We called it the “Zoom Boom” — the massive increase in patients seeking aesthetics care during the time of COVID. People were looking at themselves all day, every day (not always in the most flattering lighting conditions), and they were seeking solutions.

Though COVID may be waning, demand for oculoplastic and aesthetic services remain high. Our practice has always offered these services, but every year at our annual Technology, Aesthetics and Dry Eye conferences, we see more eye-care professionals jumping into the aesthetics world. I believe that ophthalmologists are a natural fit for aesthetics services. The fine motor skills and knowledge we have about the function and anatomy of the most important feature of the face make us experts; however, transitioning a practice into oculoplastics requires key elements from the staff to make the process smooth and successful.

1. Education

Staff should know as much as possible about the range of procedures you offer, the conditions they treat, and how to manage expectations. Ideally, your staff is observing, assisting, and asking questions about your procedures. Our staff take turns observing procedures as part of their initial training process with our clinic. This includes front desk staff, who often act as front-line educational agents when patients call for appointments.

In waiting rooms and each exam lane, we provide aesthetics literature and our Toyos magazine that spotlights the procedures we offer as well as handheld and full-length mirrors. All patients have the opportunity to educate themselves on the position of their lids, how white their eyes are and the latest in aesthetics technology and skin care. Because ophthalmic staff are first in the room to perform their chair skills, they should be able to answer questions from patients on anything they’ve read in our educational materials. Staff should also have a good understanding of procedures that are and are not covered by insurance, because they will be asked if insurance ever covers lower lid blepharoplasty, for example (it does not).

In addition, staff with personal experience are better able to communicate and prepare prospective patients on specific procedures. So, we offer our staff aesthetics services for free or at cost so they can experience them firsthand. Patient questions to staff typically include downtime, comfort levels, recovery, and expectations.

Also, many of my staff feel comfortable sharing their before and after photographs with patients considering specific treatments — a picture is worth a thousand words, especially in aesthetics.

2. Versatility

Staff also need to know how to switch gears from a normal, busy medical and surgical practice to the unique and sometimes unpredictable pace of oculoplastics and aesthetics. Vision exams and cataract evaluations are predictable and easy to schedule, but many of my oculoplastics patients make appointments for aesthetic consultations knowing that they want improvement but without a clear plan. It takes time to speak to patients to understand their concerns and expectations, and to fully explain the process of a plan of care.

My treatment plans often combine one or more therapeutic modalities and may take more than one treatment session. Aesthetics patients, especially those who may have traveled a distance to see you for treatment, often decide to move forward and are anxious to get started. Sometimes the friends who come with them will ask questions, will get worked in for an impromptu consultation and join in, too. We build our schedule and our clinic flow to allow for these likelihoods so that the rest of our clinic isn’t completely derailed.

Bottom line: Unlike routine medical and surgical visits, oculoplastic and aesthetic patients should be scheduled every 30-45 minutes.

3. Documentation

This is a critical piece of the staff training for oculoplastics. For example, my staff know that every aesthetic patient gets photographs for their chart of the area of concern at every visit. For my hair consultations, they receive nine separate photographs taken at highly specific angles. Just like cataract surgery, patients often “forget” how things were before their procedure. Having the ability to compare before and after photographs can be the difference between a happy patient and a bad Yelp review.

My staff also listen closely to patient concerns on intake and collect the appropriate informed consent(s) for me to take into the room so that we are prepared to create a comprehensive plan. Having to jump out of the discussion and the room to add an additional informed consent slows everything down and interrupts the smooth flow of the appointment. It is much better to be overprepared than underprepared here.

The last part of documentation is making sure that staff know how to convey information on how to prepare for treatments and how to care for themselves after the procedure with the help of detailed pre- and postop info sheets. Staff should understand these processes well enough to feel comfortable educating patients and their caregivers.

Conclusion

Having a successful oculoplastics clinic requires more than a spa-like atmosphere and a little cucumber water. It is about having a "well-oiled machine" that includes staff who are highly educated, organized, patient enough to make your patients feel at ease, and savvy enough to create the right scheduling template. With appropriate training, you can create a team of your own that understands what it takes to be successful in oculoplastics and add a very rewarding aspect of care to your practice. OP

 

Disclosures: Dr. Toyos revealed relationships with Allysta, Bausch + Lomb, Biohaven, DigiSight, Glaukos, Greenlight, Kala, Lumenis, Mallinckrodt, Novartis, Oyster Point, Recordati, RVL, Sun Ophthalmics, and Zeiss.