This article was originally published in a sponsored newsletter.

Building ortho-k vendor relationships, as with all suppliers, is important to me, my staff, and ultimately my patients. Here are a few key areas I consider when determining if I want to work with a company.

Products

Of course, we’re interested in high-quality products for our patients – it’s a requirement for everything provided in our office. Additionally, we expect consistent reproducibility, easy ordering processes, and high levels of communication between our office and the vendor.

Regarding ortho-k, we are most interested in high first-fit success. Fitting efficiency equates to limited follow-up visits during the fitting process, which means decreased chair time and chair costs. In fact, first-fit success is more important to me than product cost for efficiency improvement.

Lens Ordering Technology

Although our office places orders by email or phone, online ordering systems are another efficiency tool we like to take advantage of when they are available. These systems provide fitting suggestions along with tracking information so our office can check on production and shipping statuses at any time. We also use these tools to educate the fourth-year optometry students rotating through our office. By the end of their rotation, they’re quite proficient in placing orders and communicating with the manufacturers.

Also, I have wonderful staff members who work directly with me on the clinical side. In addition to ordering lenses for me based on ocular parameters, my staff have learned a lot from the manufacturers’ consultants on which lenses may work best for which patients.

Consultation

My staff and I routinely work closely with ortho-k company consultants and view them as an integral part of our team. The ability to send information back and forth via email is critical for clear communication between my staff and the manufacturer, especially when working with an ongoing record for cases in which multiple team members are involved.

I value a company that, when necessary, can work with my office to decipher pre- and post-treatment topography maps to aid in the fitting process. Consultants’ knowledge of more than one topographer is key for offices that have multiple methods of capturing topographies.

Pricing

Although pricing is an important factor in choosing an ortho-k supplier, it is not the most critical from my perspective. Today, many manufacturers’ lens fees are often in a similar range.

Instead, to reiterate from the Products section of this newsletter, I prioritize quick fitting success. Reducing how often patients need to return to the office decreases their time, staff time, and my time, which provides me with the freedom to do other things in the clinic and better manage my practice.

If cost is a concern though, I’d recommend considering the use of “Lens Banks.” Most manufacturers offer discounted programs like this, so inquiring about their availability may be beneficial to your practice.

Warranties

I believe you must understand how the manufacturer’s warranty is structured, then educate both patients and staff on the timeline for fitting exchanges because doing so helps set you up for success.

In our office, one staff member’s specific job is to check in and check out lenses, schedule patients’ follow-up appointments, and monitor their warranty periods. One helpful practice management tip is to ask your staff to text or call patients two weeks before their warranty ends to make sure they're happy; if we need to make changes, we need to do so quickly.

Besides my staff, I like to reinforce to patients that we need to complete the fitting process within 90 days (or whatever the warranty period is) and talk about it during the consult. I even mention that if they are vacationing within the next one to two months, we should consider waiting until after that to start the fitting process.

In our experience, addressing these five areas with your ortho-k manufacturer can lead to a successful long-term relationship for both parties.