Medical Model

Nine Ways to Market Your Medical Eyecare Services

By Troy Humphreys, OD, FAAO

April 20, 2016

SYNOPSIS

To succeed in practicingfull scope optometry, let patients know thefull range of services you provide. Here are nine ways to power-upyour marketing message.

ACTION POINTS

BE DIRECT. Spotlight medical eyecare services as prominently as vision care services.

DRESSSTAFF DRESS IN SCRUBS. Patients get the message that your office is a medical environment.

EXPLAIN IN DETAIL. Explain that you’re determining eye health, as well as visual acuity, and provide details from your tests.

Despite the broaderscope of optometric practice today, many patients stillbelieve optometrists just test visual acuity andprescribe eyeglasses and contact lenses.To really succeed in themedical eyecare services you provide,send out a strong message that you do medical eyecare.

List Medical Eyecare Services on Home Page of Web Site

On your practice web site, make it clear to patients that you provide comprehensive eyecare services, from vision care to complete medical eyecare. Highlight the technology you have to manage and care for a myriad of medical eyecare conditions onsite.

Help Staff Members Communicate a Medical Message

At our practice, our team members do not use the phrase “eye exam.” Theysay, “comprehensive vision and eye health evaluation” and express the importance of comprehensive care.

The Family Eyecare Associates web site underscores its full-scope optometry services.

Dress Staff in Scrubs

The patient should see a team in complementary medical attire (all of our technicians and front office team are in scrubs) and see clean surroundings and high technology surrounding them.

Have Patients Fill Out Health History Form

Provide a full scope medical questionnaire, as well as possibly the use of the OSDI Dry Eye Questionnaire. We have this available in all examination rooms and present it to patients that complain of any symptoms that may correlate to dry eye disease.

Explain Pre-Testing to Patients

We train our technicians to always explain the 3 Ws of each test: what is the test, why do we do it, and whenshould we do it again? This emphasizes the importance of preventative healthcare maintenance with our patients and educates them about the importance of the testing.

Explain that You’re Evaluating Eye Health & Vision

As I educate a patient on retinal imaging, for instance, I explain that the vision care that we provide in our practice is a bonus to the health care that is done. I explain that I don’t only want to help the patient have healthy eyes and excellence in vision today, but in one year, five years and 10 years. Expressing that longevity of care educates the patient on its importance in their overall healthcare.

I am a big proponent of video education. We use Eyemaginations to demonstrate what changes we are looking for with the patient so they can understand the big picture.

Note Availability for Eye Emergencies and Ongoing Eye Health Needs

We explain the difference between ophthalmology and optometry by using the comparison of dentistry and oral surgery. We explain that doctors of optometry provide all medical eyecare outside of the operating room (like primary care dentists), and work hand in hand with our ophthalmic surgery colleagues to provide state-of-the-art individualized surgical eyecare solutions for our patients (like oral surgeons). We give every new patient a card that states, “We are available 24/7 for your eye health care needs,” The card has our after-hours call number and explains that we are available to handle emergency eyecare needs.

Participate in Community Health Fairs

Our practice participates in community health fairs, and we giveaway scholarships to high school seniors in our area who are interested in the healthcare sciences. We also take part in”career days” at elementary and middle school levels each year. The more we all do our part in educating the public around us that optometry is the front line of eye health care, the better our eyecare delivery system will get: for our patients, for us ODs and for our ophthalmic surgeon colleagues, as well.

Co-Manage with Patients’ Other Doctors

In our practice, we always send an eye healthcare report to the patients’ doctor if anything systemically (e.g.,diabetes, Plaquenil use) could be affecting the eyes of that patient. We try to verbalize to the patient that we will be sending a report to their physician, and express to them how their condition, if advancing, can be detected very early through their annual eye health examination.

As more ODs improve their clinical skills with medical model optometry, the benefit to optometry itself will be profound.We will see more ODs referring to other ODs for specialty care and creating niches that improve that specialty care for our patients. Also, as we improve care, our skills will be recognized by our ophthalmic surgeon colleagues, which only improves the outcomes of our patients, and helps us to exceed their expectations.

Troy Humphreys, OD, FAAO, is the owner of Family Eye Care Associates in Sparks, Nev. To contact: drthumphreys@familyeyecareassociates.com

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