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JACKSONVILLE HOSTS QUARTERLY GATHERING
A day at the Florida Society of Ophthalmic Administrators meeting
By Lauren Levine, Regional Business Manager for ScienceBased Health
It’s a Thursday morning in the summer and I arrive at EverBank Field, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The parking lot is crowded — it is the first day of training camp and fans have come to watch the team. I head to the clubhouse. Though I will be able to see the team practice through the windows of the second floor, I am not here as a fan. I am attending the quarterly meeting of the Florida Society of Ophthalmic Administrators (FSOA).
Patti Barkey of Bowden Eye Associates, Jacksonville, Fla., hosts this meeting. Attendees greet each other like old friends and break into mini conversations about everything from EHR conversion to more specific questions such as, “does anyone have a good on-hold company that they recommend?” This networking has brought administrators together for the last 18 years.
On today’s agenda, Joe Russell, of Medical Eyeglass Centers, talks about how to boost your optical dispensary. Then, we get a tour of the stadium, which boasts the largest jumbotrons in the world. During a sponsor-provided lunch, we hear about our different personality profiles during the “Maximize your leadership style” presentation. (To prepare for this part of the program, several of us were sent personality profiles to fill out.) Afterwards, Carol Crews of Healthcare Consulting Services, talks about how to optimize revenue cycle performance. Patti then opens up the floor for anyone who has a question, issue, or just wants some advice.
The Florida Society of Ophthalmic Administrators during a recent quarterly meeting at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fla.
FSOA history
In the late 90s, a group of administrators in Florida decided to create the FSOA. Eight years later, in 2004, Morgan L. Taylor III, CPA, COE, one of the original FSOA members, wrote an article about the group for Administrative Eyecare entitled “Administrative groups: the benefits and how to start one.” The article reads:
“Wouldn’t you like having a consultant to advise you on all the complex administrative decisions you make every day? Wouldn’t it be great if the advice were free? Well, my consultants, my administrator’s network group, cost my practice nothing. For the past eight years, a dedicated group of ophthalmic administrators has met in Florida to discuss issues they face every day.”
Ten years later, more than 100 members still meet quarterly at different locations across the state to discuss current problems and issues, as well as share experiences with new technologies they have incorporated into their practices, ideas on additional revenue streams and to keep each other informed on what the insurance companies are doing.
InBrief
■ By 2023, the United States will account for 55% of the therapeutics market for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) among seven major countries, reports the consulting firm GlobalData. The United States currently represents 49% of this AMD therapeutics market. The increase is based on new therapies entering the market, as well as an aging population that will lead to increased numbers of elderly people developing AMD. In addition to the United States, the countries surveyed included the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Japan.
■ CenterVue has announced that EIDON, a fully-automated retinal imaging system that combines confocal scanning with true-color imaging capabilities, has received FDA clearance.
■ i-Optics was awarded for the launch of its Cassini Total Corneal Astigmatism functionality with the an Innovation in Ophthalmology award from British publication The Ophthalmologist. The Innovation in Ophthalmology awards were voted on by an independent team of ophthalmologists.
5 LINKS TO IMPROVED PATIENT CARE
Tips for patients with lid hygiene issues
By Bill Kekevian, Senior Associate Editor
Eyelid inflammation or blepharitis causes red, irritated, itchy eyelids. It is common, but can both be prevented and, if already diagnosed, treated at home. Some cases require medical intervention, but these tips should help patients address this problem.
1. Although makeup tips are mostly passed down in youth, it’s worth telling your patients to review the AAO’s guide to healthy and hygienic makeup use. For example, metallic or glittery eye makeup can grate on the sensitive tear ducts of dry eye patients.http://tinyurl.com/OPtip1115
2. For contact lens wearers, taking the time for proper cleanliness when handling contact lenses can save time and aggravation later. Most contact lens wearers know to wash their hands, but other tips, such as removing contacts before using a hot tub, may be new.http://tinyurl.com/OPtip2115
3. For those already diagnosed with blepharitis, the American Optometric Association offers step-by-step instructions for two of the most valuable home treatments: warm soaks and eyelid scrubs.http://tinyurl.com/OPtip3115
4. Poor lid hygiene can result in a variety of conditions, such as meibomian gland dysfunction. Advising sensitive patients to improve ambient humidity, optimize their workstations and increase dietary omega-3 fatty acid intake can help ease the development of disease. See this AAO link for advice from top cornea specialists.http://tinyurl.com/OPtip4115
5. Consider the kinds of contact lens the patient uses. According to this All About Vision page, “if you wear soft contact lenses, your eye doctor may prescribe RGP contacts instead or may recommend more frequent replacement of your soft contacts to reduce lens deposits that may be associated with your blepharitis. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, you may need to discontinue contact lens wear altogether for a while.”http://tinyurl.com/OPtip5115
Trends in diagnostic technology
As technologies improve, so does the surgical team’s capacity to treat disease. Is your practice up to date on the latest tools of the trade? Here, some of today’s surgical leaders weigh in on trends in diagnostic technology:
“The OCT has revolutionized our ability to see what’s coming in the realm of glaucoma. The resulting enhancements in the evaluation of both the optic nerve and anterior segment are tremendous.”
— Ehsan Sadri, MD, FACS, FAAO, director of clinical research at Atlantis Eyecare in Orange County, Calif.
“The diagnosis of dry eye disease is extremely common and can be difficult to make accurately with conventional, 100-year-old tests such as the Schirmer test and fluorescein staining. New diagnostic tests, such as tear osmolarity and MMP-9 testing, dramatically increase the accuracy of the diagnosis and can be performed under physician guidance by technicians to reduce diagnostic time so the clinician can spend more time discussing the appropriate therapy.”
— Eric Donnenfeld, MD, Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island and Connecticut and past president of ASCRS
“Non-contact, single-capture ultra widefield retinal imaging has now become my diagnostic tool of choice for the evaluation and management of diabetic retinopathy. With multiple imaging modalities, integrated DICOM workflow, and advanced viewing software, we can review, share, annotate, and compare these high-resolution images rapidly and easily, thereby facilitating our clinical assessment of important pathological findings in the retinal periphery.”
— Rishi P. Singh, MD, clinic medical director at the Cleveland Clinic
“A game-changer in glaucoma diagnostics is technology that utilizes pattern ERG and VEP in-office to detect ganglion cell suffering prior to damage that is permanent and irreversible. Early treatment can reverse pattern ERG and VEP abnormalities that are too late to treat with visual field and OCT optic nerve analysis only.”
— Mitchell A. Jackson, MD, Founder/CEO, Jacksoneye in Lake Villa, Ill.
“To ensure patient satisfaction, education has become essential to our cataract assessment. We begin with website videos, patient portal links, waiting room videos and surgical counseling tablets. These provide basic information even before the patient sees the optometrist or surgeon. The technician then reviews preliminary measurements and discusses astigmatic correction or range of vision options, as appropriate. This flow allows the surgeon to conduct a focused and productive evaluation with an informed patient.”
— Michael Endl, MD, Partner at Fichte Endl & Elmer Eyecare, Amherst, New York
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