Sponsored by

The Value of Adding
Topcon Healthcare’s
Chronos to Your
Optometric Clinic
How one piece of equipment improves quality of care, clinicalworkflow, and the patient experience.
BY JUSTIN BAZAN, ODA

dding a new piece of equipment toyour optometric practice requires
clinicians to answer several important questions, all of which gesture
toward prioritizing the patient experience. Will this new technology enhancethe value of my examinations? Will it optimize my clinical workflow? Will patients feel
comfortable with a new platform?
In the case of Chronos by Topcon
Healthcare, the answer to all three questions is “yes.” By adding the Chronos tomy practice, I have elevated my quality ofcare, improved my office’s efficiency, andimpressed patients.
Chronos is a single platform that captures
three key datasets foundational to a thorough examination: binocular autorefraction,keratometry, and subjective visual acuity.
It can be used by any staff member in theoffice, is comfortable for patients, and is atrustworthy addition to my practice. Officesthat place a premium on physical footprint
will find that the device fits easily into theirworkplace, and clinics seeking to broaden
their patient base may find that integrating
cutting-edge technology such as Chronos

will improve their practice’s reputation as
an enthusiast of innovation.

ELEVATING QUALITY OF CARE
When incorporating new technology, reliability is paramount. When I first integrated
Chronos into my practice, I continued totrack my own examination findings. Aftercomparing the refractive reports generated
by Chronos with those done in an examination lane, I determined that Chronos consistently produced reliable, accurate results.
Patients expect to be examined carefully,but they also expect to be examined quickly.
Practices in high-paced environments withpatients who expect to be seen promptly
will find that Chronos is conducive tocreating more efficient appointments.
Patients have commented to me that theyfound using Chronos exciting and that theyfelt as though they were undergoing a stateof-the-art examination. They also recognizedthat Chronos contributed to a smoother,bottleneck-free appointment.

OPTIMIZING CLINICAL WORKFLOW
Clinics are not only tasked with

Not all products, services or offers are approved or offered in every market, and products vary from one country to another.
Contact your local distributor for country-specific information and availability.

Figure 1. The intuitive SightPilot interface on Chronos
allows users with little experience to performrefractions. In this example, Chronos users are clearly
instructed on how to prompt the patient. Staff members
who rely on Chronos for these patient evaluations
deepen the value of their role on the clinical team.
ocular examinations: enhancing patient
throughput, empowering staff, andmaximizing available office space
are important elements of practicemanagement that one cannot overlook.
By adding Chronos to my office, I haveaddressed each of these issues.
My office prioritizes efficiency, and Chronos
allows me to save time on each patientencounter. By shaving a few minutes off eachpatient’s examination before they see me for
an in-person consult, they experience a speedy
and effective appointment—and I get to havemore face-to-face conversations with mypatients rather than talking to them behind aspinning phoropter.
Staff members and technicians want towork in a setting where they are empowered to broaden their skillset and are
granted agency in their professional growth.
Chronos’ intuitive SightPilot™ (Topcon)
interface allows staff members with littleor no training to perform the requisite
steps for an effective refraction (Figure 1).
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Sponsored bya small physical footprint if we are to evenconsider incorporating it. Chronos takes up
little space in my office, and we found space
for this platform easily (Figure 2).

IMPROVING THE PATIENT EXPERIENCE

Figure 2. In a tight office such as my clinic in Brooklyn, New York, I was able to find space for the Chronos.
After observing my staff’s interactions withpatients and analyzing the outcomes of
their evaluations, I have confidence that
staff members who are new to eye carecan quickly and accurately capture patient
refractive and keratometric data, thereby
elevating them from routine staff members
to reliable clinical adjuncts.
I would note, too, that bottlenecks havesmoothed since including Chronos in
my clinic. We now no longer only rely on

seasoned, trained technicians to capture data
before the chair examination. Before Chronos,
an absentee technician created significant
headaches for workflow. In the era of Chronos,
I am confident that any staff member can stepin for the platform’s typical operator and nodecrease in quality will be experienced.
As someone who practices in the dense
urban market that is Brooklyn, New York,
space in my office is at a premium. Any new
physical addition to my office must have

WATCH IT NOW

The patients I see at my practice are techsavvy professionals who expect to interact
with cutting-edge technology in clinical settings—and Chronos offers them exactly thatexperience. New patients in particular are
impressed by my office after undergoing refraction on Chronos and have remarked that thistechnology sets my practice apart from others.
Word travels fast when a progressive practiceembraces innovation, and some of my new
patients have scheduled appointments at Park
Slope Eye after reading reviews online that cited
Chronos as an example of why my practice ison the vanguard of innovation.
To determine how satisfied my patientswere with appointments that included
Chronos examinations, I followed a handful of patients who underwent refraction
via Chronos and also sat for a subjective
refraction evaluation. A large majority of
my patients preferred the experience withChronos. Embracing their preferences
meant committing to a workflow thatincorporated this new technology. That is
not to say that I feel replaced by Chronos.
Rather, I feel that it enables me to deepen
my relationship with patients and provide amore personalized experience.

IS CHRONOS FOR YOU?
If your optometric clinic prioritizes
exposing patients to the latest innovations,improving each patient’s experience, broadening your clientele, and empowering yourstaff, then consider investing in Chronos.
Integrating Chronos into your clinical workflow will be straightforward.
Expect your patients to take notice, too.
After all, their satisfaction and experience
are foundational to your success. n

Want to check out my video on Eyetube outlining the strengthsof the Chronos? Scan the QR code to watch now.

JUSTIN BAZAN, OD
Park Slope Eye, Brooklyn, New Yorkn d r.bazan@parkslopeeye.com
nF inancial disclosures: Nonen

52 INSERT TO| JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

Not all products, services or offers are approved or offered in every market, and products vary from one country to another.
Contact your local distributor for country-specific information and availability.