MBA Intelligence

September 27, 2012

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

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Neil Gailmard

Ask Neil

Dr. Neil Gailmard

A doctor asks…

"What’s the right amount of time for a doctor to spend with a patient during a routine eye exam?"


The key phrase in this question is: "for a doctor…." While a comprehensive eye exam is not an extremely quick event, the time spent with the doctor can be fairly brief without making the patient feel rushed.

The key to this is in the activities the doctor performs. Picture a doctor who spends some time with friendly small–talk, then focuses on the patient’s complaints and history, followed by a careful physical exam of the eye.

She concludes the exam by summarizing the results of all the testing, providing a brief explanation of any eye problems and giving strong recommendations for treatment.

There was not a lot of time spent behind the phoroptor, and the doctor did not enter any data into an electronic medical record system.

READ MORE »

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

Video: Staff Compensation – Bonus or Flat Salary?
Mark Wright

Dr. Mark Wright, of the MBA faculty discusses differing approaches to staff compensation. The classic dilemma: Should you award a bonus versus maintain a flat salary with a pay increase or other forms of reward? Dr. Wright advises that bonuses work best with simple measurable tasks, like improving patient recall and increasing second–pair sales. Bonuses are less applicable to more complex tasks that require creativity.

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Business–Building Resources

MBA Business Management Tools: RIPs
A new installment of MBA Business Management Tools, called Rapid Improvement Projects (RIPs), outlines the basic process for establishing practice improvement priorities and implementing RIPs to achieve both short– and long–term goals.

MBA Market Research: Staff Management Survey
Results for the recently conducted MBA Staff Management Survey allow you to examine staff hiring, compensation and management practices. The report also details OD desires for staff improvements.

Implementation Track: Practice Marketing and Optical Merchandising
Practice Marketing and Optical Merchandising provides an 11–step guide in how to analyze and refine your practice brand, develop a marketing budget and execute a marketing plan. Also included are merchandising techniques to maximize dispensary profits. This is the second in a series of MBA Practice Growth Implementation Tracks.

MBA Updates


Carole Burns, OD


Upcoming MBA Seminars:

Register for...

GWCO Congress, Portland, September 30

California Optometric Assoc., Monterey, November 8

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MBA Insights Online: A Winning Strategy
MBA Insights

In the current issue of MBA Insights, now available online in a digital edition, Dr. April Jasper explains the cycle of marketing and practice growth.

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.