Technology in Collaborative Care: Friend or Foe?

Prior to 1900, human knowledge was said to double every century.¹ After World War II, human knowledge doubled every 25 years.² Today, it is estimated that human knowledge doubles every 12 hours.³ If you feel like you can’t keep up—that there just aren’t enough hours in the day—you’re not alone, you can’t. No one can. The way we practice, learn, educate, and adapt to change must continue to evolve.

THE EVOLUTION OF EYE CARE

The population of patients in need of our medical expertise in eye care is growing, both in the clinic as well as in the surgical suite. Optometry performs about 88 million comprehensive eye exams per year,⁴ and that number is projected to increase by about 13 million by 2025. More than 4 million cataract surgeries are performed in the United States each year. By 2030, the estimated number of cataract surgeries is expected to reach 6 million,⁵ almost doubling surgical demand and requiring increased efficiency. Add to this the fact that an increasing number of patients will need intravitreal injections due to age-related macular degeneration or diabetes. Glaucoma is also on the rise with an aging population.

Optometry has an opportunity, not to mention an obligation, to practice to our fullest scope and absorb the increase in patient demand to give patients access to quality care in a more timely manner. This challenges us to continue to grow and evolve as we embrace and experiment with ever-evolving technology. There is nothing that can truly replace the patient-doctor relationship, but technology can supplement our delivery of care and serve as a powerful ally in capturing and evaluating information. We must take advantage of these advances to expand our knowledge base and update our clinical protocols and practices.

HOW TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP

As optometry’s role in delivering eye care continues to expand, so too will interactions with our ophthalmology colleagues, as we comanage more surgical cases. Thus, it behooves us to communicate effectively so that patients and providers alike have a seamless experience. Innovations can streamline processes and keep us more efficient, further improving the way we collaborate with our patients and our referral partners.

I recently hired my first virtual assistant, who has been a great solution to the burgeoning issue of increased overhead and reduced resources. She is a full-time contracted employee who manages many of the tasks in my office that aren’t patient-facing, including posting checks to confirming patient appointments to submitting prior authorizations.

There is no true intra- or interoperability to better facilitate collaborative care, despite continued efforts. This is a gap that technology may eventually be able to close with a data share that’s not dependent on the type of EHR, that can store information in a safe way, that can be accessed and updated by providers in real time.

THE PROS OUTWEIGH THE CONS

If the doctor-patient relationship is compromised or replaced by technology, patient outcomes can be jeopardized. Human relationships and decision-making can most certainly be augmented with the right information at the right time. AI and technology can expand the human bandwidth to better care for patients, but can never replace the human element. Without it, patients are left with gaps in their care that could have devastating consequences.

It’s essential to recognize that technology is not a panacea, and thus must be implemented thoughtfully and ethically. Unintended consequences must be taken into account to ensure that technology enhances rather than detracts from the health of our patients.

Leveraging the right technology will help us augment intelligence, reduce human error, eliminate bias, enhance our critical thinking skills, and deliver exceptional care more confidently and efficiently, making our practices more profitable all while using fewer resources overall.