The Ultimate Technician’s
Survival Guide
BY ALLEN C. HO, MD
The practice of medicine in the modern age
is a team effort, and this certainly holds true
in the evaluation and care of patients with
retinal disease.
As the patient population ages, and as
health care coverage is extended to more and more
Americans, all physicians will begin to see an increased
workload. Recent reforms in health care policy suggest
we are also at the dawn of an age of cost consciousness,
which means the American physician will quite literally be doing more with less—less compensation, fewer
resources, and perhaps even restrictions on the types of
services he or she may provide to patients.
What this all means is that efficiency will be paramount to delivering quality care to each and every
patient. Despite the challenges we may face in delivering
care, it is also true that patients rely on all of us to be
part of an effort to help preserve or save their sight. This
is a sacred trust, and it cannot be taken lightly.
This Technician’s Guide is offered in this spirit: to elevate
the standards of practice so that every person involved
with patient care is as capable as possible in their given
role; to ensure that we are all living up to the responsibility
of saving patients’ sight; and to reinforce our commitment
to continually learn new and better ways to serve patients.
This guide is a comprehensive update on the clinical
and back office responsibilities of the technician in a busy
retina office. Experts offer pearls for the patient workup,
intravitreal injections, and for applying topical drops.
There are also practical tips for improving EHR efficiency,
drug inventory management, and how to properly code
for injectable medicines. Lastly, technicians would be wise
to brush up HIPAA compliance and the current standards and practices of the Joint Commission on Allied
Health Personnel in Ophthalmology, the organization
that offers certification to ophthalmic technicians.
It is hoped that this guide will serve to improve the
knowledge base of practicing technicians, which, in the
end, improves patient care. n
Allen C. Ho, MD,
Retina Today Chief Medical Editor
Contents
4 JCAHPO and the Ophthalmic–Retina Technician
By Lynn D. Anderson, PhD
6 Critical Components of the Workup
By Susan Janis, COA
9 Five Strategies to Maximize EHR Efficiency
By Janet L. Hunter, BS, COMT
12 A Practical Guide to Intravitreal Injections
By Natalie Loyacano, COMT, ROUB, OSA, OCS
16 Best Practices for Drug Inventory Management
20 The Digital Age of Ophthalmic Imaging
By Mark Maio
24 Tips for Instilling Topical Drops
By Susan Janis, COA
28 Reimbursement for Injectables
By Kirk A. Mack, COMT, COE, CPC, CPMA
30 HIPAA: Protecting Patients’ Private Information
By Nancy L. Perkins, JD,
and Allison Weber Shuren, MSN, JD
By Warren E. Laurita, MBA
2014-2015 ULTIMATE TECHNICIAN’S SURVIVAL GUIDE RETINA TODAY 3