The wrong patient education approach ruins your practice and the whole industry.
Below is one of the patient's feedback showing the case:
"I had a multi focal lens in my left eye 4 weeks ago not for a cataract but because I’m over wearing glasses for reading. My vision is actually worse than it was before. I have my follow up appoint in 2 weeks so will see what he says. I can see close up better than before but it is still so blurry when I thought it would have been clear by now. My long distance vision was good that’s why I only got one eye done but now my distance vision in the eye with the new lens is so blurry.
I’m worried it will stay like this now. Regret doing it as wearing glasses was so much clearer."
What do you think was missing here?
The preop interviewing and appropriate counseling need to be corrected.
Let me give you a few tips to avoid these cases:
1. Ask more questions about the patient's visual experience and life. Not "needs", experience first! Listen and focus on the emotional part - what is curial? Select only one main focus and dive deeper into it. Despite the answer "I want it all", every person has a core element, which is the key to "life is good" perception.
2. Do not try to win all the premium cases. Be open and honest. Some patients, despite being economically viable, are bad candidates. Winning X today will result in 10X losses in the future.
3. Learn how to build your brand and increase patient flow. It will help to be sure that with point No.2, even if you lose one premium patient today, you will earn 5X tomorrow.
If you are faced with a similar case, here are a few tips on how fix it in the best way:
1. Be bold and accept that you have a problem. Mentally.
2. Tell the patient that you both have a problem and now you have to cooperate to find the optimal way to achieve the patient's best possible visual outcomes. You are really in the same boat now.
3. Return to my tip No.1 in the first section, and although it seems that you already know the core element of the desired vision, try to talk again to check if something beneficial might be found in the current setup. Think about what could be improved clinically based on patient desires. The most important is to end up with the patient's perception that you did all you could to fix the issue. And really try to do so.
As Dr. Francesco Carones and I emphasized during our moderation of the "Story of the Hero" section at Ophthalpreneurs, listening to your patients is crucial. It requires practice and passion, and it is vital for your practice's development. Consider investing in your own development in this area or appointing a dedicated staff who will be trained accordingly.
Oleksii Sologub
MSc, LLB, SE MBA
Entrepreneur | Board Member & Strategic Business Consultant in Ophthalmology
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