Just a few months after announcing new leadership, CSI Dry Eye Software announced the rollout of a new version for its artificial intelligence (AI)-based, research-powered platform for dry eye disease (DED).
So exciting! Let’s start with a CSI Dry Eye Software rundown.
Based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the AI-powered dry eye software company operates with the purpose of providing better diagnostics via machine learning and cloud-based software.
In the company’s words: CSI Dry Eye Software was “designed and created by dry eye specialists who were fed up with the inconsistencies surrounding the diagnosis, care, and treatment of dry eyes.”
- As such, it refers to its technology as the “first machine-learning, cloud-based software of its kind to enable doctors and patients to see the whole picture behind dry eyes.”
Talk more about this software.
The CSI Dry Eye platform is designed as a cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS).
What it does: Analyzes the results of various tests and questionnaires—taken by both eyecare professionals (ECPs) and patients—to assist ECPs in identifying potential causes and treatments for their patients.
Featured components include:
- Machine learning processes, as well as evidence-based algorithms and medicines that eliminate biases in diagnosis and treatment processes
- Treatment database encompassing a comprehensive inventory of over-the-counter (OTC) products, prescriptions, procedures, and at-home exercises
And how does the platform operate?
The technology focuses on the root causes of why a patient may be suffering from dry eye symptoms and conducts a deep -dive evaluation of all possible causes and links to the ocular surface disease.
- The resulting outcome: Using these findings, the software then establishes a baseline for a patient’s dry eye status that enables ongoing monitoring and management of their response to treatments.
Got it. Explain how the doctor and patient get involved.
CSI Dry Eye Software has optimized the system to rely on three key steps for it to work most efficiently—along with the most accurate (and comprehensive) data available.
- Step 1: The patient’s responsibility
- A patient must first sign up to undergo the CSI Dry Eye Software assessment
- Then, they’ll be directed to a CSI Dry Eye Software-affiliated eye clinic (or their regular ECP, if they are affiliated with CSI Dry Eye Software), where they’ll complete a unique questionnaire
- Step 2: The ECP’s involvement
- An ECP at the CSI Dry Eye Software-affiliated eye clinic will perform diagnostic tests on the patient
- Results from these tests, coupled with results from their questionnaire and medical history, will then be added to the software
- Step 3: CSI Dry Eye Software's data analysis and recommendations
- Following its evaluation, the software suggests:
- Potential diagnoses associated with DED
- Treatment plans based on the provided data and results
- Following its evaluation, the software suggests:
So what’s the intent behind this process, exactly?
Keeping in theme with the reason for CSI Dry Eye Software's founding, the three-step process is intended to reduce:
- Patient chair time (and, thus, ECPs’ time)
- The “guess work” often associated with dry eye diagnosis and treatment
I gotcha. Now moving on to this software update.
Released just over a year after the launch of Version 5.0, CSI Dry Eye Software program’s Version 6.0 is equipped with a range of upgrades for ECPs to utilize (and patients to benefit from).
- And importantly: The company’s CEO, Ken Barbet, emphasized that the product was shaped by feedback from current clinician users to target key areas of improvement.
Where to start?
We’ll break these new features down for you, starting with:
- Intuitive performance dashboard
- What this offers: Easier tracking of key clinic metrics and recent activities with visuals presented in a user-friendly layout
- Customizable patient reports
- What this offers: Clinicians can finalize assessments with electronic signatures for clinicians and export reports based on selected sections and a preferred order
- Comprehensive treatment section
- What this offers: Patients’ treatment plans can be viewed in one centralized location, with timelines, linked assessments, and editable progress notes
Nice! What other upgrades come with Version 6.0?
Three more key features, including:
- Targeted questionnaire alerts
- What this offers: Clinicians can ensure their staff receive updated intake forms and questionnaires in a timely manner
- Automated patient follow-ups
- What this offers: Flexible and timely reminders for patients to complete their questionnaires can be scheduled in advance
- Direct questionnaire distribution
- What this offers: Questionnaires can be sent to patients directly from the performance dashboard
Sounds like a lot more capabilities … how does this compare to the previous upgrade?
Version 5.0 focused on enhancing the software’s visuals, adding a referral center and two new language options, and upgraded the software’s inbox system and two other key components:
- Integrated (HIPAA-compliant) medical intake form
- Medical notifications (for drug side effects or DED-related issues
See here for our complete rundown from that.
Gotcha. So how can I access this new version?
For current users: The upgrade should be automatically available on their current systems.
And for clinicians interested in using the CSI Dry Eye Software for the first time, click here to book a demo with the company.