The Ace factor in Aces

Some people are uneasy when consulting just one doctor. They shop and hop from one doctor to another hoping to find a comfortable cure for their malaise. “Doctor shopping” like “forum shopping” can spoil diagnosis and sometimes can make things worse especially if one is not circumspect in choosing a physician. Likewise, asking for a third, fourth or fifth opinion can be draining on the pocket.

ACES Eye Referral Clinics spares patients from misdiagnosis and the pitfalls of falling into the hands of wrong doctors. They call it team practice or a team approach to excellence in eye care.  In team practice, a patient goes through routine eye examination to check whatever problems exist and once these are identified, he is referred to specialists who will each take care of the particularities of his condition in a collaborative way.

Sub-specialization makes team practice a unique treatment modality. “We have different fields of sub-specialization and we don’t charge for that extra consultation or for the second and third opinion,” said Dr. Ronald Rellosa Medalle, who specializes in oculoplastic surgery.

Headed by Dr. Reuben Rama Aquino, the ACES team has experts who pioneer in their respective fields in Cebu or the region. Dr. Aquino specializes and pioneers in anterior segment specialization and corneal transplant. Dr. Victorio Naranjo Cajita is the first retina specialist in Cebu, Dr. Teodoro Kintanar Gonzales is the region’s first glaucoma specialist while Dr. Medalle is the first oculoplastic surgeon in Cebu dealing with cosmetic or reconstructive surgery around the eyes.

Dr. Loren Yap Ong is the first pediatric ophthalmologist in the region who also specializes in the treatment of strabismus or a visual condition in which the eye cannot focus with the other on an object because of imbalance in eye muscles. A person with strabismus is often referred to as cross-eyed.

Dr. Bryan Tan is a member of the ACES Refractive Surgery Team and performs photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and Laser-Assisted in situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) to treat refractive errors by reshaping the cornea, phacoemulsification or cataract surgery and corneal transplants. Dr. Pamela Tarongoy is a glaucoma specialist.

Collaborative treatment protocol.

What is equally beneficial about team practice is that it protects a patient from being misdiagnosed because each specialist can check on the complexity of a patient’s condition and collaborate in the treatment protocol. The consultation fee is also packaged so that this is socialized based on the patient’s capability to pay and complexity of the disease. Consultations may be covered with accredited health insurance companies. Otherwise there are no hidden charges or surcharges for optimum eye care.

Said Dr. Medalle, “whereas we share our skills and knowledge, the patient benefits from this system. We won’t let a stone unturned when it comes to the patient’s overall eye welfare. For a single consultation fee a patient can have as many as seven opinions for the cost of a single fee.”

Eye care is just as important as the care of any other organ or part of the body. The first step to eye care is simply to have an examination. And while you’re eye is at it, examination might as well be done by a team of specialists.