Insights From Our Editors

Key Ways to Improve Cataract Co-Management

By Mark Wright, OD, FCOVD,
and Carole Burns, OD, FCOVD

June 14, 2017

Ninety-three percent of people who have undergone cataract surgery would recommend it to others, according to the results of a newly released survey by Alcon. The survey, conducted in honor of Cataract Awareness Month this June, indicated that people experience significant emotional and lifestyle benefits after cataract surgery.

The MyCataracts survey questioned 1,300 U.S. adults, aged 60 and over, who have undergone cataract surgery, to better understand the emotional journey of the condition and the lifestyle benefits of the treatment. Nearly three-in-four respondents, who expressed an opinion, agreed that after having the surgery, they were happier, more satisfied and had a greater appreciation for life. The survey also confirmed that life before surgery posed several daily challenges that made them feel annoyed, frustrated and old.

Here are some statistics about cataract:i

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The National Eye Institute says: “The risk of cataract increases with each decade of life starting around age 40. By age 75, half of white Americans have a cataract. By age 80, 70 percent of whites have a cataract compared with 53 percent of blacks and 61 percent of Hispanic Americans.” The graph below from the NEI is a visual representation of the increasing percentage of people with cataracts in all demographics with aging.ii

People are living longer. Combine this with the fact that the second-largest demographic is the Baby Boomers.  The leading edge of that group has already hit age 65. This means that more people will develop cataracts.  Knowing that more and more of our patients are going to have cataracts, we need to think about how to manage them coming through the office in the most efficient and effective ways.

Process mapping is a helpful way to better manage any type of patient coming through your practice including cataract patients. Use a staff meeting for this. Give every staff member a packet of Post-it notes. Have them write down every step the cataract patient takes from the very first to the very last. One step per Post-it note.  Once you have the entire map laid out, you can now analyze the process. Is there anything left out? Does everything happen in the best order? Can you streamline the flow? Because you used Post-it notes, you can easily reorder any steps to create the ideal flow of the cataract patient through your office.

Zero in on the step of patient education. We often overwhelm patients with information in the office. Then, if we give them pamphlets or white papers with more education, the paper often is lost before the patient gets home. A better way is to push information to patients digitally.

The American Optometric Association has great information on cataracts on their web site for the general public.iii Consider linking to this information on your web site. In your exam room, when you diagnose a patient with cataracts, send the patient an e-mail or text with a link to your web site where the patient can click on the link to go to the AOA information on cataracts.

Why not just give them the direct link to the AOA information? Because your end goal is to train your patients to go to your web site for any information about any eye issue. This is a habit you want to encourage. The AOA, and most of the vendors in eyecare, produce excellent information on their web sites to help educate the general public. Rather than recreate the wheel, link to this information from your web site, so patients can go one place to get their questions answered.

But what about patients that are not digitally savvy? For those people, you can do it the old-fashioned way with paper. In today’s world, the majority of patients have e-mail and know how to click on a link. Consider setting your practice up to address the majority of people in the most efficient way, and then have a backup plan for those who need additional help.

Take this week to rethink how cataract patients move through your office and how you educate them. Improve the process so that you deliver better care.

 

References

i.  http://www.statisticbrain.com/cataract-statistics/
ii. https://nei.nih.gov/eyedata/cataract
iii. https://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/eye-and-vision-problems/glossary-of-eye-and-vision-conditions/cataract?sso=y
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