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Communication key to comanagement

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PHILADELPHIA – Here at the PRIMARY CARE OPTOMETRY NEWS Symposium, Jimmy Jackson, MS, OD, FAAO, and Thomas W. Samuelson, MD, supported communication and an active OD-MD comanagement relationship for the best surgical outcomes.

Dr. Jackson, who practices at InSight Laser, Golden, Colo., said his center services approximately 1,500 cases a year, with about 35% of those coming from a comanagement situation. Dr. Samuelson practices at Phillips Eye, where both comanagement and comprehensive services are offered.

“Comanagement is not our variable to control,” Dr. Samuelson said. “It is up to the optometrists and their relationship development with the patient. Comanagement can work beautifully. I am predominantly interested in surgery, so having the follow-up monitored by an OD is the best-case scenario.”

Phillips Eye offers mini-fellowships to optometrists who, in turn, are listed for comanagement referrals. “If we all communicate, it is the best of possible worlds,” said Dr. Jackson.

Even with this type of cooperation, optometrists find themselves comanaging fewer patients, due to a smaller number of procedures annually as well as a rise in associated costs. “We are seeing a downward trend,” Dr. Jackson said. “It’s just not economically viable to base any center strictly on comanagement.”

For optometrists who are committed to having comanagement as a part of their practice, Dr. Jackson reiterated the essentials for success: be well informed and an expert; be active and proactive with your referrals; expect no center to try hard to get the patient back to you; leverage your clout, as centers are always looking for referrals.