| Viewpoint from the Editor |

The changing landscape

Jane Shuman, COT, COE, OCS, Co-Editor

As 2016 draws to a close, it is time to reflect and consider what lies ahead. In addition to the year’s unpredictable weather events, there was, of course, the election …

We also saw changes in our practices: consolidation, mergers and acquisitions, physician retirements, and an increase in patients. There were changes to ICD-10. Consumer health-care costs rose. Declining practice revenues often necessitated more self-pay services. We prepare for the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) to be replaced by the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and, in some cases, the Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs), both introduced by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). We will not know the financial impact until 2019, but clinical practice improvement is a key measure.

Pleasing increasing numbers of patients will pose a greater challenge than ever before. To address this issue, our cover feature on Horizon Eye Care of Scottsdale, AZ explains how a customer service-based culture satisfies patients’ needs. And, to help meet the demands of patient volume, Janna Mullaney of Katzen Eye Group discusses best practices for measuring productivity and increasing efficiency.

A dry eye focus

Dry eye disease (DED) is the focus of this, our final issue of 2016. DED therapies and refractive services have become two opportunities to help both patients and practice revenues. Jay Pepose, MD explains DED and diagnostics in a way that everyone in the office will understand. The extensive “corneal survival guide” series from Bascom Palmer continues, covering the technician’s role in meibomian gland dysfunction and dry eyes, while Patti Barkey explains how to education patients about dry eye treatments.

Moving into 2017

The coming months are likely to be filled with additional challenges, but we should remember how far we have come in preserving and improving patients’ vision. As always, we invite you to share with us. After all, it is your contributions and suggestions that have made OP so successful.

We hope your holidays are happy ones, shared with family and close friends. Bruce Maller and the Editorial Board and staff of Ophthalmic Professional join me in wishing each and every one of you a wonderful holiday season and peace in the new year. OP

Ms. Shuman, president of Eyetechs, is a nationally recognized authority on clinical flow, scheduling and technician education. Prior to founding Eyetechs, she worked for over 15 years as an ophthalmic technician and clinical manager.