MBA Intelligence

April 26, 2012

Bi-weekly information and advice to manage optometric practices
from the Management & Business Academy™ (MBA)

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Ask Neil

Dr. Neil Gailmard

A doctor asks...

"My staff tries to collect email addresses for patients, but many people don’t want to share them with us. Is email really effective for patient communication?"

I think email is highly effective, and a growing number of patients prefer it to other forms of communication. It may take a bit of planning and effort to change your office procedures, but embracing electronic communication and marketing offers major advantages to your practice. Start by getting your staff on board with the concept. I recommend that every practice use one of the electronic communication services that are very popular in optometry and dentistry today. These companies make email and texting automatic, which staff members love!

Here are a few of the ways you can use email or texting with your patients:

• Appointment confirmations. Email works great for this, and the patient clicks on a button to confirm. This shows up on your special dashboard and your staff knows the appointment is solid. How often does your staff reach voice mail when they call patients by phone?

• Recall. You may still need a backup plan with the U.S. Postal Service for some patients, but you can greatly reduce your postage and printing cost with email.

READ MORE »

Dr. Neil Gailmard, who is widely known for his practice management advice, is a member of the MBA faculty.

 

"Believing in Second–Pair Sales"

Gary Gerber, OD

Gary Gerber, OD, advises that success with second–pair sales of eyewear hinges on the eyecare practitioner truly believing that the patient has a need for it. ECPs have no trouble selling a first pair because they firmly believe in the need for it. However, they often rely on discounts as incentives for second–pair sales—when presenting their belief in the need for additional eyewear may be incentive enough.

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Market Facts

Market Facts

Patients Typically Spend Five Minutes Completing Paperwork During Office Visits

A 2011 Jobson survey of eyecare patients shows that patients typically spend about five minutes completing paperwork during their office visits, equivalent to about 10 percent of the total time patients spend in an eyecare office. Thirty percent of patients report spending 10 minutes or more completing paperwork.

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New MBA Practice-Building Resources

2012 Key Metrics: Assessing Optometric Practice Performance
The 2012 edition of Key Metrics is posted on MBA-ce.com. Key Metrics is an extensive compendium of essential metrics for managing and growing your optometric practices. The new 2012 edition contains newly updated data, as well as an expanded section on management best practices by leading optometrists.

MBA Monograph: Marketing an Optometric Practice
This monograph details how to increase revenue from existing patients and attract new patients to your practice by executing an effective marketing plan.

MBA Survey: Prescription Eyewear Management
Results for the recently conducted MBA Prescription Eyewear Management Survey have been posted on the MBA–ce.com. This report assesses the prescription eyewear dispensing habits, mark–ups, and eyewear marketing tactics used by independent ODs.

Findings from a dozen MBA surveys conducted since 2008 are found on the MBA site. Click here.

MBA Updates


Carole Burns, OD


2012 MBA Seminars:


North Carolina Optometric Assoc., Myrtle Beach, June 7

American Optometric Assoc.
First Practice Academy
Chicago, June 28–30

Texas Optometric Assoc.,
San Antonio, July 28

Vision Expo West, Las Vegas, September 8

GWCO Congress, Portland, September 30

California Optometric Assoc., Monterey, November 8

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About the MBA

The Management & Business Academy™ (MBA) is a professional education program, sponsored by Alcon and Essilor, dedicated to assisting independent optometrists to improve business management processes. The MBA conducts live seminars, conducts on-going research to establish national optometric practice performance metrics, publishes MBA Insights (a quarterly practice management journal) and maintains www.mba-ce.com (a premier practice website with business-building resources).

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Copyright © 2012 Management & Business Academy™ (MBA). All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.