Part of what distinguishes Ophthalmic Professional is our focus on providing practical and relevant content that educates, motivates, and inspires our readers to change how they think about the world of ophthalmology. We achieve this objective, in part, by inviting you and your peers to share life experiences in an easy-to-understand and relatable way.

This issue’s cover story featuring The Eye Associates in Bradenton, FL, provides an important reminder of how and why you can leverage your practice assets to better serve your communities. Ophthalmology practices are uniquely positioned to make a difference in the lives of patients. This is often lost in the day-to-day grind. However, if one can think like a patient, it becomes easier to understand how a visit to the ophthalmologist can create a certain level of anxiety, and how a high-performing staff can alleviate anxiety and enhance the patient experience.

Exceeding patient expectations at every touchpoint

One hallmark of an outstanding practice is the ability to ensure that at every touchpoint in the patient’s journey, each member of the team does his or her job to meet or exceed the patient’s expectation. When this level of service integrity is executed consistently, patients tend to share their positive experience with their friends and family. Of course, the degree of influence exhibited by satisfied patients is magnified through social media.

Social media provides an opportunity for practices to celebrate their personal connection with patients and the community. It also provides the opportunity to promote the practice brand. We often associate a high-quality brand with the quality of the people that we encounter in the service journey. Ophthalmology is a very personal specialty that creates a unique bond with patients. For instance, once someone knows you work in the eye care business, it is not long before they are asking for a referral to an eye doctor.

Sharing the inspiration

Practices and their affiliated surgery centers are well-positioned to leverage their resources to serve the greater good. The Eye Associates story should serve as a reminder of how much influence you can have in your area. I know many of our readers are active in community giving. We applaud your efforts and would encourage you to share with us your inspiring stories.

I hope this issue of OP inspires you to pursue a personal goal and/or collaborate with your team to better serve your community. OP