Colleagues describe Ashton Deal as a hurricane. This idea makes her giggle. If Deal is a force of nature, she’s the kind that blows in, tears down the old to make room for the new, and leaves sunny skies behind.
Deal is the Practice Administrator at Scott & Christie Eyecare Associates in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. Serving the community through two medical offices, two optical locations, a clinical trial site, and its own surgery center, Scott & Christie Eycare Associates offers optometrists and their patients broad access to a wide spectrum of care. It is part of Eye South Partners, a nationwide premier network of integrated eye care practices.
Innovative Practice Efficiency and Consistent Patient Care
Deal describes her career trajectory as an inevitable conclusion.
“Like everyone in ophthalmology, I fell into it, and then I fell in love with it,” she recalls.
Starting as a technician, she quickly advanced to clinic manager before reaching her current role at Scott & Christie as Practice Administrator. She recognizes Scott & Christie for its innovative approach and strong focus on patient care.
“This crew is a force, we have the best staff, and our doctors are honestly incredible.” Deal says. Scott & Christie Eyecare Associates is a comprehensive practice. We have six comprehensive ophthalmologists, a glaucoma specialist, a cornea specialist, and five optometrists.
As a practice administrator, Deal must find ways to ensure her offices run efficiently and profitably without compromising the quality or consistency of patient care.
According to Deal, “What we do changes lives. Even as ophthalmology evolves and reimbursements decrease, our commitment remains to finding creative solutions that allow us to provide excellent patient care without sacrificing quality.”
Why Visual Field Testing with Carrot is Critical to Patient Care and Cost Efficiency
The impetus for adding Carrot (formerly Virtual Field) to Scott & Christie’s equipment lineup was partly recognition of its innovative technology and partly a need to streamline patient workflows.
“Before we implemented [Carrot], we were running a double doctor schedule,” said Deal. “We had one Humphrey, which meant we could only conduct two visual fields each hour in one location. It was causing a backlog of appointments. Patients would be sitting in the waiting room past their appointment time, and they’d be understandably frustrated.
“The biggest negative impact of having one Humphrey was that I was booking glaucoma patients six months out for their routine screenings. They should be seen every four to six months, so a six-month lead time was unsustainable.”
Driven by a passion for innovation and an early embrace of technology, Scott & Christie managing partner, Dr. Chris Spearman, discovered Carrot at a trade show.
“We tried it and immediately loved it,” Deal recalls. “We loved the portability. We could conduct a patient’s visual fields right in their exam room. And it eliminates so much of the human error that happens with the Humphrey. You don’t have to gently adjust the patient’s posture or restart the exam because someone accidentally started to open the diagnostic room door and let light in.
“Even our neuro-ophthalmologist loved it. Once he started using it, he wouldn’t use anything else.”
Adding Carrot Subscriptions to Amplify Efficiency and Continuity of Care
It didn’t take long for Deal and her team to realize the positive impact of Carrot as an efficiency tool.
“We soon subscribed to a second Virtual Field for our optical shop,” Deal recalls. “It was good timing, because shortly after that, our Humphrey in that location died, so we got rid of it. Soon after that, another medical practice joined our network, and their Humphrey died.
“I sat their doctors down and told them why we love our Virtual Fields. I told them to try it for 90 days, but I knew they wouldn’t want to return it. And they haven’t. They love it too.”
Deal has been part of several conversations with Eye South Partners about visual field options across their affiliates. She was part of a group of leaders responsible for making decisions on process and diagnostic equipment, including one initiative in which the group evaluated Carrot, Radius, and Virtual Vision to determine which company was best suited to be the group’s preferred visual field solution provider.
The group definitively selected Carrot, and in the process, Deal met the man who would later become her husband.
“And that’s how Carrot helped me meet my husband,” she beams. “I even mentioned visual fields in my wedding vows!”
The Time-Saving ROI of Carrot
When asked about the positive return on investment Scott & Christie’s has experienced with Carrot, Deal is effusive.
“The subscription cost for several [Carrot subscriptions] is nothing compared to the cost of a Humphrey,” she says, “Everyone knows that. But the real ROI is that now we can conduct more visual fields every day and keep our glaucoma patients on their routine testing schedules.
“The core of it all is the patient experience,” she emphasizes. “Because of [Carrot], our patients no longer face frustrating waits for testing, and consequently, our schedules are efficient. The implementation of Carrot has fundamentally improved the experience for our glaucoma patients at Scott & Christie. We deeply appreciate their collaborative spirit, remarkable service, and the high-quality care provided to our patients.”
