MBA Intelligence - How to Make Pre-Appointment Work

Ask Neil

Dr. Neil Gailmard

A doctor asks...

“How frequently should you conduct staff meetings?"

It is very important to hold staff meetings at least once per week for about one hour. The purpose of the meeting is for doctor and staff members to communicate. Don't get bogged down with what you will talk about; the important thing is that you talk!

A staff meeting does not need to be formal. You have the basis for a great staff meeting if everyone gets together at a specific day and time each week and the doctor simply asks: "Tell me what happened in the past week. What did we do well? What did we do that did not go well?"

Just talk about it! In doing so, the culture of the practice is re-defined week after week. Employees learn how to handle situations next time. The doctor or manager can provide leadership. Policies can be decided upon, training can occur, new optical products can be discussed, and customer service can be elevated. A well-informed staff is a better staff!

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

Super Service Pearls

Are Patients Always Right?

Patients say a lot of dumb things. They can't understand why their eyeglasses are scratched and need replacing after just three years of daily use. They think it's perfectly safe to wear their disposable lenses for months at a time because they never had an infection. They believe their vision insurance should cover everything. They do not understand why a contact lens exam costs more. Or they expect treatment to begin immediately when they arrive 45 minutes late for their exam.

Patients' knowledge of the facts can be all wrong. But a customer's feelings are never wrong. It's impossible to win an argument involving a patient's feelings.

When patients say preposterous things, it's natural to want to set them straight and protect the interests of the practice. But arguments always arouse negative emotions and make rational discussion impossible. Arguments are viewed as attacks on a patient's intelligence, integrity or judgment. Patients cling to their beliefs to preserve their world view and self-esteem. Sound logic is always secondary. Patients should never be told they are wrong, even when they are. Patients whose egos are attacked, aren't likely to return.

To defuse potential arguments, it is effective for a doctor or staff member to say: "I may be wrong. I frequently am. Let's examine the facts."

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"Vary Your Staff Bonus Systems"
with Laurie Sorrenson, OD

Many staff bonus systems are effective at improving performance—but only temporarily, advises Laurie Sorrenson, OD, FAAO, who lectures at the MBA seminar "Building a World Class Staff." The key to sustained high performance by staff is to vary bonus systems and even to engage staff members in a fun game.

How Does Your Practice Compare?

Annual Supply Sales Greater for Monthly Lenses

Established independent optometric practices estimate that half of patients wearing monthly replacement lenses purchase four boxes on exam day. That compares to 25 percent of patients wearing two-week lenses who buy eight boxes. Purchase audits suggest that ECPs overestimate their actual ratio of annual supply sales, but studies confirm a significantly higher ratio of annual supply purchases for monthly lenses. Retailers know that it is always easier to sell fewer units than more units to customers. Studies also show that a majority of two-week lens wearers stretch the interval between replacements beyond two weeks, many to once a month or less. Fewer monthly lens wearers stretch lens usage beyond the doctor-recommended interval.

Market Facts

Most Eyewear Buyers Select Frames First

This chart illustrates the impact of increasing the usage of photochromic spectacle lenses as a percent of sales of eyeglasses.

MBA Updates

Upcoming MBA Seminars:

A full slate of MBA seminars to be held in 2012 will be posted on MBA-ce.com soon. MBA seminars will be held at both Vision Expo East and Vision Expo West, as well as at state and regional meetings.

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Sticky Situations

Dr. Dave Zeigler

A patient asks...

"I came here for an eye exam through my vision plan. Now I am being billed for it because it was submitted to my medical insurance, and my deductible hasn't been met. What's going on?"

Sometimes a patient schedules a "routine eye exam" and you find significant ocular disease. Instead of the exam being billed to the vision plan, the charges go to the patient's medical insurance, often times with comprehensive 92- or 99-codes that are more expensive than your routine intermediate charges. These fees go straight to the patient's deductible and the patient may end up with a large out-of-pocket expense when they thought it would be a covered exam through their vision plan. How can you explain these costs to the patients?

This is a nebulous area to venture into. I have gotten many optometrists' views on when to bill medical and when to bill it to the vision plan.

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

MBA Seminars Highlight a Banner Year for MBA

Several recent MBA seminars concluded a busy year in which MBA programs were held all across the United States and Canada. The schedule for MBA events in 2012 will be announced soon and will be listed in MBA-ce.com.

MBA II: Disney Principles of Customer Service

Thirty optometrists gathered in Orlando, Florida, on November 8-9 to attend "D'Think Your Way to Success: Disney's Approach to Quality Service." This 1.5 day symposium included 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, delivered a lecture that connects the highly acclaimed Disney service principles to an optometric practice. Participants also received teaching modules to pass along these Disney principles to their staff. A PDF version of this is available at MBA-ce.com.

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December 15, 2011