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HOPEFUL WAYS MISSION VISIT

Nicaragua Eye Care Medical Brigade provides surgeries, glasses

By Susan O’Brien, COT

Hopeful Ways, a non-profit organization, sponsored a 29-member Eye Care Brigade that visited Camoapa Boaco, Nicaragua, a poor mountainous ranching community two hours northeast of Managua. Serving more than 2,600 patients, the brigade dispensed 2,300 pairs of glasses, performed 81 eye surgeries and fitted 15 prosthetic eyes.

With support from Lions Clubs in Western New York and Camoapa, the brigade included five ophthalmologists, a physician assistant, five registered nurses, three opticians, two optometrists, and a prosthetic eye specialist. The Camoapa Lions Club provided logistical support, and local community leaders, students and Peace Corps volunteers acted as Spanish translators.

This project brought the first medical brigade of any type to Camoapa. Some patients traveled more than six hours and 50 miles in the hope of being treated. Unfortunately, more than one-third were turned away — there simply was not enough time to treat everyone.

Surgeries performed included cataracts, pterygium, and lesions. Many cataracts were so severe that the people were essentially blind before surgery. The project dispensed hundreds of sunglasses, a precautionary measure to help prevent pterygium, a growth on the eyeball caused by irritation from bright sunlight, dust, and wind, three prevalent conditions in the Nicaragua environment.

Susan O’Brien, COT, examines a patient during the Hopeful Ways Medical Brigade mission in Camoapa Boaco, Nicaragua.

But these are only statistics. The true value of the experience was seen on the faces of the people who received services. A few gracious words (even if we didn’t understand Spanish), a smile, a handshake, or a hug made all the effort worthwhile.

Planning for the 2017 Nicaragua Medical Brigade Project is already underway. How can you help?

» Tax deductible donations made by check payable to “Hopeful Ways” and mailed to: PO Box 1037, Getzville, NY 14068.

» Donations of prescription eyeglasses, reading glasses, sunglasses, and safety glasses.

» Join Hopeful Ways to help organize and/or travel to Nicaragua with future projects. Medical training is not required and a wide range of skill sets are needed.

Hopeful Ways is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization providing humanitarian aid, medical services, and educational opportunities to the poor in Nicaragua. For more information, visit www.hopefulways.org. Address questions to Jim Carlins at jjcarlins@hopefulways.org or Susan O’Brien at Susan_saco3@msn.com. OP

FOCUS ON YOUR ONLINE REPUTATION

Poor reviews could cause new patients to go elsewhere

By Jennifer Kirby, Contributing Editor

The Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project shows that one in five Internet users have considered online rankings and reviews of health-care providers and treatments, and between 3% and 4% have posted a review of a treatment, hospital, or clinician.

Preserving your reputation online is “the bare minimum level of online marketing,” says Michael Dobkowski, director of Business Development at Glacial Multimedia, a Portland, ME-based digital medical marketing agency. “Consumers have more control over brands than ever before with review sites that enable them to discuss and rate their experiences. For example, if a potential LASIK patient sees that your practice has two out of five stars on Google+ or Yelp, you’re likely going to lose that patient, says Mr. Dobkowski.

A total of 90% of consumers say positive online reviews influence their buying decisions, while 86% say negative ones do, according to a survey overseen by Dimensional Research, a Sunnyvale, CA-based marketing research company.

Here are a few tips for those who wish to prioritize their online reputations to ensure a steady stream of new patients.

Solicit positive reviews

To manage your online reputation, actively solicit positive reviews by providing patients with a card that contains a review link, recommends Kyle McKinnon, director of Marketing at Tylock Eye Care and Laser Center in Irving, TX.

“We have the doctors present the cards to patients once they know patients are pleased with their experience — which is a majority of patients — and say, ‘This card includes a link to a review site, so we can help others like you,’” he says. “I also send the link to patients’ e-mail accounts as a reminder. The link we provide sends us, rather than the review sites, any negative reviews, so we can handle them in-house.”

Monitor negative reviews

Should a patient post a negative review using a different link, Mr. McKinnon says he personally contacts the reviewer, if possible, to rectify the situation and then asks whether the reviewer would remove the negative review. They usually do, he says. If someone refuses to remove a negative review or Mr. McKinnon is unable to get in touch with a negative poster, he says he posts a reply to try to make the situation right, which also shows potential patients that the practice genuinely cares about patient experiences.

Social media check-in

We recently asked our social media followers,“What are some of your favorite social media groups and pages for networking with fellow ophthalmic professionals?”

Here are some of the responses:

Mary Jo Scacchi Krist:

American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators

Laurie Kallio Brown:

OWL: Advancing Diversity in Leadership

Pamela Griffin Bennett:

Ophthalmic Techs on Facebook

West Stuart:

Opticians on Facebook

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@OphthalmicPro) to join in the conversation and for news and tips to help you deliver high-quality patient care and enhance your practice management skills.

“We have about 169 reviews, and a rating of 4.8 out of five on Google+, so, we are head and shoulders above the competition in our area in terms of online reputation,” he says.

Alex Lopez, director of Marketing for Alphaeon Corporation, a company focused on health-care products and services, says a practice’s online reputation can be monitored via Google Alerts (google.com/alerts), currently available software, outsourcing to a third party, and/or social media.

Use social media

Consumers check Facebook more than any other social media channel when they want to learn more about a local small business, says a study conducted by G/O Digital, a localized digital marketing company.

To use Facebook for reputation management, provide constantly updated compelling content, such as photos, patient stories, videos, and articles on the latest in surgeries and medications. Also, show a high-level of customer service by answering patient questions in a timely fashion, Mr. Lopez says.

“Facebook has a star-rating system for businesses, so a practice wants to build a fan base that will continue to follow its Facebook page and let friends and family know about the practice.” OP