Heard and Seen: The Best of ASCRS 2017

The annual event showcased innovative patient education and practice workflow solutions

Thousands of cataract and refractive surgeons, students, and health care professionals gathered in Los Angeles May 5 – 9, 2017 at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS). The annual symposium and congress showcases the latest advancements in surgical research, techniques, and technologies.

As long-time ASCRS veterans traveling from Baltimore, our team was ready to show off our own interactive patient education software and discover the most exciting up-and-coming innovations. Whether you attended ASCRS this year or not, we’ve got you covered with the essential event highlights you won’t want to miss.

New solutions to old challenges

One of the most common challenges we heard from doctors at ASCRS this year was a familiar one: how to create an efficient practice workflow to improve the patient experience.

A creative solution that we overheard from one doctor was giving patients an iPad and headset while they wait. This allows doctors to provide targeted patient education and gives patients the opportunity to learn accurate, relevant information about their condition before their exam room consultation. The result? Patients are able to make more informed health decisions during their consultation and leave the office feeling confident in their care.

The natural next question to ask was, what patient education technology is available for iPads? One option we were able to offer is the downloadable version of our own patient education software, Rendia. Rendia’s comprehensive video library is full of high-quality narrated animations that make health information easy to understand. Give your cataract patients an iPad with one of Rendia’s custom cataract playlists queued up and ready to watch, then see that ‘aha’ moment come to life. The patient-friendly iPad app is available for download in the app store.

If you’re not a current Rendia customer, you can still try our cataract videos with your patients today by requesting a free demo here.

We spoke to many doctors who were looking for an iPad app to help educate patients in the exam room, too. For that, we recommend Rendia’s interactive anatomy tool, Exam Mode. You can read more about that feature in our blog post, Interactive Anatomy Model, Exam Mode: Now Available for iPad.

Another solution to help streamline your practice workflow: plug-and-play waiting room technology. Since successfully debuting Rendia on a mini PC stick at ASCRS last year, we’ve developed our own Rendia-branded version of this mini PC that is specifically made for ophthalmology practice waiting areas. This year, we were excited to show off the sleek new Rendia TV stick on the display screens at our booth.

The easy-to-use technology simply plugs into the back of your waiting room TV screen or monitor and plays your favorite Rendia videos on a continuous loop. It’s the perfect no-hassle solution for practices looking to educate, engage, or entertain patients in the waiting room.

New treatment options, new videos

At last year’s ASCRS meeting in New Orleans, we heard from several Rendia customers that they needed a way to show patients the expected visual outcomes from the new-to-market extended depth-of-focus IOL (TECNIS Symfony ®) implant. We took your feedback seriously and developed a brand new patient education video in advance of this year’s meeting.

The “Extended Depth of Focus IOL” narrated animation is ideal for emailing home to patients, adding to your website, and playing in your waiting room. Check it out here: