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Mel & Joey - Usapang Mata - Manolette Roque, MD, MBA

EYE REPUBLIC Ophthalmology Clinic - Medical Tourism Philippines - Audio Visual Presentation

Citiguide Metro Manila Jul - Aug 2007 Vol 5 Issue 4

Citiguide Metro Manila Sep - Oct 2007 Vol 5 Issue 5

RxPinoy Medical Tourism Philippines Guide 2007-2008

It's time again for your EYE REPUBLIC check up

It's time again for your eye check up. While you are making arrangements to see us, please take advantage of the EYE REPUBLIC LOYALTY & REFERRAL PROGRAM. This is your chance to help your friends, neighbors and co-workers save on their eye health beginning with their very first visit. Just share this postcard and ask them to show it during their visit. They will immediately be able to avail of the EYE REPUBLIC LOYALTY privileges including 20% OFF on consultation and diagnostic fees and 10% OFF on optical purchases and doctors' surgical fees.

You may print this blog and show it to any EYE REPUBLIC front desk staff to avail of the aforementioned discounts.



Links: http://www.eyerepublic.com.ph
http://www.ocp.com.ph
http://www.cataract.com.ph
http://www.lasik.com.ph
http://www.eye.com.ph

BIZTIMES January 22-28, 2007 BT Issue No. 048 Yr. 1

EYE REPUBLIC Ophthalmology Clinic was listed in BizTimes last January 2007.

Focal Point Volume 13 No 2 August 2007

Dr. Manolette Roque gave a lecture on the diagnostic tests required for screening evaluations for potential patients interested in Artisan or Artiflex. Dr. Johann Reyes and Dr. Hannah de Guzman gave lectures for ophthalmologists preparing for the Philippine Board of Ophthalmology diplomate examinations.

Links:
http://www.ocp.com.ph/manolette-rangel-roque-md-mba.htm
http://www.ocp.com.ph/johann-michael-gonzaga-reyes-md.htm
http://www.ocp.com.ph/maria-hannah-pia-uyloan-de-guzman-md.htm
http://www.eyerepublic.com.ph

NOVEL ADHESIVE FOUND EFFECTIVE FOR SEALING CORNEAL INCISIONS

News Tip from the 2005 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery April 15 - 20, 2005, Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Johns Hopkins Medicine Office of Corporate Communications MEDIA CONTACT: John M. Lazarou 410-502-8902 jlazaro1@jhmi.edu April 15, 2005 http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/2005/04_15_05.html

A liquid adhesive made from a protein found in human tissue is effective in sealing corneal wounds and may even be better than stitches, according to results of a Johns Hopkins study.

In animal studies, researchers discovered that modified chondroitin sulfate aldehyde was better than standard sutures at preventing rupture of experimental surgical cuts in the cornea.

"The results of our experiments showed that sutured eyes were less able to resist pressure than eyes sealed with the liquid adhesive, and none of the glued eyes leaked when subjected to the maximum pressure allowed by our experimental set up," said Johann Reyes, M.D., Wilmer Eye Institute research fellow and author of the study. "Surgical glues have been used, but the search for the ideal makeup of these adhesives for use in the eye still continues," he said.

Current methods for closing wounds in the cornea (the most superficial and transparent layer of the eye) generally involve sutures. According to the researchers, although results obtained with the suture have been proven to be safe over time, certain complications are possible including local inflammation, death of tissue near the sutures, infection and sensation of a foreign body in the eye. Various tissue adhesives have been studied previously, and those made from reabsorbable material eliminate the hassle of removing sutures.

Cosmetic surgery tourism seen viable

Manila Bulletin Online March 22, 2005 www.mb.com.ph http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2005/03/22/BSNS2005032231198.html

A Philippine-based cosmetic surgery services targeted for Korean tourists is viable, a pilot study of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) revealed.

DTI Secretary Juan B. Santos said the pilot study conducted by the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Seoul (PITCSeoul) showed the Philippines can break into this promising market.

"The pilot study showed that cosmetic surgery is in demand in Korea especially for Korean women, who often obtain the services of medical experts to perform eyelid operation; enhancement of cheeks, nose, and lips; and breast enlargement," Santos said.

It also revealed that three out of five Korean women aged 24 to 35 have at least one cosmetic surgery done on them and that four out of five are thinking of two more operations.

The mentioned cosmetic surgery procedures are, however, costly if performed in Korea, ranging from $1,500 to $2,500 per cosmetic operation. The same medical service only costs around $700 if done in the Philippines.

Thus, Commercial Attaché to Seoul Nic Bautista pushed for the formulation of a business model linking Philippine-based cosmetic surgery practitioners with Korean travel agents in the country to include in their vacation packages, cosmetic surgery services. The travel agents will do the packaging and marketing of the service.

"The conceptualization of the business model is in line with the DTI’s thrust to develop globally competitive Philippine service industries such as health and wellness, retirement and leisure, information and technology and logistics," Santos said.

The program could generate employment and earn foreign exchange for the country, he said.

The application of the business model followed after the recent signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between the Ophthalmic Consultants Philippines Co. (better known as Eye Republic) and the RP-based Korean travel agent Bingo Tour. The agreement is valid for two years. (BCM)

Under the agreement, Eye Republic, a network of ophthalmology clinics with board-certified ophthalmologists, will provide Korean national patients desiring eye and cosmetic surgery in the Philippines.

Bingo Tour, being the agent, will provide all the marketing requirements for medical tourism of Korean nationals desiring eye and cosmetic surgery in the Philippines.

"This is the first working business model of a specific cosmetic surgery product targeting a niche market—the Korean market. The success of its application will serve as basis for expanding the coverage of cosmetic services to include weight-reducing procedures whether invasive or non-invasive and spa services," Santos said.

Through the travel agents, the Philippines can market its medical services to Korean tourists free of charge since travel agents have their own network capabilities.

Clinic chain sets benchmark for outpatient care in RP

Manila Bulletin Online August 1, 2004 www.mb.com.ph http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2004/08/01/HLTH2004080114833.html

When people hear the words “outpatient clinic,” they immediately assume the doctors there don’t nearly come up to the caliber of those in hospitals. But this is not always the case, as one ophthalmologist asserts, especially when it concerns Healthway, the country’s top network of outpatient medical clinics and ambulatory surgical centers.

Dr. Manolette Roque, 33 years old, is the general manager of Ophthalmic Consultants Philippines, a team of ophthalmologists involved in group practice, and manager of the group of doctors at Healthway Festival Mall in Alabang. He belongs to the original core of doctors who joined Healthway Festival Mall when it was set up in 1999.

"I believe the outpatient services that Healthway provides is the way to go for health services," says Dr. Roque. "Healthway addresses patients’ concerns like transportation difficulties, their anxieties about being brought to a hospital, and the problems of day care."

He adds: "It’s a one-stop-shop inside a high volume area, in this case, the malls. Children and grandparents and their families can have both treatment and treats. The husband or grandparent may have his eye checkup while the wife goes to the beauty salon. For the kids, it’s a jolly treat of their favorite hamburger, pizza or ice cream right outside the door of the clinic, after the doctor has examined them."

This concept is also quite revolutionary considering that patients can now avail of the expertise of specialists on one go, on the same floor. "We respect subspecialty referrals," elaborates Dr. Roque. "If, for example, I see a patient with retinal detachment, I will not keep that patient for myself, but will refer him to another doctor, a surgical retina specialist. In the same way, if someone wants to have a brow lift or plastic surgery for the eyelids, we send him over to an ocuplastics surgeon. We provide the patient the opportunity to see the best doctors to treat his particular problem and thereby also provide him with the optimum care possible."

Patients are rest assured that they are examined by doctors who are the best in their field. Dr. Roque himself graduated from the Intarmed Program of the UP College of Medicine in Manila in 1995 and completed his internship and residency at the Philippine General Hospital. While taking up his residency, Dr. Roque put up the first of his two websites, www.webeyemd.com. and www.eyerepublic.com.ph, to remedy the lack of information regarding ophthalmology.

Before joining Healthway, he went to the United States for a research fellowship in ocular immunology and uveitis at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary of the Harvard Medical School, further learning skills in cornea and refractive surgery in the same institution. He received his Diplomate in Ophthalmology from the Philippine Board of Ophthalmology in 2002, topping the Oral Diplomate Board Examination and ranking ninth in the written exam.

As a specialist in ocular immunology and uveitis, Dr. Roque deals with inflammatory and autoimmune eye diseases. Uveitis is an inflammation of the uvea or the inner part of the eye encompassing the iris, choroid, and ciliary body. His specialization is also concerned with all systemic diseases that affect the eye. As an ocular immunologist, he examines patients like an internist would, checking the whole body and not just the eyes.

Dr. Roque’s fields of interest has him performing anterior segment surgery of the eyes. This includes surgeries of the conjunctiva, sclera, cornea, iris and lens, which include grafts, transplants, prk, customized lasik and small incision cataract surgeries. He also treats external diseases of the eyes.

Dr. Roque hopes to finish his master’s in Business Administration in health at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business after two more years. "It will help me in managing my company [OCP], the practice, and the business aspect of ophthalmology," he says. "It will also allow us to provide good service and optimize our resources."

Dr. Roque and his colleagues also benefit from the set-up offered by Healthway which helps them do more. "Healthway has set the benchmark for outpatient care in the country," he says. "I am confident they will continue to excel in this particular line of healthcare delivery, which addresses a niche market of patients who would rather see doctors in outpatient clinics or ambulatory surgical centers." Many similar establishments are cropping up around the city, Dr. Roque observes, but he’s confident that Healthway will continue to be the leader in its field.