Implementation

Top 5 Best Practices to Co-Manage with Pediatricians

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November 1, 2024

By Shundale Mixon, OD

pediatricians

Photo Credit: WebMD

As a cold start pediatric practice, we are constantly exploring effective strategies to grow our referral network and increase patient volume. One key initiative at Gwinnett Pediatric & Adult Eye Center involves actively engaging with the pediatricians of our young patients. During each visit, we ask parents to provide the name and contact information of their child’s pediatrician and affiliated practice. Following the appointment, we generate a detailed summary of the eye exam and send this report directly to the pediatrician’s office.

We send an average of 80-100 exam summary letters each week, which has proven to be an invaluable tool for practice growth. This consistent communication not only keeps pediatricians informed about their patient’s eye health but also fosters a professional relationship that encourages future referrals. In fact, we’ve observed that many pediatricians who hadn’t previously referred patients to us are now sending new cases, thanks to the trust built through these regular updates. By maintaining open lines of communication and providing timely, thorough summaries, we not only strengthen relationships with other health care providers but also broaden our reach, allowing us to care for more pediatric patients and provide them with comprehensive eye care services.

Here are some best practices you can put to use:

  1. Ask every pediatric patient who their pediatrician is. This can be on the electronic intake, at check-in, or during pretesting. Set a protocol for the team to follow and consider making a directory of pediatricians and their practices for easy reference.
  2. Schedule in-person, face-to-face time with the pediatrician and their team. Dropping in is generally frowned upon, especially on a busy day of patient care, so schedule a time to meet with their office in person or via a video call. From the optometry practice, include one or two team members too this shows that you value their contributions and builds camaraderie with the pediatrician’s staff. And provide food! Whether it’s a 15-minute lunch and learn or a box of cookies from a small business, the gesture goes a long way and says with action that you are giving, not just taking. Any relationship is a two-way street.
  3. Keep letters short and simple. And stay consistent. Consistency is key. Routine communication will naturally build a rapport and relationship with the provider. As for the correspondence, keep it simple. Oftentimes, the Electronic Health Record auto-generated letter contains too much technical optometric jargon; therefore, just a basic assessment and plan should suffice. The more that you share healthy emmetropic or age-appropriate hyperopia without the need for glasses, the more these providers will see you as a holistic health care provider who’s not just in it to sell glasses. Ask the pediatrician’s practice how they would like to receive the letters, whether e-mail, e-fax, or mailed. Then assign that task to designated team members with specific timelines to ensure consistent completion. Flexibility can be given to batch these during administrative time. For those who employ virtual assistants, this is an easy task once trained.
  4. Treat pediatricians’ children — and other MDs’ children, too, for that matter. Pediatricians tend to run in MD circles. There may not be an opportunity in every case, but nothing fosters a stronger relationship than caring for their own children. Many physicians have expressed to their optometric colleagues that they absolutely want their child’s myopia to be treated to prevent it from getting worse so quickly. Many physicians are worse than -6.00D themselves. The international attention on myopia cannot be ignored.
  5. Communicate how you would like to be a resource. Hopefully that trust built means trading contact information to then share on other cases, questions, new science, collaborative opportunities, and more. Offer to be a resource and referral for any vision- or eye-related questions or concerns. Most importantly, understand the printouts from the pediatrician’s photo screener if they have one to effectively address referral concerns. And offer to teach the pediatrician’s staff about other eye and vision-related conditions. Be creative in that education, such as bringing your trial lenses to demonstrate what uncorrected refractive error looks like. Most importantly, highlight the importance of early detection and treatment of eye conditions in pediatric patients. Remind them that children are developing myopia earlier in that first decade of life and progression is fastest during younger ages, so routinely assess and refer for timely treatment. Pediatricians are on the frontlines of childhood health care and have a great opportunity to ensure this necessary management for our pediatric patients. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed the American Academy of Ophthalmology white paper “Reducing the Global Burden of Myopia by Delaying the Onset of Myopia and Reducing Myopic Progression in Children” back in July 2021. The time to help children with myopia is now!

This article is sponsored by CooperVision.

 

Dr. Shundale Mixon is a board-certified optometric physician specializing in pediatric eye conditions, myopia management, specialty contact lenses, and the treatment and management of eye diseases. She currently is the owner of Gwinnett Pediatric & Adult Eye Center. She graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a BS in Biology and Respiratory Therapy. Dr. Mixon later graduated from Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry with a BS in Vision Science and Doctorate of Optometry. She completed an Ocular Disease residency at Omni Eye Services in Atlanta. Dr. Mixon is a Fellow of the American Optometric Association, Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry, and a member of the College of Vision Development, National Optometric Association, Georgia Optometric Association, and American Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control. She also currently serves as the President of the Greater Atlanta Optometric Association and the Chair of the GOA Young OD Committee. In her spare time, Dr. Mixon enjoys spending time with her husband and two wonderful children. She is also an Ashtanga yoga enthusiast and a frequent volunteer for the Special Olympics in Georgia. She looks forward to welcoming new patients to her practice!

 

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