Tele Health the way to go???https://www.for2020now.com/pureblogs/an-optometrists-perspective-on-the-changing-state-of-optometry/#blogtop A Q&A with Optometrist Chad Overman Eyecare is quickly evolving into a future that looks much different than it did just a few years ago. We recently sat down with Dr. Chad Overman, OD, 20/20NOWs new clinical advisor, to pick his brain about where the industry is today and where its going. Dr. Overman comes to 20/20NOW with more than 23 years of optometric experience, including private practice and leadership roles in corporate optometry, where he served as director of professional relations at Walmart. Q: As an optometrist whos been involved with eyecare for many years, how would you describe the state of the field today? A: When I look at the landscape today, I see a real need for optometry and patients to converge. We have to give patients what they want when they want it and, more often than not today, thats not in a traditional optometric practice setting. Often thats because the hours arent convenient for them or the location isnt easily accessible. There are any number of reasons that its not easy for patients to access care from optometrists in their offices. Thats why its more important than ever for eyecare providers to offer quality, affordability and accessibility. Those are the things I think we need to always deliver to our patients. Q: How should the industry respond to this changing landscape? A: As the population ages and as vision problems increase with the growing use of electronic devices, were seeing more patientsand, as optometrists, were at the point of the spear. Thats because were often the first doctor people go to if they think they have a problem. If theyre experiencing headaches or blurry vision and they dont have a primary care physician, theyll go to their optometrist because they think its a vision problem. Yet, we know it could be actually any number of health issues. So, were typically the first ones to see these issues. As there is more demand and we see more patients, efficiency is going to be more of an issue. The optical retail sector is already experiencing this with some locations experiencing significant backlogs, as much as three months. In fact, retail is a good place to start adopting new technologies that can help deliver greater efficiencies. Q: Speaking of retail, how has that segment of the industry evolved in your experience? A: Its rapidly growing with new players emerging into the space and significant new growth of existing operators. CVS and Walgreens are coming into the mix, while Costco and Walmart continue to grow and build new locations. Physician shortages continue to be an issue, especially in rural locations. Thats why a number of retail operators currently have hundreds of locations that we call dark stores, where they have no doctor or very minimal coverage. As a result, accessibility to eyecare in those communities is very poor. Those are places where there is a real need for greater accessibility to quality, affordable eyecare. Q: Why did you decide to make the move to join the 20/20NOW team? A: Ive had opportunities to join many groups that are doing online eye exams, but Ive been very picky about whos doing it right. When I looked at what 20/20NOW is doing and how theyre doing it, I believe they may be the only one that is doing what I consider comprehensive exams. I feel they are the leader in the industry. Simply put, I want optometry to be at the table. And I want to be at the table, helping form the future of telehealth and this is the company I believe I can do that with. Q: How do you define your role at 20/20NOW? A: Im a clinical advisor, so I bring the optometrists perspective whenever we have conversations with new and potential customers. I bring some credibility from the optometrist side of things because of my hands-on experience serving patients and because talking with optometrists is something Ive done my whole career. Im very interested in making sure optometrists win right along with everyone else. At 20/20NOW, Im involved with anything that can touch optometrists or the processor if theres a way to improve the process, Ill help build that. Q: How does your new role at 20/20NOW fit into your personal mission? A: My goal has always been to leave optometry better than how I found it. Every move Ive made in my career has been to leave a bigger footprint than what I did in my last position. I started out as an optometrist in one location, then took on multiple locations. Then, I moved onto Walmart, covering half the country in a recruiting capacity, then the whole country as director of professional relations. Everything Ive done has been to make optometry better. As a consultant with 20/20NOW, I can do even more. I think its going in the right direction and I think their technology is the key to that. Q: In your opinion, whats the most important thing for everyone to understand about the 20/20NOW technology? A: I want doctors and patients to understand that this is much more than an online eye exam. Were offering a full comprehensive eye exam within a doctors practice or retail location. Any condition that a doctor can identify, our exam can identify. In fact, after performing more than two million exams, the 20/20NOW technology has diagnosed a wide range of conditions that have enabled the eyecare provider to refer the patient for further treatment. These success stories include cases of diabetic retinopathy, hypertension, choroidal melanoma, even brain tumors. Q: The 20/20NOW technology includes a proprietary AI technology called Eyelogic or you could call it CARA (DIAGNOS to Provide Retinal Image Analysis using its AI Technology to 20/20NOW, the Leading Ocular Telehealth Provider in the United States). Why is AI so important to the process? A: AI helps the doctor read the retinal photos more efficiently. Thats a very big thing when it comes to performing comprehensive eye exams efficiently. When the exam is done, the doctor goes in and looks at all the photos. After looking at hundreds of photos, at the end of the day, it can get kind of tough to diagnose certain conditions. With AI driving the process, doctors are able to identify microscopic lesions that are nearly impossible to detect with the human eye. This is critical, because it gives practitioners the ability to screen at-risk patients and diagnose conditions at their early stages, when its more possible to manage the symptoms and avoid the worst outcomes. Q: How is the 20/20NOW technology being received by patients? A: Its been very well received by patients. Patient Satisfaction and Net Promoter Scores are well above industry averages. Patients like to get an exam when they want, whether a doctor is there or not. Theres a technician in the room with the patient the entire time. As part of the exam, the remote doctor appears onscreen via videoconferencing to talk with the patient directly about their exam results and answer any questions they may have . The reaction from patients is often Wow, this is cool. Q: How can independent ECPs benefit from telehealth? A: Telehealth can provide many benefits to ECPs. First, its an ideal way to improve the productivity of an office by adding a second lane to serve walk-in and overflow patients. But, more importantly, it allows you to serve patients when the doctor isnt present or available. Based on my experience, a simple way to attract more patients is to offer evening and weekend appointments through telehealth. Some doctors are also serving patients in remote or rural areas through telehealth satellite locations. Theres also a lifestyle benefit for doctors, since they dont have to work evenings or late hours or travel to distant locations to serve more patients. Q: How are doctors reacting? A: When it comes to doctors, they really need to see it for themselves, because when they do, theyre convinced that digital health is a great solution for their practice. We hope that optometrists will seek us out to better understand the standard of care being offered.