E-santé

Meet Keynote Dr Bob Wachter, senior academic physician at UCSF and author of The Digital Doctor.

Appealing to Millennials, many of whom are making their own decisions about eyecare for the first time, requires targeted marketing. But another factor can be equally powerful in appealing to this age segment: having cutting-edge technology online and in your office.

According to the most recent U.S. Census, there are 80 million Millennials in the U.S. compared to only 65 million Gen Xers and 74 million Baby Boomers. By the year 2020, Millennials will make up over 50 percent of our patient base. Therefore, optometrists should consider incorporating technology throughout the office, from the reception area to the exam room to the optical, to suit Millennials’ expectations.

Offer Easy Online Appointment Booking
From what I’ve observed on the teaching staff at Nova Southeastern University, in addition to working part-time at We Are Eyes in Boca Raton, Fla., Millennials are more likely to put off seeing doctors. They often wait to see if the problem will subside on its own. In addition to that, they feel that they don’t have the time to go to the doctor. When they are sick, Millennials are more likely to turn to Google, WebMD or urgent care centers for healthcare information before visiting a doctor. If they finally decide to go to a doctor’s office, Millennials are frequently intimidated by making an appointment over the phone. They prefer buying products and tickets online, making restaurant reservations online, so, therefore, would prefer to make doctors’ appointments online.

Enable Communication Via Cell Phone & Texting
When collecting contact information, get a cell phone number first, then an e-mail. Skip the home phone number and the daytime or work phone number. If you want a Millennial to schedule an appointment, allow them to do so from their mobile device. There are plenty of services that connect to your practice management software to send text or e-mail reminders of an upcoming appointment.

And the practice management software that is already being used in many offices may have mobile and online scheduling incorporated directly. A third-party service may not be needed anymore. For example, Eyefinity has online scheduling called Eyefinity Patient Engagement. This allows patients to schedule from mobile devices, and also to confirm or change appointments, access or update their medical history from the patient portal, and ask questions within the secure software. Whatever platform you use to communicate with patients, be sure it is HIPAA-compliant.

Update Web Site & Social Media Pages
Your web site should be optimized for mobile viewing, and you should have Facebook and Yelp pages that are updated on a daily basis. If a patient has a good experience in your office, take the time to ask them to post a positive review immediately. If the doctor does not want to have this conversation personally with the patient, designate an employee to do so. It’s best to ask before they leave the office. Give patients an extra incentive to like your Facebook page, or post a review, by offering them an optical cleaning cloth or an extra starter kit of contact lens solution or water bottle, or another token of appreciation.

Share Digital Images of Eyes in Exam Room
In the examination room, ODs should consider digital imaging techniques that can be viewed immediately by the patient. Millennials are more likely to understand the results of their examination if they can see it on an iPad or computer monitor. For example, a patient is more likely to be compliant to their prescribed contact lens wearing and replacement schedule if they can see the giant papillary conjunctivitis under their eyelids or the deposits stuck to their over-worn contact lenses.

I recommend large touch-screen monitors, or tablets, to view test results and ocular photos. When a patient has a question about their diagnosis, the doctor should have a face-to-face discussion with them. But once the question is answered, optometrists should consider taking a moment to send the patient an e-mail with more information. Don’t hand a Millennial a paper brochure. Send them an e-mail with a link to your web site or another credible web site.

Use Modern Measuring Technology in Optical
The optical area should also have modern technology available. I know many experienced opticians who are spot-on with their PD sticks. But measuring a pupillary distance manually with a PD stick is considered too basic and inaccurate by Millennials. iPad programs are available to measure PDs and simulate the optics and clarity of digital lenses. This adds perceived value to the optical purchase, which can help practices differentiate themselves from online glasses retailers.

Evaluate State of Technology Annually
The challenge with incorporating technology into a practice is that technology is ever-changing. Millennials are used to change, they expect it. So, never get too comfortable with the technology you have. An updated version will be available soon. To keep up with the most tech-savvy generation, practices may have to change the patient experience constantly.

Market New Technology
Once you have created your high-tech, mobile-friendly practice, market the technology to Millennials as an experience. Make a video creating a digital tour of your practice showing the technology you use. Post the video to your web site and Facebook page. Millennials live in a world of instant gratification, so marketing and communicating should be done in a timely manner. When you get new diagnostic technology, or new technology in your optical, it should be posted immediately.

Thuy-Lan Nguyen, OD, practices in South Florida, teaches at Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry, and works part-time as an associate at We Are Eyes in Boca Raton, Fla. To contact her: TLNGUYEN@nova.edu

Advances in technology have changed healthcare practices and how doctors interact online. The widespread adoption of social networks is making a bigger impact on a physician’s day-to-day life, especially when consumers go online to look for health information and health providers.

Kantar Media's Healthcare Research Client Services division has gotten a clearer picture of how doctors are engaging with social media to interact with their peers and their patients. We also discovered which doctors are utilizing social media the most.

Importance of Social Media

Patients desire ways to connect with each other and healthcare professionals via social media. Therefore, it's crucial that doctors evolve their practices to meet this demand:

• Nearly 3 out of 4 US adults indicate they typically go online for health and wellness purposes.
• 32% conduct research online prior to a doctor’s appointment. 36% research treatment options on their own and then ask their doctor about them.
• 53% value social content/sharing websites as a source for health information (e.g., social networking sites, references websites with user-generated content, drug review/ratings websites, online blogs or online communities/support groups)
• 69% of all adults indicate they have caught up or posted on a social network from a computer or mobile device within the last month

Source: Kantar Media’s 2017 MARS Consumer Health Study

How Doctors Interact with Patients and Peers

According to Kantar Media’s 2017 Medical Surgical Sources and Interactions study, healthcare professionals are finding effective ways to utilize social media. For example, nearly half of all physicians surveyed (47%) say they have posted, followed or communicated with colleagues on professional social networks in the past 30 days via a computer or mobile device.

When communicating with healthcare consumers, nearly half of all doctors surveyed indicate they use a patient portal to interact with patients. Additionally, 7% say they use social media to communicate with specific patients or to promote their practice with a broad group of patients (an increase of one percentage point since last year). 

Which Doctors Value Social Media

18% of all doctors say they value Social Communities/Networks as a source of professional information. Of these:

• 43% are age <45 (132 index compared to total doctors surveyed)
• 39% are female (135 index compared to total doctors surveyed)
• 46% see over 100 patients in an average week

This 2018 pharma social media ranking from healthcare agency Owen Health provides a snapshot of the performance of 22 of the largest pharma companies on Twitte…

In our most recent NEJM Catalyst Insights Council Patient Engagement Survey, “Social Networks to Improve Patient Health,” 99% of respondents acknowledge that social networks are potentially useful in health care delivery, especially for chronic disease management (named by 85% of respondents) and promotion of healthy behaviors such as weight loss, physical activity, and healthy eating (78%).

The NEJM Catalyst Insights Council members surveyed — composed of health care executives, clinical leaders, and clinicians — see significant opportunity to improve health by either building or leveraging existing social networks. The seminal research by the medical sociologist Nicholas Christakis shows the strong linkage of behaviors leading to obesity, smoking, and alcohol use within social networks.

Approximately three-fourths of Insights Council member respondents report their organization uses some type of social network as part of their care delivery initiatives, but 90% say these are not yet mature or only slightly mature.”

Facebook and other social media sites illustrate in everyday life the power of social connectedness and the influences individuals have on one another’s behavior. Historically, care delivery has focused exclusively on individual patients. Awareness is growing that social networks in health care, such as PatientsLikeMe and Connected Living, can help people improve health behaviors. Peer networks can provide information and community to patients who otherwise might struggle alone with a new or existing disease.