RELATED CONTENT


Click here to download a PDF of New Ideas to Elevate the Patient Experience.

NEW YORK—Digital technologies and access to business of all types, and health care in particular, have been on the rise for the past 18 months as the pandemic has transformed people’s work and personal lives. As a result, patient receptivity to digital tools, which can make their interactions with business more convenient and streamlined, have gained a lot of traction.

Among eyecare professionals and optical retailers, too, these new expectations among patients have sped up the adoption of new behaviors and new definitions of what comprises a next-level patient experience—on the eyecare and eyewear side of the business.

Now more than ever, this new dynamic is creating more opportunities for ECPs to consider a “hybrid” approach, blending the features and benefits of new systems, services and technologies with the in-person, hands-on direct care in their optical and in their exam lanes.

VM continues to see this embrace of both real-life “brick” with online “click” as a a megatrend. We continue to report on and examine new types of digital tech being adopted—at a faster and wider pace—by optical retailers and independent ECPs as well.

Consumer and patient attitudes about technology in health care delivery and in access to services and related products have become much more open. And the ECPs that VM speaks to in this special feature also report that they and their associates are growing increasingly comfortable with bringing these new tools into their practices and demonstrating to patients that they are leaning more into such modern ideas.

On the following pages are examples of just a few of the tools and software services that are creating efficiencies, streamlining processes, adding to the bottom line and growing independent and regional groups’ profiles with patients today.