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31 EW SHOW DAILY ASCRS•ASOA Symposium & Congress, New Orleans 2016 It does, she admitted, require more clinic staff to maintain produc- tivity, is expensive, and requires keeping up with constant updates to meet government requirements and support new features. Despite these "drawbacks," Ms. Simerson encouraged practices to leverage their software technology, identify important metrics, and utilize electronic medical records to help achieve business goals. Mobile migration, missed calls In 2013, said Ryan Miller, San Luis Obispo, California, the first of the important shifts that are driving pa- tients away from traditional commu- nication channels took place. "Back in 2013, in North Ameri- ca, our use of mobile phones exceed- ed the time we spent on desktop computers in terms of how we access information online," he said. "This is important because this is shifting the kind of results that people see as they are looking for your services." While most practices say they want to grow, Mr. Miller said that the majority will remain flat if they continue to ignore this trend. This, he said, is because a percentage of inquiries, particularly for elective and cash-based services, are now coming through channels most practices are not even aware of. For instance, the most domi- nant search results for clinics and services now lead patients to social media, aggregation, review, and similar websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Angie's List, Rate MD, and Yelp that have their own private messaging platforms. Are practices even aware that patients are attempting to contact their clinics via these websites? Worse, these messaging platforms that exist solely within the website usually include counters that state the time elapsed without a response to the original message, telling po- tential patients whether this busi- ness—or clinic—is responding at all. In addition, practices should monitor posts and comments on their own blogs, social media ac- counts, websites, and YouTube chan- nels, where new patients can inquire about services and novel procedures. These are clear missed opportunities, sources of new patient inquiries that too often are overlooked. "The reality is, you say you want to grow, and your patients—many of whom are in procedure categories that are fairly flat or stagnant—they are moving around," Mr. Miller said. "They are migrating to chan- nels you might not be watching … that means that a call is going to go unanswered." Clinics need to follow the patients' migration. "You want to be there, too, so that you are the clinic of choice when those patients are searching," he said. "You have to actively cultivate a positive presence on both review sites and on social media." EW Editors' note: The speakers have no financial interests related to their comments. Indication LOTEMAX ® GEL (loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic gel) 0.5% is indicated for the treatment of post-operative infl ammation and pain following ocular surgery. Important Safety Information about LOTEMAX ® GEL • LOTEMAX ® GEL is contraindicated in most viral diseases of the cornea and conjunctiva including epithelial herpes simplex keratitis (dendritic keratitis), vaccinia, and varicella, and also in mycobacterial infection of the eye and fungal diseases of ocular structures. • Prolonged use of corticosteroids may result in glaucoma with damage to the optic nerve, defects in visual acuity and fields of vision. If this product is used for 10 days or longer, IOP should be monitored. • Use of corticosteroids may result in posterior subcapsular cataract formation. • Use of steroids after cataract surgery may delay healing and increase the incidence of bleb formation and occurrence of perforations in those with diseases causing corneal and scleral thinning. The initial prescription and renewal of the medication order should be made by a physician only after examination of the patient with the aid of magnification, and where appropriate, fluorescein staining. • Prolonged use of corticosteroids may suppress the host response and thus increase the hazard of secondary ocular infection. In acute purulent conditions, steroids may mask infection or enhance existing infection. • Use of a corticosteroid medication in the treatment of patients with a history of herpes simplex requires great caution. Use of ocular steroids may prolong the course and exacerbate the severity of many viral infections of the eye (including herpes simplex). • Fungal infections of the cornea are particularly prone to develop coincidentally with long-term local steroid application. Fungus invasion must be considered in any persistent corneal ulceration where a steroid has been used or is in use. • Patients should not wear contact lenses when using LOTEMAX ® GEL. • The most common ocular adverse drug reactions reported were anterior chamber inflammation (5%), eye pain (2%) and foreign body sensation (2%). Please see brief summary of Prescribing Information on adjacent page. ®/™ are trademarks of Bausch & Lomb Incorporated or its a liates. © 2015 Bausch & Lomb Incorporated. All rights reserved. Printed in USA. US/LGX/15/0041(1) Down, Boy. Help Tame Postoperative Ocular Inflammation and Pain With LOTEMAX ® GEL