Eyecare Business sat down to talk in depth about artificial intelligence in practice management with Brianna Rhue, OD, after her “Eyes on Efficiency: Using AI to Improve Patient Outcomes and Practice Efficiencies” session with David Kading, OD, FAAO, at Vision Expo 2026. Read the highlights or watch the whole interview below.
Dr. Rhue discussed how AI can be integrated into optometry practices to improve efficiency, enhance patient care, and support practice growth. “You’re not going to be replaced by AI,” she said, “but you are going to be replaced by somebody who knows how to use AI.” Both seasoned AI users and those who are just getting started with the technology should ask themselves and their staff: "What sucks your energy and what gives you energy?" Dr. Rhue suggested.
For practices that have not yet explored AI, she recommended starting with simple applications that automate repetitive tasks at the administrative level, such as improving front-office workflows, generating scripts for patient communication, and updating practice websites. AI tools allow clinicians and staff to effectively “program in English,” making it easier to create practical solutions without requiring traditional software development teams, she said.
Practitioners who are already familiar with AI can connect multiple systems and leverage patient data more effectively, she continued. “I'm a big believer that, in the future, your practice is not going to be valued off your EBITDA [Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization]. It's going to be valued off your patient data,” she said. “How am I using my own patient or customer relationship management tools to make patients stick to my practice?” She described how practice growth does not necessarily require large-scale expansion. Instead, she said, scaling occurs through consistent patient engagement and education, one patient or social media post at a time.
A key part of this growth involves tracking a small set of critical key performance indicators (KPIs), Dr. Rhue described. The KPIs she measures are daily collections, the ratio of comprehensive exams to total visits, and the number of complete pairs of glasses sold. Monitoring these metrics provides actionable insight into practice performance and allows her team to identify opportunities for improvement.
Dr. Rhue also highlighted the importance of balancing clinical responsibilities with business leadership. Practice owners must sometimes “switch hats” between clinician and business owner to make those strategic decisions: “As the business owner, I have to leverage technology that will better take care of my staff so they're doing better things” she said, describing the business life cycle. “They're not overworked. They're not going to 6 different systems to place a contact lens order for me to save a dollar on a box of contact lenses. Once you've done that, you've made it easy for your patients to do business with you, and the patients then take care of you as the business owner.”
However, even as you explore how AI can help with streamlining administrative tasks and innovating for the future of health care with oculomics, she cautioned, have a clear use case. "What is the final action you want to do?”
And give it time, she said. “You can’t try it out for 6 weeks or 3 months [and give up]. It takes a year, probably 2,” for a tool to be fully integrated for both staff and patients.
“At the end of the day,” she concluded, “we want [AI] to drive revenue. We want it to better take care of our patients. We want it to make everything more efficient. Start there.”