Optical Express is a refractive surgery corporate provider with more than 200 locations throughout Europe, Japan, and the United States. Combined, their surgeons have performed over 600,000 refractive procedures, including LASIK, LASEK, and phakic IOL implantation. Since I began serving as the Chief Medical Director for Optical Express last summer, I have continued to work with the providers to establish good clinical governance, policies and procedures, and statistical analysis of outcomes. In many ways, this position is not unlike my previous work as the Refractive Surgery Program Manager for the United States Navy.
Optical Express has established core goals based on performance, integrity, transparency, consistency, diligence, adaptability, innovation, and respect. To that end, we have invested more than £250 million (€318 million) into the best equipment and clinics over the past 3 years. The intent is to provide, deliver, and maintain the highest level of care for all our patients.
There is a stereotype that because corporate providers tend to have a higher procedure volume, they may not provide the best patient care. It should be noted, however, that premium care encompasses all aspects of delivering unsurpassed care and customer service—regardless of the clinical setting.
There are significant benefits and advantages in a large corporate structure. First, we have more tools and resources that facilitate monitoring, tracking, and continuously improving upon our practice. Optical Express uses a state-of-the-art electronic medical records system in which all patient outcomes are databased. We also have the resources to dedicate a team of analysts and biostatisticians whose full-time job is to continuously evaluate these clinical outcomes. This enables us to consistently improve the way we deliver care.
Additionally, we have an international medical advisory board made up of world leaders in refractive surgery to assist and guide Optical Express on issues that deal with clinical governance and best practices. This independent review process is not typically available to solo providers.
There is no question that many individual providers deliver excellent care. But patients often have limited resources to judge the quality of care and expertise of individual surgeons. If a patient knows absolutely nothing about a provider, however, I believe they are better off seeking an organization that has solid clinical governance with checks and balances instead of going to an unknown provider. In either case, it is a good idea for patients seeking refractive surgery to do their homework; research information on their provider, ask questions, and get second opinions. One of the best resources in this decision a previous patient.
Some people mistakenly believe that everyone who walks through the door of a corporate provider seeking surgery is going to get surgery. That is absolutely not the case. In fact, between 20% and 25% of patients who request surgery at Optical Express are determined to be unsuitable candidates for any type of laser vision correction. This percentage of rejection is higher than many private practices around the world, and it underscores the careful consideration given by Optical Express providers to identify and treat only those patients for whom a surgical procedure is medically appropriate and will provide great benefit.
A good refractive practice is a good refractive practice, whether it is a corporate or solo provider. There is significant strength, however, in having the resources required to examine your clinical data and use it to improve patient outcomes and satisfaction. If you invest in the best equipment, recruit and retain highly trained clinical- and service-oriented staff, continuously monitor outcomes, and always strive to improve upon the patient experience, patient outcomes and satisfaction will continue to improve.
Steven C. Schallhorn, MD, is in private practice in San Diego and is the Chief Medical Director of Optical Express. He states that he is a consultant to Advanced Medical Optics, Inc. Dr. Schallhorn may be reached at scschallhorn@yahoo.com.
