How TLC Doctors Try to Hide the Damage From Patients |
I never get angry at advertising, even if it is deceptive or totally one sided. Once we accept that the purpose of advertising is not to educate patients, but to get the phone to ring, the anger at some outlandish LASIK ads diminishes.
Some Suggested Phrases For Post-op Visits
You are healing ahead of schedule!
You are healing perfectly.
Wow, you mean you can read the bottom line already? (you are showing 20/40 to 20/60 line)
I bet you are a fast healer. (nodding)
How Not to Do Post-Ops
Telling the patient the
“scar” in your cornea has healed perfectly
Asking the patient how is
your Glare? How is your dryness?
Telling your patient you
found fiber, mucous, cells, debris, etc, day one
Not asking for referrals
from your patient
Yellow Lights in Laser
Vision Candidates
Perfectly dressed
patients with shined shoes, tie clasps, and pressed shirt
Those who clean their glasses more than three times per day.
Come and sit around, my children, and I will tell you another story of greed, anger and hypocrisy that wears at the fiber of my moral soul.
You remember well that from my earlier postings I told you of my 30
hours away at two consecutive Eye Doctor Trade Show/Conventions, and that
I took 30 hours of continuing education classes. The State of Illinois
requires that 12 of these hours be followed by an examination, taken after
class or mailed to the student doctor....
How To Manage Difficult Refractive Surgery Patients More
Effectively, taught by John Potter, OD., who happens to also be a
Fellow in the American Academy of Optometry. First, a few words
about Doctor Potter. John Potter is one of the most dynamic and
engaging speakers you would ever want to hear. I think that is what scared
me the most. As I listened to the audience smile, laugh, and giggle at his
every post-op platitude, I kept thinking.....so this is what Satan's
speech to Adam & Eve was really like. No wonder why they ate the damn
apple!
I present to you some of the choice bits of
"knowledge" that I "learned" from this class:
When a patient has a complaint of any variety, use the "Feel Felt
Fine" Rule. Which is used as follows: "Mrs. Jones, I know your
eyes FEEL dry now, and I have had OTHER patients that have FELT dry eyes,
but now they are FINE."
Doc Potter is the Chief Optometrist in the Chicago Region for TLC, and
they have done 600,000 surgeries so far, so there has been a lot of
feel-felt-fine shoveled around here.
And now, Doctor Potter's Seven Risk Groups for LASIK Failures: (with my
response in tow)