Sticky Situations

Dr. Dave Zeigler

A staffing issue...

"What do you do when a patient asks for a donation to a charity or school activity that they or their child is involved in?"

If you donated to every good cause that came along, you would be writing checks every day. Having said that, I think it is important to give back to your community and other organizations that you are involved with. I would rather focus my contributions in a single area than trying to spread that same amount of money over many causes where it won't make much of an impact. Find the area that you feel passionate about and be a generous giver there.

When a family has had a loved one who battled cancer, they often find a special place in their heart for the American Cancer Association. I enjoy being part of overseas eye care mission work, so I look for ways to help missionaries from my church. Everyone has that area of their life where you want to make a difference.

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Dr. Dave Ziegler, who lectures and publishes regularly, is a member of the MBA Faculty.

Super Service Pearls

Manage the First Impression

The tone for a patient experience is usually set during the first few moments of an office visit.

If a patient walks from the car to the office and sees overgrown weeds in the shrubbery beds, discarded fast food bags in the parking lot or dirty windows on the office building, they will unconsciously conclude that the practice is lackadaisical and not particularly interested in cleanliness.

When patients arrive and there is no one at the front desk to greet them, or if the receptionist doesn't look up from paperwork or turn toward a patient from a phone call, or if the receptionist doesn't immediately stop a conversation with another staff member and acknowledge a patient's arrival, or if the first words spoken to a patient are "please take a seat, we're very busy right now," then a negative message is sent. It says that the practice is preoccupied with its own problems, and the patient is secondary or even a nuisance.

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MBA Updates

Upcoming MBA Seminars:

MBA II at Disney Institute:
"D' Think Your Way to Success"
Orlando, Fla.
November 8-9
Info: www.disneyurl.com/MBADI

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Ask Neil

Dr. Neil Gailmard

A doctor asks...

"I've been encountering some staff turnover recently with no apparent cause. What should I do to assess the situation?"

It is important to assess the possible reasons for staff turnover. Realize that some things in your office happen due to a random bounce. In other words, it may simply be coincidental that you have two or three employees quit in a short period of time. It happens.

Investigate by conducting an exit interview with employees who quit. Take a few minutes in private, calmly and without blame, to ask the departing staff member to share with you the reasons she is leaving and if there is anything that she might share in confidence that might make the practice better.

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

Register Now for MBA II Seminar

MBA II: Disney Principles of Customer Service



Times remains to register for "D'Think Your Way to Success: Disney's Approach to Quality Service." This 1.5 day symposium includes lectures by Disney Institute personnel on delivering world-class customer service, as well as field trips to Disney theme parks. Dave Ziegler, OD, of the MBA faculty, delivers a lecture that connects the highly acclaimed Disney service principles to an optometric practice. Participants also receive teaching modules to pass along these Disney principles to their staff. For more information and to register: www.disneyurl.com/MBADI.

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