High Tech, High Touch

At Associated Eye Care, we constantly remind ourselves that we exist for the benefit of our patients, and we apply that thinking to every decision we make. We pride ourselves on our ability to blend high technology with “high touch.” In other words, we are early adopters of new clinical and nonclinical technology that has proven safe and beneficial for patients. Associated Eye Care was the first practice in Minnesota's Twin Cities to offer customized LASIK ablation to patients after the technology's FDA approval, and our physicians' and staff's deep involvement in clinical research provides us with a continuous stream of ideas on how best to care for our patients.

Software Replacement
Although we have our infrastructure (eg, T1 lines and servers) in place, we are currently seeking a new, enterprise-wide practice management software system. Our search has narrowed the field to three leading software companies, and we plan to have a new system in place by June 2004.

We have two main reasons for replacing our current software system. First, it is inflexible from a user's standpoint. The system has a fairly rigid structure in terms of how a person interfaces with the software, and this rigidity makes the performance of certain tasks more difficult and time-consuming than they are with more modern systems. Second, in the past decade, engineers have dramatically enhanced the architecture underlying software systems in order to allow users to customize reports and produce ad hoc reports at will, rather than solely with the intercession of the software company.

Before evaluating our options, our practice created a request for proposal, a formal document asking each software vendor in which we are interested to answer a series of questions we prepared. The responses of the company we choose will become a legal part of the document contract. The seriousness of our approach reflects the profound damage that a problematic practice management system can inflict upon a practice.

Centralization
In January 2002, we moved our centralized business office, surgery scheduling, accounting department, and computer servers to a single location remote from our five practice sites. Occupying an office building is much less expensive than housing these functions within a medical clinic building. Additionally, we created a call center at that site and began a process at that location called preregistration. The staff calls patients prior to their scheduled appointments in order to obtain demographic, insurance, and financial information. They also mail informational packets to new patients that include a questionnaire they may return prior to their appointment.

The impetus for these efforts was our desire to improve both our efficiency and the quality of human interaction between our patients and the front desk staff. Those personnel may now focus on customer service. They make eye contact with patients instead of continually glancing at a computer screen in order to perform data entry. Numerous patients have expressed their appreciation for the greater convenience that our new methods afford them.

Telephone System
We also implemented a new telephone system in January 2002 termed a voice over Internet protocol. This type of system resides within the computer network, unlike a traditional, stand alone telephone system, which is segregated from the network. As a result, the telephone and computer systems may be far more integrated. For instance, when a patient for whom we have contact information calls our practice, our telephone system can recognize his telephone number and automatically display his information on the computer screen of the staff member taking his call. In addition, we can customize and manage our entire telephone system via the Internet, rather than pay a high fee to the telephone company to make any changes we need.

NURTURING HIGH TOUCH
In order to provide the best customer service possible, our practice has adopted the Fish Philosophy, based on Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle and popularized in the late 1990s. The Fish Philosophy comprises four injunctions: (1) have fun in what you do; (2) make their day, an instruction that for us means we must ensure that every patient's experience at our practice is the best possible; (3) be there, meaning, when one of us speaks to a patient, we should make him feel that nothing else is more important to us; and (4) choose your attitude, meaning that each of us is responsible for the attitude we bring to the workplace every day.

A successful practice requires a cadre of caring, dedicated employees who continuously hone their skills, no matter their position. For that reason, our practice invests in the professional development of our staff. We provide opportunities for staff members to attend seminars and conferences at which they can improve their technical, customer service, and leadership skills as appropriate. I believe that leadership is a crucial skill for physicians and managers starting a practice, as well as for the maintenance of a successful one.

CONCLUSION
I have found it important not to undervalue the significance of information technology as the means of comprehending a practice's inner workings and, therefore, making informed decisions. When new information technology is blended with new clinical technology, progressive leadership, and a strong focus on customer service, the practice is almost guaranteed success.