At this time of year, patients who have met their deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums may be prompted to schedule appointments with their healthcare providers. Maybe your practice encourages these appointments, which can serve patients and help to smooth out some of the peaks and troughs of patient demand.

In any event, remember that whatever treatment the patient may seek, it is imperative to focus on the whole patient experience — not just the prescribed medication or recommended procedure.

It takes a team

The entire team is responsible for delivering the many factors involved in the very best patient experience. The articles in this edition of Ophthalmic Professional do a great job in highlighting many of the ways we can be more attuned to patient needs. In addition to our regular “Coding” and “Compliance” columns, you can look forward to these topics:

• Aligning services with patient needs: Our cover feature focuses on Four Corners Eye Care in Durango, CO, which started a dry eye specialty from scratch to meet a need generated by their “high desert” climate. (See p. 6.) The practice credits their success in managing dry eye disease to teamwork.
• Dry eye disease diagnosis and follow-up. Sarah Darbandi, MD, shares tools you can use to diagnose and monitor dry eye patients in office as well as tips for accurate testing and patient education. Dr. Darbandi also discusses the importance of obtaining dry eye metrics.
• Understanding the whole patient. Qillan Austria, MD, and Christopher E. Starr, MD, discuss how the patient’s ocular surface health may be impacted by their lifestyle choices (contact lenses, cosmetics, digital environment, elective medications and procedures, nutrition, and more). The article presents findings from the recent Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society (TFOS) global workshop, “A lifestyle epidemic: Ocular surface disease.”
• Taking and documenting a comprehensive patient history. Brittney Irwin, COT, CPC-A, CEP, and Laurie Brown, MBA, COMT, COE, discuss the key components of a patient history and how you can use your EHR most efficiently, including how the new E/M guidelines provide latitude for your patient workups.

Enjoy! OP

Judy Williams, Co-Editor, has more than 30 years of leadership experience gained in the United Kingdom, Asia, and the United States. Prior to BSM Consulting, she spent much of her career in sales and marketing roles within the pharmaceutical industry.