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Leverage technology to help patients take better care of themselves
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LAS VEGAS – Here at a mobile technology symposium held during Vision Expo West, a presenter said optometry will play a vital role in using technology to lower health care costs.
“It’s all about empowering patients with the right tools so they can take better care of themselves and not burden an overtaxed health care system,” Steve Baker, president of Eyefinity, said in a session sponsored by the company.
Baker identified four key trends in optometry, the first being cloud computing. “We have a front-row seat to the largest technology shift in years as we move toward cloud-based computing,” he said. “It opens up a world of opportunities. EMR is moving to EHR; the key is interoperability.
“The patient is at the center of their health care universe and around them is all of their medical providers exchanging information,” he continued.
The second trend is a consumerism explosion, Baker said. “Facebook, Twitter, optical-specific applications are opening up a new forum in which patients want to interact with their providers,” he said.
The third trend is consumer rating sites and peer recommendations. “Yelp has 78 million visits per quarter, and there’s a strong medical component in Yelp,” he said. “Individuals are looking for providers.”
The fourth trend is the explosion of direct-to-consumer estores. “Through Amazon and Zappos, people can research products, educate themselves and ultimately make a purchase in a way that’s convenient to the consumer,” Baker said. “We’re just entering this space. Guess is going to have tablets in all of their stores so customers can shop for absolutely everything available, not just what’s in the store.”
Baker introduced Eyefinity’s Otto (one touch to optical), a virtual try-on app that assists with patient care, product selection, measurements, patient consulting, check-in and vision screening, he said.
“EyeXam is the #1 optical app in iTunes,” he added. “It has well over 1 million downloads. If you go to the app store and look for optometrist or eye exam, this will be at the top of the list. This app has a vision screen that leads you right into a doctor referral. It’s a natural progression.”