Things are returning to a sense of routine as we enter the fall season. The weather is more temperate, school is back in session, and most staff vacations are over. According to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate fell to 3.5% in July, indicating people are returning to work. Among the areas that had the largest increase, healthcare ranked third. Although staff shortages in our practices remain, we are reevaluating job descriptions, implementing new technologies, and determining the best ways to service our patients while not increasing wait times.

Culture, morale, patient education and more...

Our cover story this month features Eye Medical Group (EMG) in Portland, ME. They have always valued their employees and respected their opinions. Embracing these values, EMG has taken a novel approach to staff retention by creating an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, giving their employees ownership interest in the practice. We focus here on the retina department and impart some changes they made as result of staff suggestions.

Several key contributors to Ophthalmic Professional share examples of how their practice has improved morale, including a variety of benefits, incentives and recognition for their staff’s efforts. Many of these initiatives have led to staff retention in addition to a more positive workplace.

We also introduce our readers to the Ophthalmic Photographers’ Society (OPS), which celebrated its 50-year anniversary in 2019. The OPS has transformed as technologies changed, going from film to digital images and developing a certification for proficiency with OCTs. Our Editorial Board member, Darrin Landry, is the chair of the OPS Education Committee.

We also address two areas where the staff is key in patient education. Leela Raju, MD, provides insights into how the allied health staff can educate patients who have diabetes on the disease — and the importance of compliance with scheduled office visits. Genetic testing is making its mark in ophthalmology. Brandon Ayres, MD, explains that this emerging segment of patient care requires a team effort so that everyone is familiar with the genetic testing process.

And, we bid Paul Larson, MBA, MMSC, COMT, COE, CPCP, CPMA, best wishes as he retires from a long and illustrious career in ophthalmology. We thank Paul for contributing to our “Coding” column since the inception of this journal. See Paul’s final column here. OP