SMARTCataract cloud-based app from Alcon

Eric Jennings, MD, from Woolfson Eye Institute, discusses the SMARTCataract cloud-based app from Alcon and its implementation where he practices with David Hutton, Managing Editor, Ophthalmology Times.

Video Transcript

Editor's note - This transcript has been edited for clarity.

David Hutton:

I'm David Hutton of Ophthalmology Times. Joining me today is Dr. Eric Jennings of the Woolfson Eye Institute to discuss the SMARTCataract cloud-based app from Alcon. First off, tell us a little bit about Woolfson Eye Institute where you practice.

Eric Jennings, MD:

Hi David, thanks for having me. Woolfson Eye Institute is a multi-specialty practice. We're a private group, based out of Atlanta, Georgia. We have 12 locations in growing multi specialty. We have 24 providers right now, we have 16 MDs, we have 8 optometrists. Started in the 90s by our founder, Dr. Woolfson, we have a very large refractive practice, and many other specialties.

David Hutton:

What led you to consider utilizing SMARTCataract in your practice?

Eric Jennings, MD:

Well, I mean, we've all had this sort of nagging desire for innovation, right? To see what the next best thing is. To see if we can do things a little bit faster, a little bit smoother. So I saw what Alcon was developing and we sort of had an itch to try it out, to see if this could integrate into our practice and make the process easier for the docs. And then, of course, better for the patients.

David Hutton:

Was this a big change to your workflow?

Eric Jennings, MD:

It definitely was, you know. As doctors and surgeons, we kind of get comfortable, you know, doing things the same way over and over and over. And for surgical planning and documentation that is paper. So to change the whole paradigm of how we think and document everything online, and not have that comfort of paper was a huge shift for sure.

David Hutton:

Tell me about some of the benefits you've seen since you started using SMARTCataract.

Eric Jennings, MD:

There's quite a few of them. The main thing is organization. At our practice, we travel to different satellite locations. A lot of the docs go to different surgical centers. We have one that's owned and run by our practice, but we kind of go where the patients are. So we traveled to different locations. And historically, in some of our docs who haven't adopted SMARTCataract, still have to lug around paper charts. And that can be quite cumbersome to have them on hand for planning. I recall before SMARTCataract, we would say, "Oh, do we have patient Smith's chart? and said "Oh, I left that in the other office." And so it was quite cumbersome. Now that one of the big benefits is you can see and plan from anywhere. And that's one huge feature. For sure. It's been very nice.

David Hutton:

As an ophthalmologist, what are some of the other features that you appreciate?

Eric Jennings, MD:

Yeah, there's quite a few. A few of the ones that I like, astigmatic correction is one of them. That's a big topic, we really want to correct as much as astigmatism as possible. A lot of us free type. A lot of the measurements into online planners, we have a different feel for what we like. But we still have to manually enter things which; one takes time, and two could lead to transcription errors. In SMARTCataract, you can plan all of that in one go.

You can toggle LRIs with the laser, you can toggle different toric lenses. So all that's really nice. Having a lens preference list, we all like our different silo of lenses. SMARTCataract has a large consignment of lenses in its database that you can choose from and set as your preference. You don't have to go out hunting for them all the time, which is super convenient for you. Or if you allocate to your staff, they have access to the lens that you're planning. I mentioned that we're a big refractive practice, one of the biggest in the Southeast. And so we see a lot of post-refractive patients. And a small feature that may not mean much to some but for me, if you tell SMARTCataract that your patient has had a history of refractive surgery, it will automatically default to a post-refractive setting like Barrett True K so you don't forget that feature as you go.

And then another thing, I'm thinking about some of the features, the big one really is connectivity, right? We're lucky enough to have a DML VERION technology in our operating room and connected to our lensX femtosecond laser. So the whole process of a patient coming in, getting biometry on an Argos, the planning, and then downloading all the information to our intraopperative equipment is all wireless. So we're not writing things down. We're not free typing things in. Makes it a lot easier, and it's a lot less likely to make errors as we go along.

David Hutton:

And how are your staff members responding to this technology?

Eric Jennings, MD:

So initially, there was a little hesitancy, right. Whenever there's new technology or a paradigm shift. People were a little hesitant. Again, I referenced sort of our happy place that we sort of deviate from. So they're a little hesitant to change, and especially because we were a beta site right. This technology wasn't really launched yet. So there was already some apprehension amongst the staff when we said, "Hey, there's this great new technology, we're going to sort of figure it out as we go." So a few road bumps when we first got started, but those were to be expected. As those got ironed out naturally, the staff have really taken to it, especially getting [inaudible] from the operating room staff because of how SMARTCataract integrates, they no longer had to punch in all the information into the laser, or the DMM in the OR they found that super helpful. And for me, personally, I empower my staff to choose the lenses ahead of time, or at least start the planning process. So now just toggling things on paper and typing it into an online calculator, they're free to do that at will online without fear of messing up or having to rewrite things because ultimately, I have the final say in the plan. So it's been really nice. And they've really embraced that for sure.

David Hutton:

We've talked about what it does for you, ultimately, what does it mean for patients?

Eric Jennings, MD:

A lot of it comes down to accuracy, right? Patient Safety has to be number one. And I can't understate the amount of transcriptions and errors that may occur. When you're translating things from a piece of paper to an online calculator handing that from multiple people. Is that really a 1? Is that period supposed to be there? Is that a 7? I don't know. Where is that chart? Safety really is number one. And then the other thing that really lends itself to SMARTCataract is efficiency, we're being asked to see more patients juggle a lot of administrative efforts. But we all really want to spend more time with our patients. We want to talk to them, see how they're doing, what are their visual goals. We shouldn't be bogged down by planning and mounds and mounds of paperwork, especially as patient expectations rise. So this allows me to be super efficient, and spend more time with patients.

David Hutton:

And lastly, what advice would you give others who are considering adding this technology to their practice?

Eric Jennings, MD:

It's a great question. And my best advice is give it a try. Again, the theme here is fear of the unknown. Fear of the new I think medicine is a lot of times behind when it comes to new technologies because some people adopt a, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality. We really have to be innovating and moving forward. So if you haven't tried it yet, give it a try. See how you like it, understanding that it's going to be a little bit of a shift, but you may find that things move a little bit faster, and the safety increases. If you're used to a different platform. Same thing. Let's be honest here. There's no one size fits all right. So if you'd like a different platform, that's great, but SMARTCataract really has everything you need in one package. So give it a try and see how you like it.