MBA Intelligence

February 23, 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...

"What traits do you look for in an associate OD whom you hire?"

One trait I want to see is a willingness to adopt the policies and procedures of the practice. This includes an acceptance of the number of patients seen per day, and use of the standard testing procedures and methods. There is room for individual professional judgment, but many things must be done within the practice system.

Another trait that I think is important is a certain amount of humility. This can be difficult to detect in the interview process, but a doctor who thinks he is better than the staff or the patient is a recipe for problems. We care about customer service and happy employees in our practice, and an arrogant doctor does not do well in that culture.

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

 

"Think About Raising Your Fees"
with Mark Wright, OD, FCOVD

Mark Wright, OD, FCOVD

Dr. Mark Wright suggests that you consider raising your professional fees. In doing so, you will lose some patients, but the increase in revenues will more than offset that loss. Optimizing fees, Dr. Wright says, is critical to working smarter, not harder.

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How Does Your Practice Compare?

How Does Your Practice Compare?

Contact Lens Patients Have More Frequent Eye Exams

Both established and new optometric practice owners estimate that the average interval between eye exams is 14 month for contact lens patients—and 18 months for eyeglass-only patients. ECPs underestimate the actual elapsed time between patient eye exams. From consumer survey data, it is estimated that the median interval between exams for contact lens patients is 18 months, and for glasses-only wearers is 24-27 months. There is no evidence that the frequency of eye exams by either wearer group is increasing in the general population.

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Results of MBA Survey on Management Best Practices Available

The results of a recent MBA Survey, Management Best Practices, now can be viewed on www.MBA-ce.com.

This survey reveals the levels to which independent ODs have adopted the management best practices recommended by the MBA Faculty.

The findings of this survey will allow you to examine how your practice ranks in best practice adoption among all U.S. independent ODs in financial, marketing and staff management processes. You will also see how your delegation of testing to staff compares to colleagues.

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MBA Updates


Carole Burns, OD


The schedule of MBA seminars for 2012 has been finalized. The first MBA seminar of the year is on Sunday, March 25, at Vision Expo East. See the MBA site for registration information.

2012 MBA Seminars:


Vision Expo East, NYC, March 25

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.