Ethan Eldridge got his start at Eyefinity^® more than 20 years ago as a Java programmer and has been around since the very inception of Eyefinity Encompass™. In fact, he and a colleague were in Texas to kick off live, in-person discussions about Encompass when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.

Fortunately, Ethan and his teammates were able to continue collaborating remotely, bringing back ideas churned up in the discussion about the future platform. After several weeks of conversations, two priorities became clear: plug-and-play capability (think seamless connection to material ordering catalogs/systems, practice analytics, and patient engagement tools), and staff experiences.

"There were a lot of technical conversations," he says. "How do we introduce our software seamlessly into customers’ existing ecosystem? How do we raise the bar for patient and staff experience?"

For Ethan's specific corner of software development, improving processes in the platform involves enhancing insurance and EHR integrations throughout Encompass, helping streamline the overall eye care experience. He hopes patients will see more timely, relevant product selection options based on their insurance benefits, health history, and the offerings at the practice. This information will be specific to each individual patient, championing patient convenience and helping them feel more confident in their purchases.

Though the innovations are exciting, Ethan says the best part of working on Encompass has been his team and all their contributions and collaborations across the company. While he sets up the blueprints for the software, there are dozens of engineers in the background with valuable input and their own hands-on approach.

"There are so many great ideas," he says. "We've got a platform that offers endless opportunities for innovation. It's really exciting to look around the corner and see there's more opportunity and more great things coming."