In upcoming issues of the SNAPP Insider, we will explore more of these ideas in depth. The meeting covered a variety of suggestions that can impact patient retention, patient flow, staff satisfaction, sales, efficiency and profitability. Here are just a few of the ideas shared:

• Create a script for the optical handoff now that the Eyeglass Rule has gone into effect. The rule says that patients must be given a copy of their eyeglass prescription before anyone offers to sell them eyewear. SNAPP meeting attendees said that they’re having doctors print out the script in the exam room or that it is delivered to the patient at the handoff. One optician now says, “I see you have your prescription there. Can I peek at it so I can check your benefits?”

• Send staff members to visit other Pearle locations. Send them with an assignment to give them some extra guidance, suggests Marlene Linder, retail optical supervisor at the office of board Lisa Hamilton, OD. “Have them watch to see how they do their pacing or their handoff. It’s a way to help you audit your own practices when you see how someone else does it,” she says.

• Have all new employees go through a comprehensive eye exam. It’s important that they know what to expect and what the whole process is about.

• Consider using the term “wellness exam” instead of “comprehensive exam.” It’s a term that patients might find more familiar.

It’s amazing how even small ideas can have a major impact.

Ken Koplow, OD, and Craig Thomas, OD, presented a Think Tank session on what to outsource and how to evaluate it. To answer the question of whether to outsource or keep the tasks in-house, doctors and LOs need to first consider where the bottlenecks and/or inefficiencies or mistakes occur. Here are some opportunities:

Scribes

Whether virtual or in-person, a scribe can increase the efficiency of the doctor by allowing the doctor to focus on the patient rather than the recordkeeping. Charts can often be completed more quickly, and patients tend to appreciate the fuller attention they get from the doctor.

Dr. Kopolow suggested that most practices could see several more patients a day by using a scribe to make the doctor more efficient. “I’ll spend $150 more on staffing for a day if I can make $500 more in revenue that day,” he says.

Dr. Thomas noted that it’s a good idea to alert patients that the scribe and doctor may be speaking to each other in a language that the patient doesn’t necessarily understand. He suggests saying something like, “We will be exchanging a lot of information, and we may use words you’re unfamiliar with. But I assure you that if there’s anything that you need to be aware of, I’m going to speak directly to you and make sure you understand.”

Bookkeeping and/or billing and coding

Most optometrists and LOs are not bookkeeping or billing and coding experts. It takes a commitment to keep up with the regulatory changes and updates that could impact these areas. So these are prime areas for outsourcing, the two said. Excellent services exist that can help in these areas so that owners and operators can bill correctly and quickly to improve cash flow and allow the staff to stay focused on the patients and customers coming in.

Human resources

HR support is another area where regulations can get tricky. Having an HR company to either manage the details or to answer questions can be a big help. “Even if you work in an at-will employment state, having an HR company that can help you protect yourself in discussions or issues with employees can be useful,” says Dr. Kopolow.

Marketing

Some offices may have an employee who is an excellent communicator and can manage social media and patient outreach very well. But if it’s a task that falls to whoever can get it done whenever it becomes urgent, it might be helpful to consider outsourcing the marketing.

How much to outsource depends on how large and busy a practice is. But when a practice becomes so busy that it’s clear that the doctor or key staff are not spending their time actively earning revenue, outsourcing may be the solution. “If I could get to the point where all I do is touch patients, that would be the goal,” says Dr. Kopolow.

Anthony Perry, OD, was stretched about as far as he could go. He splits his day between his two Pearle practices in Clarksville and Nashville, Tennessee. “Having just a half day at each, we did not have the opportunity to add exam slots,” says practice manager Courtney Beatty. “Our best option was to increase revenue per patient.”

Dr. Perry and Courtney Beatty

The two are part of the SnappGroup Masterminds, where they had heard others talk about including Sunbit, a financing company that provides patients and customers with a nearly immediate decision on how much financing they qualify for. Beatty says that she enters some information for patients during the check-in procedure and then hands them the iPad with the Sunbit qualification page. The patient enters some more information and follows a few prompts

“Many patients assume it’s a credit card and the request will be a hard check on their credit. But it’s a payment plan, and the three-month payment plan offers zero percent interest,” she says. Six- and 12-month plans are available as well.

Beatty says it has made an immediate impact in the few months since they’ve started using it. “When patients know at the start that they have this financing option available, it opens the door to sales options that they may not have considered. Maybe they came in really wanting eyeglasses and contact lenses but didn’t think they could do both,” she says.

Notably, the practice has seen its capture rate increase as well. “We see more patients buying that day rather than saying they will come back after their next payday.” As a result, per patient revenue increases–without Dr. Perry having to stay longer at either location to accommodate more appointment slots.

Terri Murphy, general manager at a three-location Pearle Vision in Omaha, Nebraska, created a system to make sure that every patient who gets new eyewear gets a follow-up call. As each pair of eyeglasses is dispensed, a slip with that patient’s information is put into a tray with the day of the week on it. Then, for example, the following week on Monday, one of the staff members pulls all the names out of last Monday’s tray or drawer and calls each of those people.

“At first, we did this a little half-heartedly,” Murphy says. But the practice staff found that patients appreciated it. “We were getting calls back from patients who wanted to tell us that they were doing fine. It was also an opportunity to remind them that if they needed an adjustment, they could contact us,” she says.

Murphy schedules the opening staff to arrive 15 minutes before opening so that the team can get organized. One staff person is the primary person who makes these calls every day. It doesn’t take her long, and it’s a great touchpoint with patients. “Plus, if there’s anything that isn’t just right, we’d rather know about it as soon as possible,” Murphy says. She also suggests that using the “notes” section in the AcuityLogic system is a great way to keep track of patients who need additional follow-up calls or attention.

Murphy and Rebecca Robinson, OD, are also big believers in regular all-staff meetings. “On the third Thursday of each month, we block off the appointment books for a time, and the staff from our main office and satellite offices all come in. It’s mandatory, and it’s a great way to reinvigorate the entire team,” she says.

We might not always like or agree with them, but rules exist for a reason. And within the world of documentation and coding, the American Medical Association’s Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) is a gold standard rulebook. CPT defines the codes you use for reporting the services you render and, as such, you need to pay close attention to their descriptions. Misalignments often provide paths for 3rd party exploration in audits.

With that in mind, it’s important to remember that most of the special testing ordered by eye care providers requires an “interpretation and report” (I&R) per CPT. That means tests like perimetry/visual fields, OCTs, corneal topography, extended ophthalmoscopy, fundus photos, etc. each need an associated I&R. An easy way to remember the important components of an I&R is to think of the four R’s:

• Reason: Why was the test ordered? What condition(s) were being evaluated?

• Results: What did the test tell you?

• Reliability: Can you depend on the accuracy of the results? You can develop a grading system that works for you, but many use the terms “Good,” “Fair,” or “Poor” to comment on test reliability.

• Recommendations for care: What are you going to do about the results?

Importantly, none of this needs to be lengthy. Clear and concise can be the goal if you prefer. And most EHRs provide one or more I&R fields directly associated with the test. Here’s an example of an I&R that addresses each of the four Rs for an OCT:

In the end, documenting an interpretation and report for each of the special tests you order is good practice not only from a continuity and coordination of care standpoint, but also one of compliance.

Reach out to the HELIX team with any billing questions you have. We might have the solution for you.

Nothing you can do will prevent every regrettable hire, but you can reduce the likelihood of one—and all the stress and cost that comes with it—by fine-tuning your processes for writing job postings, interviewing candidates and making your final decision. In the SNAPP Monthly, we will look at each of these in turn. This month focuses on the job posting.

The Job Posting

The goal of a job posting isn’t to attract as many people as possible—not unless anyone could do the job. Effective job postings encourage applications from qualified job seekers while discouraging applications from individuals who either wouldn’t be able to do the job or perform at the level you need. The best postings are engaging, informative and clear. They build excitement among quality candidates and provide people with reasons to self-select out of the jobs that aren’t right for them.

When drafting the job posting, you must know what you’re looking for. Describe the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to do the job as accurately and precisely as you can. Start with what’s most important. Readers should be able to tell right away whether they’re qualified and capable of being successful in the role.

Use language they’re likely to understand and that will help them envision themselves in the role. Be concrete, but concise. Technical jargon and acronyms might be fine if they’re well known in the field, but avoid terms that are more particular to your organization or that may have different meanings to different audiences. Be careful with abstract descriptors like “fast-paced environment,” “deadline-driven,” “long hours” or “work hard play hard.” A fast-paced work environment, for instance, could mean projects get done quickly and efficiently, but it could also mean that people feel rushed to get their regular jobs done because they’re constantly putting out fires. If you’re not sure how to describe the work or work environment, ask employees what terms they’d use and what those descriptions look like in practice.

Next month: The Interview Process

Photo credits—Getty images: idea: justinmedia; helix tip: Canan turan; amcheck tip: metamorworks; eyeglasses: Martinns; declining senses: FatCamera; early research: haushe