve the parent, spouse, or significant other; for geriatric patients, engage their children and/or spouse to fully explain exam outcomes and treatment options. This process allows for more comprehensive understanding and encourages proper patient questions. As the phrase goes, they will only remember 10% of the conversation, but if you involve multiple people, they might remember more.

When discussing treatment options, continue establishing a rapport by letting the patient know you can help them. As an example, here are sample scripts my practice uses for when a patient is revealed to have presbyopia:

• (Non-presbyopic provider). “I do not have presbyopia, but working with older patients and my parents, I understand your needs and concerns.” (You can also mention any of your vision-impaired family members and how they sought assistance.)
• (Presbyopic provider). “I also have the same issues and can empathize.” (Here, you can also give examples of how you deal with these vision challenges) For example, “I wear multifocal contact lenses in the office, at home I have progressive computer glasses and for other times, I may wear regular progressive lenses.”

As a brief but related aside, should the patient and/or family member express confusion about their refractive or medical diagnosis, make sure to clearly explain in layman’s terms the effect on the eye. For example: “As you have matured, so have your eyes, which over time makes it more challenging to re-focus from distance and near. We call this a ‘short arm syndrome,’ or presbyopia.” Simple analogies can also be helpful – for vascular disease, for example, I might explain that the blood vessels in your eye are like an old, leaky water hose.

SHOW THEM THEIR OPTIONS

2 Based on your patient interview about visual needs, jobs, and hobbies, you can now guide the patient in the right direction for selecting frames and lenses; examples include specialty frames and lenses designed for working at a computer or for athletic activity.

Be simple and succinct when explaining the options, using print materials, graphics or, as I do, a simple drawing board to explain the design of the lenses and how they will meet the demands of the patient. You can show a video, but I find this very impersonal – using a drawing board is more fun, informative, and interactive.

Educational videos and informative documents on a practice website can be a secondary source of education for a patient. We will fully review the concerns of the patient in the exam room or in optical before pointing them toward files on our website, and will show them where on the site the information is located using one of our exam laptops.

We will then escort the patient to optical and transfer them to our optical staff, who will help review the patient’s vision plan and insurance. The staff will also further interview the patient on their needs and educate them on lens options prior to frames.

This smooth transfer to other staff is a major part of the patient experience, and can go a long way to developing a patient relationship and keeping them loyal to the practice. To ensure it goes properly, the doctor should introduce the patient to the staff member, review what was discussed in the exam summations and then hand-off the patient to the staff by saying “This is ____, and they will take good care of you.” This way the optical staff will have much of the information for the proper frame and lens needs to meet the specifications of the prescription.

After lens education comes the fun part – frame selection. Present two to three frame options in frames based on the requirements of the lenses and patient preference (i.e., something similar or different to what they already have, how colorful or subdued they want the frame, etc). Then, narrow the selection. I call it the “Coke Pepsi Challenge”: “Of the three frames we picked, which one do you like the best?” Put the other two aside and go back and give them one or two more options. Do not forget to involve others — the parents, the kids, your staff, and even asking another patient for their opinion. A total stranger has no vested interest but will be honest, and makes the selection process more fun.

Usually, the only negative in any part of a patient transaction is the actual transaction. Having this go smoothly is another critical part in the patient experience, and you want to avoid patient “sticker shock” when they see the final bill. This is why it’s important to, as stated above, have staff thoroughly explain a plan’s benefits so patients know what is covered and what isn’t so that you avoid comments like, “I thought my glasses would be fully covered.” We also find it is helpful to first present the full retail cost of the frames and lenses, then state the savings from their vision plan and/or office discounts. Not only do patients love to hear how much they’re saving, stating this information is also required by vision plans and several state laws regarding full financial disclosure of out of pocket medical expenses.

SEALING THE DEAL

3 Having gone through this process, the patient will have a better understanding of proper lens options, their function and assistance in ocular health, as well as have a better appreciation for their frame selection. What they should leave with is a positive experience.

I have found when I have used these action steps, it has resulted in a more pleasant patient experience and leads to better patient loyalty to my practice and to our optical. Patients return asking for a specific provider, be it the physician or the optician, due to the attentive and personalized care.

It is also important to educate your staff to limit phone conversations, as its possible for the staff or patient to misinterpret information. Phone conversations need to be documented in the patient record, management system, or even written on a duplicate page message pad.

One final, important piece of advice — make yourself available by phone or email to answer any questions the patient or their family may have. We check our email regularly through the day, evenings and weekends and respond as soon as possible. My preference is email so that I can respond properly and document my conversation with the patient. A conversation on the phone may be misconstrued but an email is a medical record. OM

DR. DANIELS is in private practice at Hopewell Lambertville Eye Associates, Hopewell, N.J., and an adjunct assistant clinical professor in the Cornea and Specialty Lens Service and former National Eye Institute Clinical Investigator at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO). He is active on committees in the AOA/NJSOP.