Eyecare Medical Group, Maine's first and only outpatient eye surgery center accredited for quality by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, is a New England leader in eyecare technology. Its modern surgery facility, skilled personnel and advanced technology amply support the claim of bringing the people of Maine "tomorrow's eyecare today." But, say the generations of EMG patients, it's not the cutting-edge lasers or state-of-the-art surgical techniques that keep them coming back – it's the thoughtful and caring doctors and staff who make this Portland-based practice group so special.
"The caring concept of all – if you're apprehensive in the least about the whole process, they really hold your hand through it," said patient Anita Buttarazzi. "They explain everything, down to the details. I had an eye surgery done out of state and, while it was successful, the level of care just wasn’t the same. All the little details mean so much. The follow-up, the staff – they all just really take an interest in you as a person."
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"My husband and I both had cataract surgery on the same day, and when we were done they gave us each a flower. It was such a nice gesture" - Joan Willey, EMG patint |
This attention to detail and caring focus have been the foundation of the center, which was established in Portland twenty years ago this year by ophthalmologists William S. Holt, MD, Elizabeth G. Serrage, MD, and Bruce R. Cassidy, MD. Today, while patient care is still at the heart of EMG, technology is at the head. The desire to bring the latest in techniques and eyecare innovation to Maine was what first prompted the doctors to establish EMG.
In the late 1970s, shortly after Doctors Holt and Serrage combined their practices, it became clear that the demand for eyecare – and specifically eye surgery – was growing by leaps and bounds.
"We saw how the field was moving forward and thought, well, maybe it's time to build a surgery center of our own," said Serrage.
At the time, an outpatient surgery center dedicated to eyecare was unheard of in Maine, where surgeries were still being done at local hospitals as inpatient and sometimes outpatient procedures. Yet as the surgeries became more streamlined and new technology became available, the hospitals could not keep up.
"There wasn't the capability to do the volume of surgery that was needed, and we weren't able to bring in the technology we wanted at the hospital," said Holt. "By this time outpatient centers had been developed in larger urban areas and we decided to go and visit them to see if something like this might be possible in Portland."
Doctors Holt and Serrage asked Dr. Cassidy, who’d been practicing on his own in Portland, if he'd like to accompany them as they went to Florida to see an outpatient center in Tarpon Springs. It was on the trip to Florida that the three began seriously considering combining their practices and opening an outpatient center of their own in Maine.
"I always knew this type of center was one I could not afford on my own. But with three of us, we could all maintain our practices and bring patients the advantages of a modern, larger facility with its own surgery center," recalled Cassidy.
And so, a few years later, the doctors launched a new eye surgery center and office complex in Portland on Sewall Street. Designed by architect Paul Katz, the Eyecare Medical Group offices, clinical space and surgery center continue to operate on the original site, recently expanded to 21,000 square feet.
Today, EMG offers complete, state-of-the-art eyecare. It includes vision correction – with LASIK, Visian ICL implantable lenses for nearsighted patients who may not be candidates for LASIK, and CK procedures to correct the inability to read close-up – as well as modern treatment and surgery for glaucoma and vitreoretinal disease. And most recently, cataract treatment at EMG has featured IOLs, intraocular lenses that can correct presbyopia (decreasing the need for reading glasses), nearsightedness and astigmatism. In addition, an on-site optical shop headed by Optometrist Ruth E. Stevens, OD, MBA, provides prescription eyewear and vision accessories for patients.
While EMG's patients are thrilled with the comprehensive aspect of the center, it’s been beneficial for the doctors as well. The collaboration has allowed EMG to continually stay on the forefront of new technologies, a focus of the group that shows no signs of slowing.
Holt noted that EMG has often been ahead of the curve. "In 1995, the first laser to correct vision became available, and we purchased it. The FDA said "No" to using it in surgery for the first six months, but by the end of the year it had been approved," he said.
EMG used the laser to perform the first laser vision-correction surgery in Maine later that year.
Their facilities are larger and busier than ever these days, but the personal, small-office feel of patient care is still there and remains central to the practice. That core EMG value is reflected in the details, including the office set up. Rather than one reception area for all eight doctors, each doctor has a dedicated receptionist and team, so that returning patients are always working with familiar faces.
"Our returning patients always stop and talk with us, with our staff – everyone asks about your life. There's a genuine feeling of interest in people's lives outside the office or operating room, and that’s so important to good care," said Holt.
That human touch and the desire to go an extra step is something patient Joan Willey has seen firsthand.
"My husband and I both had cataract surgery on the same day, and when we were done they gave us each a flower," she said. "It was such a nice gesture, beyond the already wonderful care we'd received in surgery. There was this other part, just a really caring piece to all that they do."
This philosophy of combining the seemingly old-fashioned, human part of patient care with new technology is something each doctor practices daily. Although EMG has been a pioneer in the areas of cataract, LASIK, glaucoma and vitreoretinal surgeries, the patient interaction remains paramount.
"Sure, we get a hoot out of all the lasers,” says Cassidy, ”but the real joy is found in working with the patients. We recently had a cataract patient with astigmatism who couldn't see without giant, thick glasses. We have a new type of IOL, the Toric lens, that you can implant during cataract surgery that can correct astigmatism. It's only been available for six months or so. Well, immediately afterwards the patient was 20/40 – they had never been able to see that well in their life! So to be able to deliver that kind of good news to patients, that's still what it's all about."
Bringing good news plus the latest advances in care to EMG patients is a constantly evolving part of EMG. According to Cassidy, who specializes in vision correction and cataracts, all the doctors in the practice are committed to learning and moving their practices forward. They achieve this in part by regularly attending medical conferences and by diligent study of professional journals.
"Nothing we do now was available while we were doing our residencies, so it’s important to us to continue learning. While none of the procedures is entirely new, there are new twists and innovations that we want to bring to our patients," Cassidy said.
Serrage, whose patients are largely people who need vision correction or cataract surgery, agrees that the advances since the founding of EMG are astounding. She also notes that EMG doctors work purposefully to be aware of all the innovations and bring the most successful to the practice.
"Being in Maine, we aren’t under relentless pressure to have the newest technology immediately, so we can take the time to examine other areas and see what works. Then we bring the most successful of those procedures to our patients here. We can sit, watch and evaluate and then when it’s right, we bring it to EMG," said Serrage.
Among those advances are surgeries involving the retina, a relatively new area of eye surgery.
"Diseases that were hopeless 20 years ago, such as anything to do with the retina and back of the eye, now have cures – we can do something to improve what was once impossible," said Holt, who specializes in vision correction and cataracts.
These cutting-edge retina treatments include new innovations in retinal detachment and macular hole repair, which have historically required a hard-to-maintain fixed head position after surgery, according to Scott Steidl, MD, EMG’s vitreoretinal specialist.
"In these surgeries, it is typical that there is post-op head positioning, which means that a patient must keep their head down after surgery," he said. “We’ve had good luck working with the new methods that do not require any awkward head positioning, which is uncomfortable, especially for our older patients.”
In addition to these techniques, Dr. Steidl said the advent of new microsurgical instruments and techniques has allowed for faster treatment, meaning less discomfort for the patient and less trauma for the eye.
“In many cases, with these new microsurgical instruments, patients do not look or feel as though they’ve even had surgery,” he said. “Over the last two years we’ve begun doing all our surgeries like this, and some procedures that used to take 40 minutes now take 10 or 15.”
The medications and new treatments (such as lasers) that are now available have also dramatically improved the lives of retina patients.
“The new group of medicines available to patients is managing conditions that were previously untreatable or poorly treatable,” said Dr. Steidl.
At the human level, the advances in technology for retina surgeries, like the new procedures available for vision correction, are proving life-changing for many of EMG’s patients.
“I’m a police officer, so my eyes are my career, and I’ve been wearing glasses since third grade,” said patient Mark Dorval. “The doctors and I looked at every procedure, and while I was eager to do something – anything – to work on this, they really took the time to find what was right for me.”
Dorval said his successful Visian ICL dramatically improved his life. The remarkable new technology used in the Visian implantable lens provides an important option for very nearsighted patients who are not candidates for LASIK.
“My vision is incredible now. Working overnight, I don’t get dry eyes. And outdoor activities such as camping are so much easier,” he said. “But really, the first night when I was home after the surgery – to wake up and be able to see my alarm clock without having to pull it two inches from my face, that was just amazing.”
As EMG celebrates its 20th anniversary, it’s stories such as Dorval’s that remind the doctors why they first opened the center.
“From beginning to end, we wanted the patient to be met with friendly, outstanding care from people who were genuinely interested in their well-being,” said Holt.
Looking ahead to the next 20 years, Mainers can expect EMG to continue its tradition of patient care combined with cutting-edge technology.
“We still strive every day to provide our patients with the best eyecare possible – and for us that means offering welcoming, personalized service alongside the most up-to-date technology and treatment options,” says Clement Berry, CEO for EMG.
Berry noted that the center’s philosophy is, at its core, about providing patients with the best possible choices for meeting their medical needs, and that the doctors and staff approach each patient with information that they themselves would want.
“We approach each case, each patient, as if it was a family member. What is available, what treatment options and medications would we want our family to have,” said Berry. “In the end, even with all the technology, that’s still the right approach.”
With that commitment to patient care and its focus on eyecare innovation, EMG plans to remain true to the promise that has a prominent place on the sign outside its Sewall Street facility – “Tomorrow’s eyecare today.”