Accidents Can Happen - But not at the EuroTimes Practice Management Workshops

As the poet Robert Burns wrote, "the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry." That applies to surgery as much as any other pursuit. It’s also the subject of the inaugural London Business School Master Class at the EuroTimes Practice Management Workshop, writes EuroTimes reporter Howard Larkin.

“Why Should Accidents Happen – Overcoming Rational Failure” will be presented by Jean-Pierre Benoit, professor of economics and joint chair of the Economics Faculty, London Business School, Sunday, Sept. 14, at 9.00 in Room 42 at the International Conference Centre.

“Some surgical errors are a result of mistakes, poorly designed systems and practice management,” Prof Benoit says. “However, a seemingly rational, structured approach has its own weaknesses. Safety features can be self-limiting in unintended, yet rational ways. In this session, we will explore ‘rational failure’ and look at ways to overcome it.”

The Master Class will examine concepts including adequate care, rational reasoning, strategic behaviour and project management, and how practice safety can be enhanced by better understanding their nature. The course will be one of the highlights of the XXVI ESCRS Congress in Berlin. Admission is on a first-come first-served basis, so delegates are advised to arrive at least 15 minutes early to ensure admission.

Get ready for refractive cataract surgery

Also on the EuroTimes Practice Management Workshop agenda is a class on building a successful refractive practice within a cataract surgery practice, scheduled for 11.15 in Room 42 at the ICC. Presented by Eckhard Weingäertner, MD, medical director of the EuroEyes Clinic, Stuttgart, Germany, the session will focus on practical questions that more and more cataract surgeons find themselves facing as patients become more informed and sophisticated about cataract surgery outcomes.

“The difference between cataract and refractive surgery is disappearing. Almost everyone knows about multifocal lenses and they expect excellent refractive outcomes,” Dr Weingäertner says. To meet those rising outcome expectations, surgeons will have to both master the technical skills of refractive surgery and invest in equipment such as advanced biometry devices and excimer lasers needed to produce them.

Also rising are service expectations, Dr Weingäertner notes. When patients are paying hundreds or even thousands of Euro extra for multifocal lenses and other advanced refractive technologies, they won’t tolerate long waits for appointments or indifferent attitudes from practice employees. Issues such as patient scheduling and employee selection and training will be examined. Also featured will be tips on training staff to present refractive technologies in a positive and consistent way to reinforce that they are worth what the patient will pay out-of-pocket.

Enhancing the patient experience

With economic conditions tightening almost everywhere, keeping a cataract and refractive practice healthy increasingly means focusing on making the experience of learning about and undergoing procedures more pleasant and meaningful for patients. At 16.30, practice management experts including Karl Brasse, MD, of Eyeland Design Network, The Netherlands, Walter Pfeifer of Colana Consulting, Berlin, and Mike Malley of the Centre for Refractive Marketing, Houston, US, will present a range of strategies for enhancing the patient experience.

These will include internal steps practices can take to involve patients earlier in decisions about multifocal lenses and other refractive options. Strategies such as using animations and other advanced patient education technologies to explain the benefits of refractive surgery as well as developing staff skills to consistently identify and meet unique patient needs will be presented. The course will include 25 pearls for enhancing the patient experience.

Managing risk

On Monday the Practice Management Workshop will conclude with a presentation on risk management by Emanuel Rosen, MD, London, and attorneys and risk management specialists Wolfgang Radner, Vienna, and Paul McGinn, Dublin. Topics covered include the importance of informed consent, keeping adequate records, health and safety in the practice, and working with hospitals and state agencies. The session takes place at 14.00 on Monday, Sept. 15, also in Room 42 at the ICC.