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ISSUING THAT HOLIDAY ENVELOPE SHOULD REQUIRE MORE THOUGHT

Is it the season for a year-end bonus?

By Bill Kekevian, Senior Associate Editor

■ ’Tis the season for many physician-owners and practice administrators to decide on holiday parties, decorating and whether to issue a cash bonus.

Corinne Wohl, MHSA, COE, practice administrator at Delaware Ophthalmology Consultants says that while bonuses can boost morale, it “eventually becomes kind of an entitlement. People expect it.”

The three-location practice in Delaware issues holiday bonuses on a sliding scale, which used to be based solely on seniority. But Ms. Wohl says she’s implemented a system by which bonuses are issued based on seniority and productivity. “I brought a little bit of reality to it,” she says. “If you’ve done anything particularly special for the practice that year, you’ll probably get a little bump in your bonus.”

That’s a step recommended by Joan Hablutzel, MBA-HA, CMPE, a senior industry analyst with the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA). “Consider providing staff with ‘gifts’ and bonuses throughout the year for tasks or projects accomplished that go above and beyond an employee’s duties,” she says.

Tie bonuses to goals

She suggests that, although financial bonuses are a good motivator, they work best when tied to goals. “This goes beyond a holiday bonus. It’s about developing a culture where hard work is appreciated and valued, and employees feel inspired and are driven to succeed and are incentivized appropriately to do so.” Tasks that go beyond regular duties may include staying late to accommodate patients or implementing new technology, such as an EHR system.

Look at the long term

Ms. Wohl continues her seasonal bonuses program with long-term goals for the practice in mind. “I think employees say our practice is very special because of the nice things, such as bonuses, we do for the employees. I think of it as a long-term investment. Employees can say this is a special place that makes them feel appreciated.”

Ms. Hablutzel says MGMA posted an informal web poll about its members’ holiday bonus plans: Approximately 500 members replied, saying they typically issue bonuses between $100 and $1,000 depending on the size of the practice and how it’s performing.

For practices issuing a bonus specifically for the holidays, Ms. Wohl has a tip worth considering. “Issue them the week before Thanksgiving so people can go out and shop with it for Black Friday.”

A survey by American Express found that 27% of small business owners gave end-of-the-year bonuses in 2013 (down from 34% in 2012), and only one-third threw holiday parties.

AAO updates education materials

By Bill Kekevian, Senior Associate Editor

■ The AAO’s new patient education materials, debuted at this year’s Academy meeting, were created in an effort to be understood by a greater number of patients. Most of the previous materials were written at or above a 10th grade reading level with some reaching college reading levels, according to the AAO. Still, nearly half of adults in the United States have trouble understanding health information written above an 8th grade level, according to HHS. The new materials were designed with inclusivity in mind.

“We are trying to be proactive in this, and constantly looking for ways to better educate our patients,” says Devin Harrison, MD, chair of the Academy’s patient education committee. “Patients who better understand their disease are more likely to comply with their treatments.”

The changes to the AAO’s fact sheet, handouts, brochures and videos include vocabulary, phrasing and different fonts, which could particularly help patients with low vision.

The entire new line of patient education materials is available for purchase at www.aao.org/store.

5 LINKS TO IMPROVED PATIENT CARE

Tips for low vision patients and their caretakers

By Bill Kekevian, Senior Associate Editor

■ Often, ophthalmic staff are tasked with communicating with both patients and their in-home caretakers. However, not every patient has 24/7 access to a trained medical technician. Sometimes, patients are cared for by family members, such as adult children or spouses.

These caretakers may be encountering eye diseases for the first time. Give them a leg up by recommending some reliable online reading.

1) Filing for social security disability with vision loss – If a patient’s vision loss is severe enough, he or she may be in a situation where he or she can no longer work. In these cases, refer caretakers to this guide to filing a low-vision disability claim.

Link: http://tinyurl.com/OPNovTip1

2) Administering eye drops – Part of the treatment for many ocular conditions involves administering eye drops, sometimes several times a day. Some patients have difficulty delivering these drops on their own. The Glaucoma Research Foundation has a few tips to combat difficulties such as shaky hands.

Link: http://tinyurl.com/OPNovTip2

3) Low vision in the home – For some low vision cases, patients and their families may consider redecorating the home to accommodate their vision. This can mean investing in furniture with textured upholstery or purchasing some brightly colored accessories, advises the American Foundation for the Blind.

Link: http://tinyurl.com/OPNovTip3

4) Understand, advocate and help – Caring for someone with macular degeneration requires a great deal of education from learning the basics of the disease’s progression to researching devices and gadgets to help the patient. The Macular Degeneration Partnership provides a starting place family and caretakers.

Link: http://tinyurl.com/OPNovTip4

5) Connect – Losing vision can be a frightening and isolating experience. A family member may feel overwhelmed by the patient’s experience. It could do both the caretaker and the patient some good to plug into a community of individuals dealing with the same issues.

The Internet offers several such communities. VisionAware, a blog from the American Foundation for the Blind, provides step-by-step daily living techniques, a directory of services, and a supportive online community.

Link: http://tinyurl.com/OPNovTip5

Correction

In the article, “A look at the basics of corneal cross-linking,” (OP, September/October 2014), we incorrectly reported that Epi-on crosslinking is being evaluated by the Avedro CXLUSA clinical trial. The Avedro clinical trial and the CXL USA clinical trial are completely separate. Only the CXLUSA clinical trial is evaluating Epi-on crosslinking, and contains the largest collection of these cases to date. OP