Page 32 - 2015 Best Practices of Spectacle Lens Management

Eyewear In the same survey, ODs were asked to estimate Actual Eyeglasses-only Patient Eye Exam Interval Eyewear
the actual interval between exams of eyeglasses-
Purchase only patients. The average estimated interval was (% of practices) Purchase

Cycle 21 months, most likely an under-estimate. Total Question: Based on your observation Cycle

continued As would be expected, ODs who recommended 12-16 months 17% or review of office records, what
do you estimate to be the actual
17-21 months
39%
a yearly interval between exams reported a lower 22-26 months 35% average interval (in months) between
comprehensive eye exams of your
actual interval—4.5 months less than ODs who 27-31 months 7% eyeglasses-only patients?
recommended a longer interval. 32-36 months 2%
Average Interval 21 months
Source: MBA Exam Frequency Survey, 2008
Although most ODs recommend eye exams every
12 months, the typical interval between exams Actual Exam Interval of Eyeglasses-only Wearers
for eyeglasses-only patients is actually at least by Exam Interval Recommended by OD (% of practices)
twice as long. It’s clear that many patients simply
ignore doctors’ recommendations on when to Exam Interval Recommended
return. In the absence of an effective patient Actual Average Interval 12 months Longer than 12 months
recall system that encourages appointments 12-16 months 24% 3%
and reminds patients that a year has elapsed, 17-21 months 48% 22%
it’s easy for patients to forget about or put off 22-26 months 26% 55%
16%
2%
27-31 months
scheduling an exam, particularly if their glasses 32-36 months - 5%
continue to function well. Adopting an effective Average Interval 23.9
recall methodology is the best strategy to reduce 19.4
the eyewear purchase cycle. *Includes respondents who recommend an interval between exams longer than 12 months to either non-presbyopic or
presbyopic glasses-only wearers
Source: MBA Exam Frequency Survey, 2008
Pre-appointing patient exams
reduces interval between exams. % of Patients Pre-appointed Performance Deciles
A 2011 survey among independent practice (among offices pre-appointing)
optometrists showed that 44 percent pre- By Performance Decile
High
appoint patients at the conclusion of eye exams. Improvement Median Performance
Opportunity
Among practices which pre-appoint, typically
70 percent of patients are pre-appointed. 15% 20% 45% 50% 65% 70% 75% 80% 90% 95% 100%
Practices which pre-appoint estimate that 75 5th 15th 25th 35th 45th 50th 55th 65th 75th 85th 95th
percent of pre-appointed patients actually have percentile ranking
an eye exam within three months of the pre-
appointment date. Source: MBA Patient Recall Survey, June 2011

% of Pre-appointed Patients Having Exams
(within 3 months) Performance Deciles

By Performance Decile
Improvement High
Opportunity Median Performance
15% 40% 50% 60% 70% 75% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95%
5th 15th 25th 35th 45th 50th 55th 65th 75th 85th 95th
percentile ranking

Source: MBA Patient Recall Survey, June 2011

32 Best Practices of Spectacle Lens Management 2015