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FOUR TIPS TO HELP YOUR PATIENTS AND PRACTICE BENEFIT FROM NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS

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John D. SheppardMD, MMSC

All eye-care professionals are in business to help patients, says John D. Sheppard, MD, MMSc, at Virginia Eye Consultants and Eastern Virginia Medical School. Dr. Sheppard says it’s almost impossible to take care of the eye without taking care of the patient as a whole, citing many patients’ diets and current obesity rates as factors that affect eye health.

One solution: nutritional supplements. Peer-reviewed data shows the impact that these products can have on ocular health. In particular, the AREDS and AREDS2 formulations have shown efficacy in delaying the progression of AMD, and ScienceBased Health’s HydroEye Clinical Trial demonstrated significant mitigation of progressive ocular surface inflammation markers, reduction of topographic irregularity, and improved dry eye symptoms.

“We have an obligation to provide these supplements and ensure that patients have access to adequate nutrition – it’s just not part of a business model.”

To help your efforts in providing nutritional supplements to patients, Dr. Sheppard offers the following tips.

1. Give a strong recommendation. Dr. Sheppard says he more than suggests that his patients take the supplements. He goes as far as telling patients that he may ask them not to return if they do not want to comply with his recommendation. “It’s not an ego thing – they’re wasting their own valuable time when they could be preventing an important disease,” he says, citing Omega 3s’ impact on eye health as well as the central nervous system, cardiac health , cholesterol, arthritis, and more. He says patients should consider supplements the same as any other prescription. “The benefits are just as great, and the expense is often less, side effects far less significant, and who doesn’t need better nutrition?”

2. Stress patient compliance. This conversation is similar to the recommendation. “When discussing [supplements] with dry eye patients, I tell them their condition will improve and that it’s an effective form of maintenance, but only if they keep up with it. It’s the same thing with macular degeneration — I explain that they can prevent progression of that disease.”

3. Make sure staff buy in. “The entire staff is a physician extender,” says Dr. Sheppard, and if they understand the principles discussed above, they will feel more engaged in making the doctor’s recommendation stick. Dr. Sheppard says that members of the staff (technicians, scribes, front desk, physician assistants or nurses) should carry out the logistics after the doctor diagnoses the patient.“ The staff have to carefully execute the rest, including writing down the recommendation, making sure the patients have access to the supplements, and explaining that they’re just like prescriptions to take as the doctor recommended.”

4. Organize a streamlined production. When carrying nutritional supplements, adopt a retail mentality, Dr. Sheppard says. This includes:

• Controlling inventory.

• Carefully calculating and monitoring profit margins.

• Making sure the products are always adequately stocked.

• Accepting cash and debit and credit cards.

• Maintaining full compliance with state and federal retail regulations.

Once you recommend nutritional supplements and make them readily available in your office or on your website, patients benefit while the practice has a cost-effective product line that can catapult retail sales, says Dr. Sheppard.

Disclosure: Dr. Sheppard is a member of the ScienceBased Health Clinical Advisory Board.

Social media check-in

We recently asked our social media followers: “Tell us about the most valuable practice management tip you’ve received during your careers.”

Here are some responses:

 Melissa Gabriel:Strongly encourage certification. If the heart is not in it, then they need another career. An educated staff produces quality exam measurements and professionalism, which will bring in patients.

 Bonnie Callahan Parker:Hire slowly, fire quickly.

 Mark Prussian:The best ophthalmic administration career is when one is lucky enough/skilled enough to have doctors who understand the value of professional, trained, certified, educated health-care administrators.

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.

Finding My Calling

SHEREE H. CHRISTIAN, BBA, COE EUGENE, OREGON

My career started as a biller in a skilled nursing facility (SNF) in Arizona. They had to train me from the ground up — I didn’t even know the difference between Medicare and Medicaid. It turned out to be a great beginning for me, and I go back to those learned concepts and skills many times today.

But I wanted to do more with my business degree, and there was nowhere to advance in the SNF setting.

In 1998, I joined the world of ophthalmology as a fiscal services manager, and within a few months, I was offered and accepted the position of practice administrator. When I was eligible, I became a Certified Ophthalmic Executive (COE). A business degree teaches you how to run a business but nothing really about a particular business. Studying for the COE exam filled that gap and helped launch me on my way, while the continuing education requirements keep me current in the field. Earning and maintaining my COE has also proved to be a valuable asset throughout my career by showing employers my commitment to ophthalmology.

In the past 18 years, I have worked in four practices, which included various combinations of general ophthalmologists, optometrists, as well as cornea, plastics, glaucoma, and retina specialists. I have also managed several ASCs and optical shops. Each practice, with its differences, has provided a wide variety of challenges and opportunities for professional growth. Practice administration is a demanding profession, but it is rewarding to lead a team that has the potential to greatly facilitate the daily operation of a practice, contribute to its financial health, care for the needs of employees, and positively impact the overall experience of patients.

Some of the most satisfying times over the course of my ophthalmic administrative career are those opportunities of sharing my experience with others and, hopefully, helping them to avoid many of the pitfalls awaiting the inexperienced or unwary.

Ms. Christian is a medical consultant based in Eugene, OR. With 18 years of experience as an ophthalmic professional, she has worked as a practice administrator at Oregon Retina, LLP, Oregon Eye Associates, Shasta Eye Medical Group and Cochise Eye & Laser. Email Ms. Christian at shc2008@gmail.com.