How to Overcome Skepticism When Presenting New Technology to Patients [Interview with Dr. Rick Peterson]

How to Overcome Patient Skepticism

Dr. Rick Peterson, owner of Absolute Vision Care (3 locations in the Chicago area), is a strong advocate and industry speaker for innovative technology.

I had a chance to interview him for our “Can I Ask You One Question?” series. Below are the key points from the interview. Scroll down to see the entire interview.

The most important components are education, excitement and having an ambassador in your office.

On the education side, it’s important to UNCOVER the problem that the patient didn’t know they had.

If a patient presents with a headache, we treat the headache, but…

“The art of optometry is teaching the patient about the problem they didn’t know they have.”

Under education, it’s also important to DEMONSTRATE the problem to enhance patient understanding.

In the video, Dr. Rick gives an example of how he uses Modified Thorington to enhance understanding and get the patient’s buy-in.

“Getting the buy-in is one of the most important components.”

Stories are another great tool to foster patient understanding. Dr. Rick gives shares an example with patients of wearing your shoes on the wrong feet.

Build excitement as you continue the experience in the office. Hand the patient over to a staff member who is excited about the treatment option.

This could be a staff member whose family member or themselves have been touched by this treatment.

Make it affordable. Innovative technology can often be more costly to the patient. Dr. Rick shares his approach in the video.

“When patients feel safer, you’re addressing their problem, and you’ve made it a very safe investment for them.”

Regarding payment plans, Dr. Andrew Neukirch shared a similar approach in my previous blog post.

While these principles can apply to any technology, Dr. Rick shares his experience with neurolens and how their model incorporates many of the principles discussed above.

Click HERE to see the entire video.

Steve

PS. If you’re promoting new technology in your practice but struggling to convince patients who appear skeptical, check out Prescribing Change.