[optimal] The other side of the gripe from Denice Barsness
- From: CPMC Ophthalmic Diagnostic Center <cpmceyelab@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <optimal@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2012 09:04:09 -0700
What I am not hearing here is the even MORE common scenario of the lowly
ophthalmic imager ALSO being the "lowly"tech. Having to
simultaneously be the IT person, the imager, the perimetrist, know how
to calculate for post refractive surgery IOL's, recognize the T-sign in
Posterior Scleritis on B scan , and do a passable evoked potential-
how's that for a day? Ophthalmic imagers are morphing ( nothing new on
the tech end) into highly skilled, highly marketable
imager/IT/technologists. Personally, I wouldn't have it any other way.
As much as some of us gripe ( and I include myself into that grouping-
definitely wearing my grouchy panties yesterday!) the intellectual
challenge of being in a highly charged academic setting is the ONLY
thing keeping me engaged after over 3 decades in ophthalmology. So as
confucious says, "careful what you wish for". Those good old days of
simply pumping out angiograms are over and perhaps we are the better for
it. So are our patients, for the most part. Having the good fortune of
working in a great institution that actually values our work, we in turn
can reflect those feelings of good will onto our patients. They are
truly the lucky ones to be the benefit of all of this great technology.
My two cents.
D.
Denice Barsness, CRA, COMT, ROUB, CDOS, FOPS
Ophthalmic Diagnostic Center
CPMC Department of Ophthalmology
2100 Webster Street Suite 212
San Francisco CA 94115
(415) 600-3937 FAX (415) 600-6563
From: optimal-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:optimal-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Stuart Alfred
Sent: Monday, March 26, 2012 6:05 PM
To: optimal@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [optimal] Re: Workload Demands
Bruce and Mark,
Everyone so ready to comment - it has been some time since OPTIMAL got
its' 'dander up', and Bruce and Mark specifically as I had conversations
with both in San Fran ICOP 2006 about somewhat similar thread subjects.
.
Mind you private practices and university have differing payment models.
. .my story is as follows:
Just prior, and during, my planned departure from state university my
position was re-categorized to an IT position. Great ...right, acurate
certainly. Irony is I'd argued for about a year that if ophthalmology
databases needed new software or backups (Humphrey. MRP) it seemed
imperative that the university's vast IT service be called in. That
'support' would cost our service money, so guess what?! I was forced
into spending any spare moment working on incompetently backup systems,
hopefully without losing the entire DB. Behind this scenario a few
aspects; I was singularly running my university ophthalmology service in
the burbs doing very profitable volumes of OCTs per day, while also
doing all FAs, most VFs !!! and all CFPs/SL (with PowerPoint's/posters
etc happening at the ophth service.) You get the picture. Grant it I
might have overlooked some alternative ideas, but Mark's post is spot on
for me, Bruce's drives it home. Implementing our collective work ethic
and medical diagnostics experience into a vastly changing landscape is
the shrewd route to navigate, dropping the 95yr olds who require pushing
the instrument to the edge and your shoulders, voice box and sanity to
the edge, and 3% rate increases. Wondering if I can tangent
successfully into a more fully IT environment.
In specific regard to Mark's points some of you may consider 'retooling'
by checking out a recently passed piece of Federal legislature (with
educational grant $$) regarding electronic exchange of health related
information, and current and future need for qualified IT personnel.
see below/attached
Adding knowledge in HIT,
Stuart
TRI-C student in HIT / Implementation Support Specialist.
HITECH act
http://www.athenahealth.com/_doc/pdf/HITECH_Fact_Sheet_Whitepaper.pdf
On Mon, Mar 26, 2012 at 7:03 PM, Bruce Cox <gbrucecox@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
It have always felt that the best way to handle workplace abuse by
employers - and indeed what is being expressed in today's posts is
abuse, is to educate oneself on all aspects of your job, including what
the doctor gets reimbursed for what you do.
Thirty two years ago after working @ Wills for several years and seeing
our 2 man department increase our volume by 200%, my working partner and
I went to the administration to plead our case. We were told that our
department made money for departments in the hospital that did not, and
that we would not receive any more than our 6% raise (1980 when
inflation was running at 12%). Within a year both of us had left. Armed
with the information I had garnered from that experience, I started my
own mobile service and have been in business for the last 30 years,
always keeping up with changing technology and reimbursement rates. When
a client questions any part of our service, I'm ready with answers.
Today we are integrating our diagnostic imaging into our clients EMRs
which not only makes them happy, but saves us $$ in printing costs.
Knowledge is key.
Bruce Cox
MDI
From: optimal-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:optimal-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Hackel, Richard
Sent: Monday, March 26, 2012 11:51 AM
To: optimal@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [optimal] Re: Workload Demands
Check out this article in yesterday's New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/25/us/death-and-disarray-at-americas-race
tracks.html?scp=1&sq=race%20horses&st=cse
Richard
________________________________
From: optimal-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [optimal-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] on
behalf of Marshall E Tyler [marshalletyler@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Monday, March 26, 2012 8:34 AM
To: Anton Drew; optimal@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [optimal] Re: [optimal] Re: Workload Demands
Like Anton, except for being in a 3 photographer, 2 location practice,
the patient & procedure load kept increasing.
IF equipment were to never go down, and nobody was sick or on holiday,
and there were no OR cases, publication images, or drug studies, and no
lunchs to be eaten, nor potty needs, then all was good.
Days with 2 photographers could keep up with 100+ procedures. Days with
one photographer and 85+ procedures and 10 hour days were not uncommon.
There is an expression about abusing race horses: "Run hard and put up
wet."
There is a point where not only photographers are abused, but patients
receive sub-par studies.
How to address this balance of appropriate staffing could be a topic for
OPS meetings.
Thank you,
Marshall
Marshall E. Tyler, CRA, FOPS, 40 years of service, Retired!
via Verizon Android Phone
----- Reply message -----
From: "Anton Drew" <anton.drew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, Mar 26, 2012 3:29 am
Subject: [optimal] Re: Workload Demands
To: <optimal@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Each year for the past 2 years our OCT workload had increased over 100%
each year and our patients were sent to Alan Hoare as we didn't have an
OCT.
Since we got our own unit, nearly 2 years ago, our workload (on demand)
had increased 150% the first year, and 250%, last year.
Already we are ahead of that figure this year to the same time.
Being mainly a one man band it is getting very difficult to keep up with
the workloads for the Retinal Clinics which are 3 days a week, plus
Diabetic Screening.
With Fundal Photos, FFAs, Slitlamp Photography, OCTs, Pentacam and
Wavefront scans it is not unusual for me to have 28+ patients in a 3
hour session.
THEN they ask for images for publications, editing of videos taken
during surgery, and forms, brochures and posters designed.
Getting too old for this stress. :o|
After 40 years in the job (started 14th Feb 1972), enough is enough, as
they won't employ my assistant full time, I am making a concerted effort
to cut my hours back in transition to retirement, but I am getting a lot
of resistance to that.
The job has become too stressful trying to keep up with the present and
increasing workload and there doesn't seem to be any relief in sight.
I regularly work up to an hour over and above my Award hours, but don't
get paid any extra, and have no chance of taking the time off at a later
date.
So Lisa, as they say, "ALL of the above!"
Anton
On 26/03/2012, at 1:03 PM, Lisa Breayley wrote:
Quick question for those of you who went from a paper/print system for
results to a totally on-line system - i.e. Drs can see patient results
"instantly" in clinic.
Did your workload go up? Did having results straight away meant the
clinicians asked for more? More patients? More tests? More views?
We're looking at a system now and I'm curious...
Lisa
L.M.Breayley
Senior Photographer
MedPIC
The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital
32 Gisborne Street
East Melbourne, Victoria 3002
Ph 61-3-9929 8335
Fax 61-3-9929 8217
www.eyeandear.org.au <http://www.eyeandear.org.au>
______________________________________________________________________
Attention:
The information in this e-mail message may be confidential, and may also
be subject to legal privilege, public interest or legal professional
privilege.
If you are not the intended recipient, any use, disclosure or copying of
this e-mail is unauthorised.
If you have received this message in error, please contact the sender.
This footnote also confirms that this email message has been checked for
the presence of computer viruses.
The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital however does not warrant the
message is free of viruses.
It is recommended as a prudent business practice the recipient perform a
virus scan of any message received.
______________________________________________________________________
**********************************************************
Electronic Mail is not secure, may not be read every day, and should not
be used for urgent or sensitive issues
--
Stuart Alfred, CRA, OCT-C
cell 317 517-9455
528 N. Bauman St.
Indianapolis, IN 46214-3618
www.stuartalfred.com
<http://stuartalfred.com/stuartalfred.com/Welcome.html>
Other related posts:
