What it takes to work on a comprehensive care team

Relationships are critical to providing integrated care. Contact practices directly, attend continuing education classes in your community and join your local AOA affiliate. 

Clear, timely communication is important for helping other providers understand how eye exam findings relate to their care of a patient. For example, informing a patient’s primary care provider of the presence of diabetic retinopathy can help them tailor their diabetes management.

Collaboration can help improve efficiency of the patient care experience. It can be as simple as asking another provider’s preferred method of communicating exam findings or what findings they want to know about. An example would be whether your patient’s cardiologist finds it helpful to know their patient is on amiodarone whorl keratopathy, as that may not change their management.

Coordination. Developing resources and systems for referring patients for additional care or services in the appropriate time frame ensures patients receive effective and efficient care. For example, a patient with recurrent uveitis may need to have labs ordered to evaluate for an underlying systemic cause and then may need additional care by a rheumatologist. Knowing where and how patients can access such services can help prevent delays. 

The type of resources that you may need to provide integrated care will likely vary based on practice setting. It can include the names, contact information, hours of operation, insurance accepted and services provided by the medical professionals in your community. Understanding how to request records from them can prevent delays in care. Training staff to understand the nuances of referrals, insurance and medical records and the importance of collaboration can also enhance patient experience.