Today’s Refractive Surgery Patient

Today’s Refractive Surgery Patient

Today’s Refractive Surgery Patient
By Shareef Mahdavi

Today’s refractive surgery patients tend to be younger, more tech-savvy, and have higher expectations than patients of the past. 

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The past year’s economy, which brought with it a steep decline in the number of laser vision correction procedures, has understandably unsettled many refractive surgeons. Some are even worried that recent drops in volume may portend a permanent decline in demand for laser vision correction. Although disconcerting, the recent drop in volume is temporary and the market for LASIK and refractive surgery remains large.

Typically, the “early adopters” of any new technology comprise the first 15% of the potential market. American surgeons have treated more than 7 million LASIK patients to date out of a pool of about 60 million people who could potentially opt for LASIK. So we have yet to even hit the 15% mark. Thus, we are still operating on the early adopters, and there is a vastly larger pool of potential patients in the “early majority” who will make up the next wave of patients.
 
The true test of LASIK volumes will come as we transition from the early adopters to the early majority. In order to make LASIK attractive to the early majority, we in the field need to determine who these potential consumers are and what they want and need. 

Demographic Shifts
     
Baby boomers are getting older—their average age is now 53. As these patients grow out of the LASIK “sweet spot”—ages 20 to 50—they become candidates for alternate refractive procedures, such as multifocal or accommodating intraocular lenses, which address cataracts and presbyopia in addition to distance refractive error.  As the baby boomers migrate to other procedures that are better suited to their ocular biology, the average age of myopes getting LASIK has dropped over the past few years. In line with this trend, we have also seen a decrease in the average income of LASIK patients and an increase in the number of patients using financing options to pay for LASIK (now 20% to 25%, compared to about 10% a decade ago).

I see these trends as promising. It is particularly heartening to see people with more modest incomes opting for LASIK because there are many more potential patients further down the economic pyramid than near the top. I also see these trends as further evidence that choosing LASIK is not a matter of price, a thesis that is supported by historical data showing that demand actually went down when average fees for LASIK decreased. Those who really want laser vision correction will generally find a way to pay for it, which for many current patients means utilizing financing options.

Despite these changes in demographics, the reason that people choose to get LASIK remains constant: they want to get out of glasses or contact lenses. This is a choice motivated by the desire for convenience, lifestyle issues, and self image. The fact remains that LASIK surgeons are able to offer an extraordinary procedure that provides outstanding results with excellent safety—a procedure perfectly suited to patients who want to improve their lives through better uncorrected vision without taking significant risks. Refractive surgery practices, though, need to adjust the ways in which they offer LASIK in their communities.  New Patients, New Approaches

As the LASIK pool gets slightly younger and we make the transition from early adopters to the early majority, practices will want to update their approach to patient outreach and interaction. Patients today are different from our first LASIK patients, and the refractive surgery field needs to adapt to these differences in order to thrive. Let us look at some of these differences and ways we can deal effectively with our next target market.

Difference: Patients today are more knowledgeable about LASIK. Many of them know more than one person who has had the procedure (including, more commonly, their own parents!). Today’s patients are also more tech-savvy—almost all patients do online research before ever seeing a physician.

Dealing with the difference:

Practices will benefit from making information about LASIK, not just about the practice, available on their websites. Educating patients about the procedure is the best way to spark interest and reduce fear, as well as get patients to view the practice as a credible source of information.

Practitioners should be careful, however, not to fall into the trap of assuming that patients already know everything they need to know by the time they come into the office for a consultation. Just because a patient knows someone who had LASIK or did some research on the Internet doesn’t mean that his or her information is either accurate or complete.

Ask questions to gauge patients’ level of knowledge. If there are important holes in patients’ knowledge or if what they know is wrong, offer information, answer questions, and provide them with resources (eg, by e-mailing a link to an Eyemaginations’ 3D-Eye Home video) that will help them understand the basics of LASIK. Providing materials that allow patients to gain further knowledge outside of the clinic walls is appropriate for today’s research-oriented consumers.

Difference: Today’s patients, particularly the younger ones, are less influenced by, and more skeptical of, traditional forms of advertising (ie, print ads, radio ads, flyers).

Dealing with the difference: Aim to engage patients rather than sell to them. The first encounter between a practice and a patient is often on the phone. When a patient calls, a typical practice will try to convince the patient that it has the best surgeons and the best technology. But patients today are largely turned off by that approach. “Mass” marketing and “one size fits all” conversations just don’t cut it with consumers anymore.  This is especially true of the emerging “Generation Y” demographic, a group equal in size to the Baby Boomers. What they really want is someone who will listen to their concerns, understand their needs and their wishes and then act appropriately.

I recommend that practices put their most genial and gracious staffers on the front line. These people should engage callers by asking questions and listening carefully to callers’ answers. This will help patients feel that the practice takes their concerns and desires seriously—a vital component of making patients feel good about any elective medical procedure.

Additionally, practices should not be afraid to look beyond traditional marketing and advertising media. I find that LASIK events held in the office and out in the community, where patients can meet the surgeon and staff as well as patients who have already had LASIK, remain quite successful.

Difference: In a tough economy, patients want to spend what little disposable income they have on experiences that are memorable and fun.

Dealing with the difference: Position LASIK as an investment in self. Let prospective patients hear from former patients (either online or in person) to see how LASIK has changed their lives for the better. By connecting LASIK to an improved lifestyle, rather than simply as a medical procedure, practices will appeal to patients on a deeper level. Remember that LASIK is not just surgery; it is a transformation that is both fun and exciting. When prospective patients are able to see evidence of that transformation in other people, they are reminded that LASIK, while expensive, is an investment in their future.

Finally, practices can make LASIK more “fun” by making a serious commitment to customer service. Just as hotels offer more than just a place to sleep, refractive surgery practices must offer more than just a procedure (albeit an excellent one). Update the office décor, place a computer in the waiting room where patients can check email, reserve the closest parking spots for LASIK patients—anything that makes patients feel special and pampered. The more LASIK feels like an experience, and not just surgery, the easier it will be for practices to pull in the new demographic and boost LASIK volumes.   It is essential for refractive surgery practices to realize that they are competing for discretionary spending of consumer dollars, going up against other potential purchases of goods, services, and (increasingly) experiences.  

THE BOTTOM LINE

LASIK volumes are down, but not for lack of potential patients. At this point, even the early adopter pool (the first 15% of the population to adopt a new technology) has yet to be exhausted. To raise volumes and make LASIK attractive to the next group of patients (the early majority), practices need to understand who these consumers are and what they want. Refractive surgery patients today are slightly younger than patients of the past, and, because they are less wealthy and more affected by the economy, they rely more on financing to pay for the procedure. Patients today are also more knowledgeable, tech-savvy, skeptical of traditional methods of advertising, and wary of spending disposable income than patients of the past. By recognizing these differences, and making changes to cater to current patients, practices can differentiate themselves and attract today’s mainstream consumers.

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Shareef Mahdavi is president of SM2 Strategic in Pleasanton, CA (sm2strategic.com). Mr. Mahdavi's firm helps manufacturers and providers of new medical procedures succeed in the marketplace. His first book, “Beyond Bedside Manner,” is due to be published next year.