Our Commitment to Clear Communication

Like any industry, the medical field has its own jargon, abbreviations, and slang. Sometimes medical staff forget that patients don’t work in the medical field and out of habit use words that don’t mean much to patients. And even if patients understand the medical terms, they may not understand all that goes with it.

For example, if we tell a patient they have glaucoma and need to have a laser treatment but don’t say anything else, we are leaving out very important information. We are leaving out what glaucoma is and how it impacts vision. We are also leaving out why they need to have a laser treatment.

At Complete Eye Care we follow the “Ask Me 3” process for clear communication. We want to make sure patients have answers to the following 3 questions before they leave our office:

• What is my main problem?
• What do I need to do?
• Why is it important for me to do this?

We explain the diagnosis and our findings using plain language that’s easy to understand, and we use a model of the eye to show what parts of the eye are affected. Most importantly, we make sure to tell patients “why” they need certain treatment, so they are motivated to work with us to get the best vision possible.

Everyone who works at Complete Eye Care takes personal responsibility for making sure patients understand everything that happens at our office including appointments, insurance and billing, and what happens in the exam.

So, the next time you are at a doctor’s appointment, make sure to get the answers to these 3 questions in a way you can understand and explain to someone else. This way you can use that information to ask follow-up questions and take control of your health.