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Highlights: 2007 American Optometric Association New Technology Survey
AOA SURVEYS Highlights: 2007 American Optometric Association New Technology Survey Richard C. Edlow, O.D., and Glenn R. Markus
T
he 2007 American Optometric Association (AOA) New Technology Survey finds optometric practices are continuing to adopt the latest in ophthalmic equipment, use better computer-related technology and, most important, provide the latest in state-of-the-art care to meet the needs of patients. More than three quarters of responding AOA members saw 1 or more patients who
Optometric practices continue to evolve to meet the needs of patients and adapt to a changing health care environment.
suffered from neurologic insult last year. Nearly a third of practitioners reported they now provide neuro-optometric services to such patients. Scanning laser ophthalmoscopes and pachymeters represented the fastest growing technology in optometric practices over recent years, while 1 in 10 practices now offers wavefront technology, and 1 in 5 have retinal imaging systems. More than a quarter of survey respondents now interface their practice management software with an electronic health records (EHR) system. Since 2003, the AOA Information & Data Committee has conducted the AOA New Technology Survey every 2 years to determine how quickly optometric practices make the latest developments in clinical technology available to benefit patients. The survey also attempts to determine the extent to which optometrists are using computer and Internet technology to improve practice efficiency. For the first time this year, the survey also questioned practitioners regarding their approach to a growing new field of care: neuro-optometry. The results are encouraging.
Clinical uses of new technologies The first part of the AOA New Technology Survey indicates the percentage of optometrists who owned a specific technology in a clinical setting at the time the survey was
Richard C. Edlow, O.D., is the chair of the AOA Information & Data Committee. Glenn R. Markus is a consultant to the committee. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the American Optometric Association.
conducted. The automated perimeter (91.3%), autorefractor/ autokeratometer (77.8%), and the pachymeter (72.6%) were the most common clinical technologies owned by optometrists in their clinical practices in 2007. In the period from 2003 to 2007, the technologies growing most rapidly in optometric offices were scanning laser ophthalmoscopes and pachymeters (see Table 1). Survey data also suggest that many technology purchases that were planned in 2005 came to fruition by 2007.
Practice management uses of new technology The second part of the survey reviewed the types of practice management software optometrists used in their offices in 2007. Practice management software to support billing activities (85.0%), electronic claim processing software (81.2%), and bookkeeping programs (78.5%) were most widely found in respondent offices. Between 2005 and 2007, the percentages of optometrists using the practice management software listed in Table 2 changed only marginally for most categories. Some 28.5% of survey respondents interface 1 or more of these management technologies with their electronic medical records system. OfficeMate continues to be the most commonly used practice management software program in optometric offices (see Table 3).
Internet use The third part of the AOA New Technology Survey posed questions about the use of the Internet, computer capabilities, e-mail, and other related questions. More than half of the respondents (52.5%) said they subscribed to online newsletters or listserves or participated in discussion groups (e.g., Optcom). More than 4 of 5 of the responding optometrists (82.3%) said they have visited the AOA Web site (www.aoa.org). Only 4.1% used dial-up access to the Internet, whereas most (85.1%) used broadband via a cable modem or a digital subscriber line (DSL). One in 10 optometrists (10.1%) used T1 or higher. Nearly half of the responding optometrists (48.1%) operated a privately owned Web site for purposes of marketing their practices. A majority of optometrists (55.1%) used a sponsored Web site (e.g., Vision Service Plan, VisionWeb) to market their practices. One in 3 optometrists (31.8%) routinely captured and updated their patients’ e-mail ad-
1529-1839/08/$ -see front matter © 2008 American Optometric Association. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.optm.2008.02.005
276
Practice Strategies
Table 1 2007
ODs using technologies in clinical practice, 2003-
Technology A/B scan ultrasound Anterior segment camera Automated perimeter Automated refracting lane Autorefractor/autokeratometer Corneal topography unit or Orbscan Fundus/retinal camera Pachymeter Scanning laser ophthalmoscope Optos retinal imaging Wavefront technologies/analyzers
2003 percent
2005 percent
2007 percent
9.9 35.9 90.8 11.7 68.0 37.8
9.8 39.7 89.9 15.2 71.2 41.0
15.4 30.5 91.3 15.5 77.8 44.3
57.8 38.3 6.3
65.3 68.9 34.2
68.2 72.6 45.0
– –
15.4 –
20.3 11.1
dresses. Survey participants were asked to indicate the activities for which they most often used the Internet (see Table 4).
Other uses of new technology Another section of the 2007 New Technology Survey asked optometrists about their other uses of new technologies. For example, more than 2 out of every 3 ODs (70.0%) currently Table 2 2007
ODs using practice management software, 2003-
Technology
Percent
Percent
Percent
Appointments and scheduling Billing Bookkeeping Electronic claims processing Electronic medical records Inventory Marketing Patient communications (other than recall) Patient education software Prescriptions Recall
55.8 82.2 75.2 79.4 19.2 30.9 34.0 30.4
58.2 80.9 73.0 81.1 17.7 31.4 33.7 34.0
73.6 85.0 78.5 81.2 25.9 39.2 33.5 34.7
----19.0 77.6
----23.0 77.0
30.3 27.8 74.7
Table 3 Practice management or other software used by ODs, 2007* Software
Percent
Software
Percent
AlphaMed Compulink Eye Base P.E. EyeCare Advantage EyeCom E-Z Frame Maxim Eyes MISYS PM Next Gen Other
0.0 7.6 0.6 3.7 2.1 1.8 6.1 0.7 1.2 30.9
OD Professional OfficeMate Optimeyes MBA Optivision Paradigm RLISYS Pract. Man. Practice Maximus Practice View VersaSuite
1.7 28.3 0.4 0.0 0.0 8.1 1.0 0.0 0.7
* Total does not equal 100%
Table 4
Activities using the Internet, 2005-2007
Activity Claims submission Clinical information Continuing education credits E-mail communication with patients Online access to professional publications/information Optical lab orders via the Internet Patient education via a Web site Patient newsletter via e-mail Product information from manufacturers
Percent 2005
Percent 2007
84.5 56.2 31.9 34.1 62.1
86.2 64.9 47.0 40.5 67.0
62.2 22.8 5.0 63.2
66.0 28.9 5.9 61.2
order online from a vendor’s Web site. Two of 5 ODs (42.4%) currently order from a buying group’s Web site. More than 1 in 3 optometrists (35.3%) order through an independent Web site (e.g., VisionWeb, etc.). Optometrists were asked to estimate the percentage of items they ordered via the Internet during the 6 months before the survey. For example, 472 of the 967 survey respondents ordered lenses online. Those practitioners ordering lenses online, on average, ordered about two thirds (65.9%) of all their lenses online. Two thirds of the ODs (68.8%) engaged in other types of online ordering as well (e.g., purchase of office supplies). One in 6 optometrists (11.4%) used computerassisted lens and frame selection within their dispensaries (see Table 5). Optometrists who were not yet making widespread use of online ordering were asked whether and when they planned to start ordering online through a Web site (see Table 6).
Neuro-optometric rehabilitation Within the last 12 months, 78.5% of responding optometrists saw 1 or more patients who had suffered a neurologTable 5 Items ordered online by ODs who do online ordering, 2007
Item Frames Lenses Contact lenses Samples of prescription pharmaceuticals Table 6
Number ODs ordering item online
Mean % of each item ordered online
410 472 549 162
34.0 65.9 68.6 32.6
ODs with plans for ordering online, 2005-2007
Time frame
2005 percent
2007 percent
1-3 months 4-6 months 7-9 months 10-12 months Do not plan to order
3.1 10.0 2.0 19.1 65.8
3.3 9.9 2.5 12.3 72.0
Practice Strategies ical insult. Nearly a third (29.5%) provided neuro-optometric services to such patients. On average, the mean number of patients with a neuro-optometric insult seen in the 12 months before the survey was 11, and more than half of these patients (52.9%) were treated by the respondent. About 1 in 7 optometrists (14.4%) were affiliated with a rehabilitation center, clinic, or hospital that treats patients who have neurologic insults. Two in 5 ODs (40.9%) who do not provide neuro-optometric services in their practices
277 have a local optometric service referral source that they can use, the survey found. The latest AOA New Technology Survey was based on a stratified, random sample of 4,000 AOA members who were mailed the survey form in the fall of 2007. The survey response rate was 24.2% (n ⫽ 967). AOA members can download complete copies of Highlights: 2007 AOA New Technology Survey as well as highlights of other AOA surveys on the AOA Web site (www.aoa.org).
T
he 2007 American Optometric Association (AOA) New Technology Survey finds optometric practices are continuing to adopt the latest in ophthalmic equipment, use better computer-related technology and, most important, provide the latest in state-of-the-art care to meet the needs of patients. More than three quarters of responding AOA members saw 1 or more patients who
Optometric practices continue to evolve to meet the needs of patients and adapt to a changing health care environment.
suffered from neurologic insult last year. Nearly a third of practitioners reported they now provide neuro-optometric services to such patients. Scanning laser ophthalmoscopes and pachymeters represented the fastest growing technology in optometric practices over recent years, while 1 in 10 practices now offers wavefront technology, and 1 in 5 have retinal imaging systems. More than a quarter of survey respondents now interface their practice management software with an electronic health records (EHR) system. Since 2003, the AOA Information & Data Committee has conducted the AOA New Technology Survey every 2 years to determine how quickly optometric practices make the latest developments in clinical technology available to benefit patients. The survey also attempts to determine the extent to which optometrists are using computer and Internet technology to improve practice efficiency. For the first time this year, the survey also questioned practitioners regarding their approach to a growing new field of care: neuro-optometry. The results are encouraging.
Clinical uses of new technologies The first part of the AOA New Technology Survey indicates the percentage of optometrists who owned a specific technology in a clinical setting at the time the survey was
Richard C. Edlow, O.D., is the chair of the AOA Information & Data Committee. Glenn R. Markus is a consultant to the committee. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the American Optometric Association.
conducted. The automated perimeter (91.3%), autorefractor/ autokeratometer (77.8%), and the pachymeter (72.6%) were the most common clinical technologies owned by optometrists in their clinical practices in 2007. In the period from 2003 to 2007, the technologies growing most rapidly in optometric offices were scanning laser ophthalmoscopes and pachymeters (see Table 1). Survey data also suggest that many technology purchases that were planned in 2005 came to fruition by 2007.
Practice management uses of new technology The second part of the survey reviewed the types of practice management software optometrists used in their offices in 2007. Practice management software to support billing activities (85.0%), electronic claim processing software (81.2%), and bookkeeping programs (78.5%) were most widely found in respondent offices. Between 2005 and 2007, the percentages of optometrists using the practice management software listed in Table 2 changed only marginally for most categories. Some 28.5% of survey respondents interface 1 or more of these management technologies with their electronic medical records system. OfficeMate continues to be the most commonly used practice management software program in optometric offices (see Table 3).
Internet use The third part of the AOA New Technology Survey posed questions about the use of the Internet, computer capabilities, e-mail, and other related questions. More than half of the respondents (52.5%) said they subscribed to online newsletters or listserves or participated in discussion groups (e.g., Optcom). More than 4 of 5 of the responding optometrists (82.3%) said they have visited the AOA Web site (www.aoa.org). Only 4.1% used dial-up access to the Internet, whereas most (85.1%) used broadband via a cable modem or a digital subscriber line (DSL). One in 10 optometrists (10.1%) used T1 or higher. Nearly half of the responding optometrists (48.1%) operated a privately owned Web site for purposes of marketing their practices. A majority of optometrists (55.1%) used a sponsored Web site (e.g., Vision Service Plan, VisionWeb) to market their practices. One in 3 optometrists (31.8%) routinely captured and updated their patients’ e-mail ad-
1529-1839/08/$ -see front matter © 2008 American Optometric Association. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.optm.2008.02.005
276
Practice Strategies
Table 1 2007
ODs using technologies in clinical practice, 2003-
Technology A/B scan ultrasound Anterior segment camera Automated perimeter Automated refracting lane Autorefractor/autokeratometer Corneal topography unit or Orbscan Fundus/retinal camera Pachymeter Scanning laser ophthalmoscope Optos retinal imaging Wavefront technologies/analyzers
2003 percent
2005 percent
2007 percent
9.9 35.9 90.8 11.7 68.0 37.8
9.8 39.7 89.9 15.2 71.2 41.0
15.4 30.5 91.3 15.5 77.8 44.3
57.8 38.3 6.3
65.3 68.9 34.2
68.2 72.6 45.0
– –
15.4 –
20.3 11.1
dresses. Survey participants were asked to indicate the activities for which they most often used the Internet (see Table 4).
Other uses of new technology Another section of the 2007 New Technology Survey asked optometrists about their other uses of new technologies. For example, more than 2 out of every 3 ODs (70.0%) currently Table 2 2007
ODs using practice management software, 2003-
Technology
Percent
Percent
Percent
Appointments and scheduling Billing Bookkeeping Electronic claims processing Electronic medical records Inventory Marketing Patient communications (other than recall) Patient education software Prescriptions Recall
55.8 82.2 75.2 79.4 19.2 30.9 34.0 30.4
58.2 80.9 73.0 81.1 17.7 31.4 33.7 34.0
73.6 85.0 78.5 81.2 25.9 39.2 33.5 34.7
----19.0 77.6
----23.0 77.0
30.3 27.8 74.7
Table 3 Practice management or other software used by ODs, 2007* Software
Percent
Software
Percent
AlphaMed Compulink Eye Base P.E. EyeCare Advantage EyeCom E-Z Frame Maxim Eyes MISYS PM Next Gen Other
0.0 7.6 0.6 3.7 2.1 1.8 6.1 0.7 1.2 30.9
OD Professional OfficeMate Optimeyes MBA Optivision Paradigm RLISYS Pract. Man. Practice Maximus Practice View VersaSuite
1.7 28.3 0.4 0.0 0.0 8.1 1.0 0.0 0.7
* Total does not equal 100%
Table 4
Activities using the Internet, 2005-2007
Activity Claims submission Clinical information Continuing education credits E-mail communication with patients Online access to professional publications/information Optical lab orders via the Internet Patient education via a Web site Patient newsletter via e-mail Product information from manufacturers
Percent 2005
Percent 2007
84.5 56.2 31.9 34.1 62.1
86.2 64.9 47.0 40.5 67.0
62.2 22.8 5.0 63.2
66.0 28.9 5.9 61.2
order online from a vendor’s Web site. Two of 5 ODs (42.4%) currently order from a buying group’s Web site. More than 1 in 3 optometrists (35.3%) order through an independent Web site (e.g., VisionWeb, etc.). Optometrists were asked to estimate the percentage of items they ordered via the Internet during the 6 months before the survey. For example, 472 of the 967 survey respondents ordered lenses online. Those practitioners ordering lenses online, on average, ordered about two thirds (65.9%) of all their lenses online. Two thirds of the ODs (68.8%) engaged in other types of online ordering as well (e.g., purchase of office supplies). One in 6 optometrists (11.4%) used computerassisted lens and frame selection within their dispensaries (see Table 5). Optometrists who were not yet making widespread use of online ordering were asked whether and when they planned to start ordering online through a Web site (see Table 6).
Neuro-optometric rehabilitation Within the last 12 months, 78.5% of responding optometrists saw 1 or more patients who had suffered a neurologTable 5 Items ordered online by ODs who do online ordering, 2007
Item Frames Lenses Contact lenses Samples of prescription pharmaceuticals Table 6
Number ODs ordering item online
Mean % of each item ordered online
410 472 549 162
34.0 65.9 68.6 32.6
ODs with plans for ordering online, 2005-2007
Time frame
2005 percent
2007 percent
1-3 months 4-6 months 7-9 months 10-12 months Do not plan to order
3.1 10.0 2.0 19.1 65.8
3.3 9.9 2.5 12.3 72.0
Practice Strategies ical insult. Nearly a third (29.5%) provided neuro-optometric services to such patients. On average, the mean number of patients with a neuro-optometric insult seen in the 12 months before the survey was 11, and more than half of these patients (52.9%) were treated by the respondent. About 1 in 7 optometrists (14.4%) were affiliated with a rehabilitation center, clinic, or hospital that treats patients who have neurologic insults. Two in 5 ODs (40.9%) who do not provide neuro-optometric services in their practices
277 have a local optometric service referral source that they can use, the survey found. The latest AOA New Technology Survey was based on a stratified, random sample of 4,000 AOA members who were mailed the survey form in the fall of 2007. The survey response rate was 24.2% (n ⫽ 967). AOA members can download complete copies of Highlights: 2007 AOA New Technology Survey as well as highlights of other AOA surveys on the AOA Web site (www.aoa.org).