At the 2026 ASCRS/ASOA meeting, Thomas Nydegger of Refractive MD Growth presented “Six Patient Journey Marketing Strategies That Drive Growth and Profitability.” Here, he shares some key takeaways with Ophthalmology Management. The below transcript has been edited for clarity.

Hi, I'm Thomas Nydegger. I've been working in the ophthalmology industry for close to 20 years, and it’s what I'm passionate about. I love helping practices help people to be able to see better and improve their lives. 

I believe that each practice is in business for 2 reasons: (1) to create a difference and (2) to create a profit. You can't do the first unless you’re doing the second. My role has always been to help ophthalmology offices integrate their systems so they can better help patients along their journey.

At this year’s ASCRS/ASOA conference, I presented “Six Patient Journey Marketing Strategies That Drive Growth and Profitability.” I like to look at it as an ecosystem: There are different stages along the patient journey, each able to stand on its own. But for a practice to succeed, these steps all have to work together and support each other. If any of them are off, the whole system becomes inefficient.

The six steps of the patient journey are: market, schedule, treat, collect, refer, repeat.

By having the right elements in each step along the patient journey, you create brand consistency. A lot of offices have mistaken branding for advertisements that don't have a direct call to action. In reality, branding is showing consistency throughout the messaging your office presents at every step along the way. That’s what creates integrity and trust, and that trust becomes your brand.

Scheduling is often the step that offices want to focus on most. It starts with patient education and commitment, continuing from the moment the patient calls to the moment they walk into the surgery center.

Another quick step that practices can implement easily is expanding communication with patients. You should have multiple means of communication, as people process information differently. In general, the younger generations may want to text and have minimal in-person contact. You should have all of that available: texting, phone calls, and online scheduling. You should have people who can walk patients through that scheduling process and let them choose the mode of communication they prefer.

Tailoring messaging to the patient is one of my top tips: How much information does the patient need? Are they somebody who wants bullet points so they can get out of there quickly? Are they somebody who wants a lot of information about how and why a treatment works?

Another quick tip is that scripts work. I know a lot of offices try to steer away from them. A lot of patient counselors don’t like scripts. Technicians have seldom been introduced to full scripts, but I believe that they work. You don't have to stay on script the entire time, but having a general guide that you can follow and then adapt as needed is going to be the most efficient way to communicate clearly.

Many patients have questions along the lines of, “Is it going to hurt?” and “How much does it cost?” These are barriers that we know are going to come up consistently. By having a script in place, you're able to address those questions smoothly, efficiently, and confidently.

A lot of staff ask, "Doesn't a script mean that I can't be myself? Doesn't it mean that it's not going to be authentic?" You should be delivering a script like it's the first time every time. Not having to think about what you're going to say, and just letting the words come, allows the conversation to become more natural. Think about it: any time that you’ve watched a TV show or a movie that has made you feel emotional, that has all been scripted. I'm a huge fan of scripts and love to help offices create them.

Another thing is just understanding that it's the small points along the patient journey that are going to stand out. Shareef Mahdavi does a great job of that; I've learned a lot from him. There are also a lot of books out there, like The Experience Economy, making small moments of meaning along the patient journey.