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With the future unknown, just provide the best care possible
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Take a good look at your practice. Now, take a good look at the community in which you practice. So, do you think we have too few or too many optometrists? Few topics are as “charged” as that of optometric manpower. For starters, it is personal, as the subject impacts each of us in a very tangible way. It is also unsettling, as no one really knows how the dynamics of Affordable Care Act implementation, as well as the proliferation of new optometry schools, will play out. But perhaps most importantly, it is a very emotional topic.
Those believing we face an inevitable optometric manpower shortage are quick to cite studies predicting a significant increase in demand for eye care services in the very near future. They aptly note that the ACA’s adding 30+ million (about 10% of the U.S. population) to the insured ranks, in conjunction with an ever-aging populace (think Baby Boomers turning 65), will inevitably overwhelm current optometric manpower capabilities. Factor in the many ODs who are at or near retirement age, recent graduates opting for shorter work weeks and an overtaxed ophthalmology workforce and you have the perfect storm. We will soon be unable to meet patient demands. Clearly, we need more optometrists.
On the flip side, those who believe we have abundant optometric manpower – and are well positioned for the future – offer equally compelling arguments. Clearly, some of today’s “uninsured” have simply elected to not buy health insurance, yet already see optometrists as fee-for- service patients. It is highly unlikely that the ACA’s implementation will add 30 million annual eye examinations to the mix. In addition, while nobody denies an aging population equates with greater eye care needs, it is also true that ours is an evolving health care delivery system – one in which both doctors and patients are placing greater emphasis on prevention, early diagnosis and evidence-based treatments. In short, we are moving away from redundant care and excessive cost and toward patients seeing doctors less frequently.
Finally, with respect to the void between retirees and new graduates, many feel that technology is the great equalizer. With increasing delegation and newer instrumentation, today’s optometrist is destined to recognize increased efficiencies and productivity every year. In fact, like many industries, it is reasonable to assume that with every decade, technology will afford optometrists double-digit growth in productivity. For proponents of this argument it is clear that we have enough optometrists … now and for years to come.
Regardless of where you are in this debate, one thing is for certain: only time will tell. Until then, all of us are best served by preparing for either scenario. To do such, my advice is simple. Enter each and every patient encounter with one goal: to embrace and practice full-scope optometry with the intent of providing the best care possible. Only by putting the patient front and center and by providing the most advanced care possible can one position themselves for what lies ahead. Anything less does not bode well for optometry in general or for any of us in particular.