How Often Should ODs Recall Patients In Good Eye Health?
By Jerry Hayes OD | in
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10/14/2009 - 5:14 pm
Dr. Hayes,
Do you think it makes financial sense for a practice to recommend annual eye exams for “all” their patients?
When I see healthy patients on a yearly basis, the percentage of patients who
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I believe that optometry
I believe that optometry needs to have a single unified message which is; yearly eye exams for everyone. Optometry must follow dentistry's lead and have everyone, from the doctors to the contact lens and solution manufacturers, preaching the same message to the public. There are too many "guidelines" out there, which only confuse the public.
My professional opinion is
My professional opinion is that patients should be recalled annually. I feel strongly about this and yes, less retail will occur, but doing the right thing for the patient everytime dictates annual exams. It proves to your patients you care about them and also proves to them you are NOT all about profits and selling them something every visit. It lets you make 'tuneups' on their glasses and address all of their ocular needs. This shows patients your professionalism. Many times a change occurs and the patient gets to appreciate that improvement sooner. If a practice is so busy, they cannot find time to see all these annual exam patients, Great! Hire an associate, expand, increase efficiency, or all the above. Be and grow the best practice you can be and it is a great feeling and accomplishment. Thanks for your blog, Jerry.
I agree with my friend Gary
I agree with my friend Gary on this one. As an optometrist I feel like I am in the treatment AND wellness business. I want to see each of my patients at least once a year. They know up front from me that there may not be a change in their RX yearly . I want to see them to ensure that their eyes are well and free from undiagnosed disease. Preventative medicine and wellness are going to be some of the mainstays of modern eyecare. The greater the number of "touches" your practices achieves with the patient, the greater the opportunity for multiple eyewear sales
I too am looking forward to
I too am looking forward to hearing the responses from the masses. I have been associated with LensCrafters for more than a decade and I have seen them become more and more corporate. Most of us ultimately want the best for our patients AND our practices, but I feel if we truly take care of our patients first and be honest without trying to oversell, the business will take care of itself.
On the outside, LensCrafters is trying to do what the toothpaste companies did for dentists (get preventive care every six months) by recommending yearly eye exams and pre-appointing. I am not so sure I aggree for healthy spectacle wearers. Heck, even the AOA recommends every two years for these patients.
I feel their motivation is stricly to sell as many glasses as possible.
Another consideration should
Another consideration should be the recommendations of the AOA's Optometric Clinical Practice Guidelines. For asymptomatic/risk-free patients, the Guidelines recommend exams every two years from ages 6 months to 60 years, annually thereafter. That said, determining who is "at risk" and thus recommended for more frequent examination is somewhat at the discretion of the doctor. See http://www.aoa.org/x5502.xml for additional details. Thanks! Jeff