The retina community met the FDA approval of pegcetacoplan (Syfovre, Apellis Pharmaceuticals) for the treatment of geographic atrophy with applause and sighs of relief—followed quickly by sparks of panic. The therapy is yet another long-term intraocular injection (so is the next drug under review, avacincaptad pegol [Zimura, Iveric Bio]). Many of our clinics are already straining under the injection burden, and finding storage space might as well be an Olympic sport with competition between branded therapies, biosimilars, and now this new therapeutic.
So, we must find ways to improve our scheduling, clinic workflow, back-office routines, and any number of other areas of our businesses. Efficiency has always been the name of the game in retina, but now more so than ever. But being more efficient doesn’t mean you have to limit patients to one personal story per visit, jog between examination rooms, or brush up on your stenography skills. Instead, you can work smarter, not harder, and that’s what the lean approach is all about.
This month, our featured article identifies a few simple steps to help you embrace the lean philosophy in your clinic. This approach can help you reduce waste in your daily routine, eliminate errors, improve patient care, and boost your return on investment—without requiring Olympic speed. Sounds great, doesn’t it?
It does come at a cost, though. Luckily, the cost is little more than your time, some organization upfront, and a willingness to change. The last of these requirements should be easy for us because change practically defines the field of retina these days. We have become quite adept at synthesizing clinical trial data to inform our decisions to recommend new therapies or try out novel surgical techniques. So, if I had to guess, using data to help inform our decisions to adjust our business approach and office workflow should come as second nature. It’s certainly worth a try, as we are already adjusting our clinics to accommodate an entirely new patient population in need of care.
If you and your team are already working together like a well-oiled machine, a few other articles in this issue might be of interest. Experts discuss harassment and discrimination in the retina practice, including how the COVID-19 pandemic brought to light new issues we all must address. Our financial gurus touch on estate planning and why it’s important to start thinking—and planning—now, long before true end-of-life decisions must be made. Finally, Joy Woodke, COE, OCS, OCSR, has a fun coding quiz to help test your coding prowess.
The dust never seems to settle in our field, and the best way we can stay agile is to stay efficient. Keep it lean, and you will be ready for whatever our researchers have in store for us.
