CLX and Crystal PM Announce Integration

The CLX Capture Strategy includes functionality designed to identify patients due to reorder contact lenses, automatically send an email or text notification, and prompt patients to reorder by providing a personalized link. Another feature of the integration allows Crystal PM users to offer a contact lens subscription to their patients. Both reorders and subscriptions are managed by the CLX System, leaving more time for the office team to focus on patient care.

“Each year, millions of patients are reordering contact lenses from an online retailer or superstore, and not from their personal OD,” said Jim Edwards, CLX president and CEO. “With this integration, Crystal PM users can now effectively compete with online retailers by offering their patients a mobile-enhanced, secure option, to reorder contact lenses directly from their ECP.”

Mark Crowley, Crystal PM director of sales, noted, “This integration with CLX not only increases office productivity by improving contact lens order management and tracking, but also provides a robust suite of marketing tools to increase contact lens reorders.” He added, “Besides offering advanced marketing functionality to grow sales, the CLX integration offers our users enhanced practice reports to help manage contact lens profitability, inventory, and returns.”

Why do millions of patients reorder contact lenses from online superstores instead of from their OD? James Rosin of Rosin Eyecare, will tell you it’s not always about price.

“Eyecare patients are no different than other consumers. Online retailing is growing exponentially because people want to do business on their own terms—that means any day of the week, any time of day, from their home or car, by mobile device or PC. Personal convenience is king.”

Rosin Eyecare, with 24 locations in the Chicago area, was one of the first three practices in the nation to use My CL Reorder, a unique, smart technology offered by CLX System. Designed to help independent ECPs capture reorder sales and to compete in today’s cluttered and competitive marketplace, My CL Reorder enables a practice to provide patients with a convenient, timely and trusted reorder option.

CLX fully integrates with several other practice management systems, and offers a stand-alone service that enables ECPs to utilize CLX without a practice management system integration.

 

How does this new system work? On a daily basis, My CL Reorder searches the Rosin database for those patients who should be running low on contact lenses based on the date of their original order, their preferred modality and the number of boxes previously ordered. After selecting all patients due to reorder, My CL Reorder automatically sends a text and/or email reminder to the patient that includes a secure, personal link for reordering from Rosin.

“Although we’ve provided an ordering portal on our website for years, we took a fairly passive role in promoting that service. Since turning on this new system, our online contact sales increased nearly tenfold,” said Rosin.

By capturing these reorders before patients migrate to one of the virtual superstores, My CL Reorder has increased practice sales and patient retention. But Rosin said the gains in office productivity and patient experience may be of even greater value.

Without My CL Reorder, a practice might have an employee spend hours every month combing through records to identify and call patients thought to be running low on their contact lens supply. “In a large, multi-office practice, that call list might include several hundred people a week.”

He asked rhetorically, “Do the phone calls always get made when the practice gets busy? And how much management time is spent monitoring the activity? I know this approach is less than optimal, so automating the process improves both accuracy and productivity.”

Other improvements in productivity also enhance patient experience. Because My CL Reorder provides patients with a trusted option to reorder any time or day, Rosin offices field far fewer phone calls from their patients trying to reorder.

“Multiply the minutes saved in processing a transaction by the large number of contact lens patients in our practice, and it adds up to significant savings,” Rosin said. “Plus, a patient walking into our practice is now less likely to encounter a receptionist who is in the middle of a reorder phone transaction.”

Rosin employees have confirmed that there’s been a measurable reduction in the number of incoming calls each day. “Fewer phone calls, improved customer experience, higher practice revenue. I like those results,” said Rosin.

The emails and text messages sent by MY CL Reorder are branded to look and feel like a personalized message from Rosin Eyecare because, according to Rosin, “Immediate recognition of a trusted sender is critical if you are expecting patients to open a link and place an order.” When patients click on their attached link, they are taken to a secure, prepopulated order page.

“They don’t have to look up their prescription or their brand of lenses,” Rosin said. “It’s just click, review, order and pay.” And patient communication doesn’t end with the order. Patients always receive a confirmation that their order has been accepted and another message when the order ships.

Based on the number of reorders being received by Rosin, it’s obvious that patients find the new ordering option convenient and easy to navigate. “Patients like this way of doing business. Many are telling us they feel more connected to the practice as we are able to engage them on their terms, access their needs and provide a stream-lined ordering process available 24-7,” said Rosin.

After months of success with reorders, Rosin has started researching new ways to amplify the impact of My CL Reorder on practice revenue. “The development team at CLX can create a customized banner to pair with any message, so we are testing a promotion on plano sunwear directed to our contact lens wearers,” said Rosin.

Fitting Strategy

Dr. Nick Chiaramonti, Director of Professional Services for Rosin Eyecare, believes that the addition of a fitting strategy to a well-implemented capture strategy is how Rosin Eyecare continues to be successful in the competitive contact lens marketplace. A fitting strategy takes into consideration both the economical and clinical considerations of fitting a patient with contact lenses, to ensure you are doing what is best for both the patient and the practice.

According to Dr. Chiaramonti, a successful fitting strategy is when a doctor investigates the patient’s lifestyle needs, eye health issues and vision care to come to a decision on a course of action. “Each doctor’s clinical judgment determines what is right for the patient. The lens selected should fit well, feel good, provide great vision and be safe to use in the patient’s day to day life. I usually recommend single use disposable lenses because of the many health benefits.”

CLX supports Rosin Eyecare’s fitting strategy by helping the practice stay competitive with their pricing and keep an eye on whether doctors are really fitting patients with the ideal lenses.

“The CLX System emails our office any updates on pricing changes by the major alternative suppliers out there, so we always know where we stand. The informed consumer knows you can get any of these national brands anywhere. It’s our responsibility to compel the patient to purchase their lens products from us, because of the experience we supply them in office, the support after sale, and our competitive pricing – thanks in part to CLX,” said Dr. Chiaramonti.

Beyond a monthly price comparison, CLX also provides Dr. Chiaramonti and the rest of Rosin Eyecare’s doctors unprecedented insight into their contact lens sales through its reporting feature. “CLX has a very robust reporting system that lets me look at the selling patterns and lens returns by doctor and by location. I can run an on demand report for any time frame that can tell me just about anything I want to know in regards to the health of my contact lens business. I can also look at how we are doing by manufacturer, by modality, with returns, and on annual supplies to very quickly have access to data that helps me make smart decisions,” said Dr. Chiaramonti.

This reporting allows Dr. Chiaramonti to see if doctors are prescribing the lenses that are best for patients as well as profitable for the practice and see what improvements could be made to help encourage better overall service. “Most of our contact lens decision making is based upon the CLX reporting.”

Looking to the Future

Rosin Eyecare has been using the complete CLX System since 2003, but after seeing the results generated by convenient reordering and in-depth reporting tools, Jamie Rosin said he expects patient compliance to increase while office productivity and practice sales continue to grow. “That’s a win for everyone.” He also looks forward to the new hassle-free subscription feature offered by CLX to provide shipping directly to patients and automatic reorders that will capture more annual supply sales. “It’s the next logical progression in the contact lens business, and we are excited to introduce this convenient feature to our patients.”