Telehealth postop visits beneficial for surgeons, patients
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NEW YORK — Surgeons should consider incorporating telehealth practices into their routine postoperative care due to potential benefits for patients, surgeons and staff, according to a presentation at OSN New York.
Blake K. Williamson, MD, MPH, MS, has incorporated telemedicine into his practice for LASIK consults and postop day 1 visits as well as cataract surgery workups and postop day 1 visits. This has led to positive results in patient satisfaction and overall practice efficiency.
“We do over 5,000 cataract surgeries a year in our ASC, and for these people to not have to come in after having a routine, uncomplicated successful cataract surgery has been wonderful,” Williamson said.
If surgeons give patients who have experienced uncomplicated surgery the option to attend a virtual day 1 postop visit, they may see a higher number of patients in a shorter amount of time compared with surgeons who exclusively schedule in-person visits. This may help lessen strain on office staff and technicians while giving patients and surgeons more flexibility when scheduling appointments.
“The benefits to patients are obvious,” Williamson said. “They don’t have to come in and take these long drives; it’s a big burden to them. They’re just more comfortable in their own homes with their loved ones.”
Additionally, making these nonpaying global visits virtual frees time on the schedule for new consults.
Williamson encouraged surgeons to put together proper reading materials and tools to educate patients on the step-by-step process of effectively setting up a virtual visit to help yield the best results for both patients and physicians.
“If you’re doing 35 cataracts and you don’t have to see them all the next day, that’s huge,” Williamson said. “You can see 30 postops in 30 minutes, honestly, very easily. ... For us, it’s been an absolute game changer, and I hope that you will consider it, too.”
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Williamson BK. The virtual practice: Harnessing digital tools to enhance the patient experience. Presented at: OSN New York and OSN New York Retina; Nov. 11-Nov. 13, 2022; New York.
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