A Conversation with Dr. Keshav Bhat
As artificial intelligence (AI) solutions in optometry become ever more prevalent, independents are meeting the moment by adopting technologies that support enhanced practice efficiency and patient care.
Keshav Bhat, O.D., a PECAA Max member and Regional Leader, and owner of Union Family Eye Associates in Matthews, NC, shares the AI platforms he leverages on a daily basis, the professional and personal benefits of those tools, and advice to fellow doctors on embracing the future of AI in optometry.
PECAA: When was your first introduction to AI?
Dr. Bhat: One of my earliest introductions to AI was in the form of autocorrection in Word documents. Oftentimes when we discuss AI, it’s in a way that sounds like it’s new, however, most people have leveraged everyday solutions with a level of intelligence for some time now. But I think a true introduction to my practice in the way we are discussing it now was perhaps about a year and a half to two years ago.
PECAA: Which tools do you use and how have you leveraged them in your practice?
Dr. Bhat: It all depends on what I’m using it for. I use Claude AI for certain text-based tasks. I also use the Perplexity AI search engine, Google’s NotebookLM for fast research, learning and synthesizing complex information from a curated set of user-uploaded sources, the ChatGPT chatbot, Microsoft Copilot and so on.
I can give you a relatable example of my use of Copilot. I’m not very good at Excel, however, with Copilot in Excel, I can ask it to do necessary but complicated processes like create a formula that helps track optical profitability. I add all my different variables, from frame costs to lens costs and what my patients pay out of pocket based on their type of insurance or if they are self-pay as a way to determine my profit.
Doing this manually can get cumbersome, however, Copilot in Excel takes the work out of it.
I also use AI that allows me to quickly and easily craft physician letters for all the patients I see. I input my diagnosis and plans and say, ‘Write to Dr. Hoffman about Ashley’. Six seconds later, I have a polished letter. If I tell the scribe that I know this physician, it adjusts the letter to include a level of familiarity. If I see 15 to 20 patients per day and must write a physician letter for all of them, you can imagine how long it would take me to do that manually.
PECAA: How else do you use AI in the office?
Dr. Bhat: We use a Voice Over IP phone system, which enhances the patient experience with auto-attendants, the integration with my EHR so staff can quickly access patient records during calls, follow-up texts after missed calls and more.
We also use AI all the time now with Google Translate, categorized as Neural Machine Translation. A patient will call and I’ll say, ‘I am so happy to speak with you.” I hope your family is doing well back home in Ukraine’. And my phone speaks back to the patient in two seconds in their primary language. That endears me to my patients because it demonstrates care and intention. I use this with all of my non-English speaking patients.
PECAA: How does AI enhance clinical value?
Dr. Bhat: AI enhances clinical value by bringing powerful image-analysis services into clinical workflows. These tools can process retinal images at scale, identify patterns associated with disease, and help clinicians detect problems sooner and with greater consistency.
Some that I’m aware of include services like LumineticsCore, EyeArt, and AEYE-DS, which can help analyze retinal images and identify disease patterns quickly, while platforms such as RetinAI and RetInSight support OCT interpretation and clinical workflow. These tools enhance efficiency, improve consistency, and help clinicians deliver earlier, more informed care.
PECAA: Do you feel the need to review the assessments of AI?
Dr. Bhat: Absolutely! It’s so easy to rely on these tools so as clinicians, we must approach these resources with caution, think through their use-case processes and ultimately rely on our own training, experience and judgment.
PECAA: Have you calculated exactly how much time and money you save using these tools?
Dr. Bhat: For me, it is impossible to calculate. All I can say is it provides me with a great deal of peace of mind. Metrics are important to calculate, but there are a lot of times when I look at AI and see what the overall value is to me as a busy practice owner intent on simultaneously delivering the absolute highest standard of patient care while also operating efficiently, as opposed to just saying $800 or 11 hours a day.
PECAA: Do you find other optometrists embracing AI the way you have?
Dr. Bhat: Actually, yes. I am just scratching the surface, and I often receive suggestions from fellow doctors about a tool that I didn’t even know existed. This interview, among many other PECAA vehicles, like Peer-to-Peer events, really demonstrates the value of PECAA, in that it gives members the ability to share their experiences with other members.
PECAA: What advice would you give fellow doctors on incorporating AI into their practices?
Dr. Bhat: To anybody who’s thinking about incorporating an AI tool into their practice: don’t be afraid. Get started with the large language models, like ChatGPT and Claude that can answer questions, summarize documents, translate languages and more as a first introduction and not so much for clinical decision making, which you can expand into once you are more comfortable with the technology.
In all aspects of practicing – from front office to the clinical side – AI is going to be an integral part of our lives, much like the invention of televisions and refrigerators. These technologies are becoming increasingly important in our day-to-day activities, and we must use them in a positive way.
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