Tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to support practice referrals were debuted at 100% Optical (28 February–2 March).
Optometrist, Trusit Dave, the founder and director of Optimed, spoke to OT about the new ReferAI system.
The ReferAI referral letter generation tool is integrating with practice management software (PMS) providers including: i-Clarity, Ocuco, Optisoft, Optinet, and XEYEX.
Dave reflected on being at 100% Optical: “This whole show has had so much about AI and there are questions about how it is going to change our profession. I think it’s about how it is going to assist our profession. For me, AI is all about AI assistance.”
AI technology is augmenting the ability of optometrists to understand, interpret, and become more accurate at OCT analysis, he said.
Optimed has taken the approach of considering what processes could be made more efficient for optometrists.
Dave explained: “When you look at an optometrist’s time in a practice, it’s those stressful lunchtimes when they are eating into their break making referrals.”
The ReferAI system is designed to reduce that process down to around one minute.
Dave demonstrated how the referral process would work on the iClarity system.
The system takes the notes made by an optometrist, including reasons for the visit, medications, family history, ocular history, and examination notes, and prepares a referral letter based on this information.
When submitting a referral into the e-referral and patient engagement platform, Captiv8 Connect, the software collects the data and automatically fills in the relevant fields. It can also be verified with the NHS as the system is connected with NHS Spine.
Images can also be added into the referral through a connected app.
Dave explained: “Not only will it put the images in and create the referral in a minute, it also creates a PDF with the practice’s logo, everything beautifully laid out, and it sends it back to the PMS software so you’ve got that PDF in the practice management record.”
Each partnered PMS provider will have a button within the patient record for ReferAI.
Once the referral letter has been created, optometrists can review, validate, and edit the information.
“When I send it, that is when I have to confirm that I have read it,” Dave shared.
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