10 Mar Use Ophthalmic Testing Data to Effectively Educate Your Patients
You’re an optometrist or ophthalmologist, but your patients are—simply put—people. They might be stay-at-home parents, managers, students, CEOs, retirees, or any other profession that has nothing to do with contacts and cataracts. Your patients don’t know what you know, and they don’t speak the eye care professional’s lingo.
Be that as it may, education is frequently an oversight for busy practices. Even though focusing on education is one of the best ways to improve patient communication and increase patient retention. Think about it…if you don’t prioritize patient education, your patient may very well end up with another optometrist or ophthalmologist who keeps them well informed.
Let’s avoid that scenario by helping you become an effective communicator who knows how to leverage technology like cloud-based ophthalmic image management. The next time you share ophthalmic testing results with your patients, you’ll provide a more engaging experience.
Ophthalmic Testing Data Insights for Patient Education
Ophthalmic testing data is highly complex. When sharing these insights with your patients, the goal is to help them understand test results and visualize the best path forward under your care.
Dr. Brandon Chester is an optometrist at Chester Eye Center, a three-location optometry practice in Ohio. Dr. Chester uses EyeClinic Imaging and MaximEyes optometry EHR software to clearly communicate ophthalmic testing data findings with his patients. Dr. Chester shared some of his learnings below.
How do you use ophthalmic testing data to educate your patients?
EyeClinic Imaging has been very beneficial to us when educating our patients. All of our ophthalmic testing data is in one place. We quickly bring up data right in front of the patient and discuss our findings with them in real-time.
It’s convenient to show different sets of data, such as OCT scans and visual field testing, and view them simultaneously. It’s also beneficial to enlarge the scans, so patients can easily view the results on the computer screen—especially when the patient has been dilated.
How would you simplify a specific ophthalmic testing data insight in plain language for a patient?
I believe the OCT scan is the easiest printout for patients to understand when viewed in EyeClinic Imaging. It allows us to quickly show changes on a new scan that may have not been present on a previous scan.
Can you provide any positive ROI results from using ophthalmic image management in MaximEyes?
By using EyeClinic Imaging, we no longer have the cost of paper, ink, and staff time spent scanning printouts into MaximEyes EHR. More importantly, I believe EyeClinic Imaging has played a factor in patients keeping their follow-up appointments.
Since patients were able to visualize their last test results and be better educated in the exam room, they are more likely to play an active role in their visual well-being. Having this stronger relationship with our patients ultimately gives our practice a more positive ROI.
Benefits of an Ophthalmic Image Management System
Dr. Chester is fully leveraging the technical capabilities of his ophthalmic image management system to communicate and offer patients additional value effectively. Here are a few other ways your practice will experience positive ROI with a solution like EyeClinic Imaging.
Store Image Data Securely
By migrating your data to a cloud-based ophthalmic image management system, you can move away from storing and archiving images locally. You no longer need to worry about backup images from medical equipment, since images are backed up to the cloud at the time of creation by the instruments.
Your practice will save on monthly backup costs and IT costs, including updates to operating systems on machines and replacement or expansion of hard drives. Storing your image data in the cloud is convenient and economical, but it’s also more secure. In the event of a data breach or unforeseen disaster, patient data (and your practice) will be protected.
Save Time With Centralized Data
Today you’re likely moving in and out of multiple exam rooms, using different imaging instruments to review data throughout the day. This is not an efficient use of your time—these disruptions take you away from other important responsibilities, like your patients.
Having all images in one location is a huge time-saver. Rather than flying around and searching for image data, you gain more time in the exam room to provide cohesive, in-depth explanations that your patients will appreciate.
Access Image Data Anywhere
There are times when you need to review images away from the office, when you’re at remote sites like a retirement home or nursing facility, or making house calls.
EyeClinic Imaging is not only accessible from a direct link with each patient exam, but you can also access the database independently of MaximEyes and other ophthalmology and optometry EHRs through web browsers. Easy data accessibility allows you to access images without limitations and without the need to purchase expensive remote or VPN software.
You’re always looking for new ways to strengthen the doctor-patient relationship bond. It starts with having the right ophthalmic image management system in place so you can deliver more value to your patients.