Oct 14, 2025
Written By Elizabeth Cifers
Physician time is the most valuable (and limited) resource in a retina clinic, so it's essential to make every minute of the physician’s time count. Using technicians and scribes can boost physician efficiency when properly trained and integrated into clinical workflows. When optimized, these roles help reduce bottlenecks and improve documentation quality, enabling physicians to concentrate on what they do best: patient care and decision-making.
Retina technicians are more than support staff - they are the foundation of an efficient clinic. Efficiency includes accuracy, consistency, and thoughtful workflow. Key areas where technician optimization makes a difference:
• Standardized Workups: A structured, retina-specific workup reduces unnecessary variation and ensures consistency between techs. For example, is the visual acuity performed with lights on or off? What line should they start on based on the previous acuity? These minor issues can change the reading for the day.
• Ownership of Imaging and Testing Flow: If you have designated photographers, but the clinic is bustling, who steps in to assist with the backlog of patients waiting for imaging? Managing the testing queue, minimizing delays, and having additional staff trained to perform OCTs and fundus photos can shave off valuable minutes throughout the day.
Scribes, whether in-person or virtual, offer one of the many routes to improving physician efficiency and reducing end-of-day charting burdens. Both in-person and virtual scribes can document while the physician is talking to capture the exam and impression/plan information. However, in-person scribes can also assist the physician in other ways, such as prepping the patient for injection, turning the lights on and off, handing out pamphlets or other instructions, and walking the patient out at the end of the visit. The in-person scribes can literally be the physician’s right hand.
• Train for Retina-Specific Language: Scribes must understand common diagnoses, procedures, and terminology to capture notes efficiently and accurately.
• Align with Physician Preferences: Every physician has a different style, and scribes need to adapt to workflows and documentation cues unique to each physician.
• Support Compliance and Coding: A knowledgeable scribe can help capture details needed for billing and reduce the likelihood of missed documentation elements.
When technician and scribe roles aren’t clearly defined, or when staff are improperly trained, the result is often inefficiency masked as busywork without much getting done. Physicians may find themselves repeating tasks, correcting incomplete workups, or rewriting unclear notes, all of which negate the purpose of delegation.
A few common pitfalls to watch for:
• Overlapping responsibilities with no clear accountability.
• Rushed or incomplete workups leading to delays in having patients ready for the physician to see.
• Lack of feedback loops between staff and physicians.
Along with proper training and good workflows, efficiency can create team alignment. When technicians and scribes are trained intentionally and empowered with clear expectations, they become critical drivers of clinic flow, quality documentation, and physician satisfaction.
A few ways to get started:
• Invest in role-specific training programs tailored to retina
• Use standardized templates and checklists for both techs and scribes.
• Review productivity metrics and adjust workflows regularly.
• Implement shadowing and feedback sessions between staff and physicians.
In a retina practice, physician efficiency doesn’t happen by accident, but is built through thoughtful delegation, streamlined workflows, and staff who know their value. By optimizing technician and scribe roles, practices not only reduce inefficiencies but also create a stronger foundation for patient care, documentation accuracy, and financial performance.
If your clinic is struggling with bottlenecks or physician burnout, it may be time to reevaluate how your technicians and scribes are being used. Contact Elizabeth Cifers Consulting to learn how customized training and workflow redesign can help your practice run smoother—without sacrificing compliance or care quality.
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