Approximately 41 million U.S. adults wear contact lenses, according to a recent CDC study, along with more than 3 million adolescents. To eye doctors’ dismay, the data show that the vast majority of contact lens wearers engage in behaviors that put them at risk for serious eye infections and even blindness. Here’s a look at how you can help your contact lens patients develop healthier habits.Read More
As the battle over health care reform in the U.S. rages on, doctors may feel that there is little they can do to improve things in any significant way for their patients in the midst of all this uncertainty. A comfortable waiting room and a friendly smile can hardly fix anything, right? Actually, evidence shows those do make a difference to patients – and there are even more factors within doctors’ control to improve their patients’ visits and help them get the best care. Here’s a look at five.Read More
One of the hardest parts of a doctor’s job is telling patients something they do not want to hear. That could mean informing patients that you will not prescribe the opioids they have requested, or that the reason they are not getting better is because they are not complying with treatment recommendations, or that they are facing permanent vision loss. Delivering bad news is never easy. But there are some things you can do to help make difficult conversations with patients go more smoothly.Read More
More women than men have eye disease, including age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma. These numbers will only continue to increase, according to a study by the organization Prevent Blindness. As eye doctors know, prevention and early detection are crucial to lessening the effects of these diseases that can steal patients’ vision.Read More
With more doctors nearing retirement and newer doctors increasingly choosing nonclinical careers, many medical practices are looking to non-physician providers (NPPs) to fill the gaps. But there’s another reason to consider hiring “physician extenders” like nurse practitioners and physician assistants: evidence shows they can make a significant difference in improving your patients’ experience—and reduce costs. Here’s how.Read More
There’s a movement underway in health care. Some would even call it a revolution. Patient engagement, doctor-patient communication, and shared decision-making are growing by leaps and bounds, driven largely by technology. Gone are the days when doctors scribbled private and incomprehensible notes in medical charts, inaccessible to patients. Now, the OpenNotes movement is ushering in a new era of transparency in medicine, to the benefit of doctors and patients alike.
