When patients have conditions that are difficult to diagnose or treat, an optometrist might want to send them to an ophthalmology referral center or to another optometrist at a different clinic. However, the fear of not receiving the patient back may keep the optometrist from making the referral. This becomes a lose-lose for all parties, most importantly the patient. So when is referring to another OD a good idea?
Refer patients when you need:
- A second opinion – this seems counter-intuitive because we all view ourselves on equal diagnostic fields. In reality, we are not. If you are in your first years of practice, don’t be worried that you don’t know everything–you never will. Many of your referrals in the first couple of years will most likely be due to lack of experience rather than a true pathological active problem. Finding an OD that you can trust to refer these unknowns to will not only be best for patient care, but will guide the perception in ophthalmology that optometry should be THE primary eye care providers.
- Access to technology – many optometry clinics do not have the tools to manage medical eye care. The optometrist does not lack the competency but only the equipment to properly manage medical eye conditions. There are optometry practices in your area that have all the equipment. Be proactive and see what optometrist would be open to allowing you to send patients for testing only. The facility would bill a per click fee to you and you would bill insurance.
- Specialty contact lens fits – you may be guilty of telling patients “there are no other options” when there are many contact lenses that may work in the specialty lens area like scleral contact lenses. The most successful eye doctors give patients all the options even when an option results in referring the patient to another OD.
Controlling parents ultimately lose the relationship with their children that they are trying so hard to control. The same can happen with the doctor-patient relationship. However, if you are always doing what is best for the patient you will win in the end. Optometrists who regularly refer to other optometrists end up winning the trust and loyalty of their patients in the end and most ODs who receive a referral from an OD are more likely to refer their own patients to another OD.
