Advances in uses of technology through the COVID experience

By James D. Dawes, MHA, COE, CMPE

There are few positive things we can say about the COVID-19 experience of the last year and few months; however, as something of an optimist, I have tried to find a silver lining of the COVID cloud. And I think I have it: Social distancing and stay-at-home requirements have forced practices to rethink how we deliver patient care. Below, I detail some of the advancements that, due to COVID, have now become part of our new normal.

➔ Mobile registration and check-in: For years, I have heard practice administrators and physicians say, “Our patients are too old to use digital technology for registration and check-in.” Amazingly, due to COVID, patients of all ages began pre-registering online using devices, including computers, tablets and smartphones. Patients checked-in for their appointments while sitting in their cars in the parking lot. This created a safer office environment, and it created improved work-flow efficiencies for our practices.

➔ Text communications with patients and staff: COVID helped us realize the importance of immediate communication with our patients and team members. Emails tend to be less reliable, due to spam, and home phones tend to be a thing of the past. According to research firm MobileSQUARED, more than 90% of text messages are read within the first three minutes. Texts are immediate since we typically have our smartphones on our bodies. Whether used for appointment reminders, confirmations, patient education, announcements regarding closures, etc., texting has become to be a leading communication mechanism. This proves the necessity of obtaining the mobile number of our patients to ensure effective communication.

➔ Telemedicine: During COVID, we learned how effective and efficient a telemedicine visit can be for the patient and the provider. With increased reimbursement associated with these types of visits, it has become an attractive way to deliver eye care to patients who have logistical restrictions related to travel or exposure.

➔ Virtual screenings and counseling sessions: One of my favorite modifications to patient flow, particularly in refractive practices, is the addition of virtual screenings for LASIK and other refractive procedures. A virtual screening offers patient convenience in addition to safety. Also, once a patient decides to move forward with surgery, be it refractive, cataract or oculoplastic, much of the normal counseling process (informed consents, financing, surgery dates and follow-up appointment scheduling) can be done virtually. Again, the convenience this offers the patients is a great advancement forward in the customer experience.

➔ Remote billing, call center and triage functions: Many practices moved their billing, call centers, and patient triage functions to remote/offsite during the pandemic. Practices that had employed a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone system and cloud-based billing system and EHR certainly had an advantage in setting up remote functions. Several practices have realized that this move did not reduce functionality of those departments, and in some cases greatly enhanced the job satisfaction of many of the employees. In addition, tremendous costs can be saved in reducing the leasable brick-and-mortar space required to house these functions on-site.

➔ Mobile Clinics: While not technology driven, during the pandemic we realized that there are functions that can be delivered “curbside” in ophthalmology — for example, glaucoma pressure checks, glasses fittings and delivery to name a few. Patients want the convenience of a drive-through service, much like what they experience at a Chick-fil-A. Mobile clinics have forced us to rethink how we deliver care and better meet customer desires and demands.

Sometimes we must experience discomfort in order to move our thinking out of the box. The pandemic certainly has done that. OP