Posts Tagged ‘Optometry’

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Larry Silver

An Eye Disease or Systemic Disorder?

Posted by Larry Silver

Hearing Loss Study Adds to the Evidence

Shahin Yazdani, MD, and his research team evaluated whether patients with ocular pseudoexfoliation syndrome—the most common cause worldwide of the form of glaucoma known as “secondary open angle”—had a higher incidence of hearing loss. In ocular pseudoexfoliation (also called “exfoliation”) syndrome, fibrous white deposits aggregate on the iris, lens and other parts of the eye and can block fluid drainage; this blockage increases intraocular pressure, which can damage the optic nerve. Similar fibrillar deposits have been found in the heart, blood vessels, lung, liver, kidneys and skin of patients with ocular pseudoexfoliation. In addition, pseudoexfoliation has been associated with ischemic heart disease. systemic hypertension, aneurysms, Alzheimer’s disease, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The researchers hypothesized that the hearing organs might also be affected after noticing hearing disability in many pseudoexfoliation patients.

The case-control study enrolled 83 patients with ocular pseudoexfoliation and 83 controls matched for age and gender. Hearing loss was significantly more prevalent in patients with pseudoexfoliation than controls —-94 percent versus 69.9 percent. Below-average hearing thresholds were also significantly more common in ears of cases versus controls, 88.4 percent and 53.6 percent respectively. As in past studies, no definitive correlation was found between glaucoma and hearing loss. The authors conclude: “The findings of the present study imply that this apparently ocular disorder may truly be a manifestation of a systemic condition that affects multiple organs throughout the body.”

Ophthalmologists are urged to consider the possibility of hearing loss in patients with ocular pseudoexfoliation syndrome and guide them to additional medical care as needed.

Source: Newswise

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Posted in Issue 11 | No Comments »

Larry Silver

Providing A Firm Foundation Through Written Office Policy

Posted by Larry Silver

A Way to Avoid Common Confusions in the Work Place

In order to function most effectively as a team, agreements must be known and adhered to for smooth, efficient coordination and cooperation. This is also known as “policy”. As long as people know what the rules of the activity are, and those guidelines are clearly presented as being in the best interest of the activity, the policies will be followed and a smoother operating environment will result.

Policy that is understood, agreed upon and adhered to will strengthen the practice in the achievement of the goals.

Even those “policies” that are simply in your head, and you figure “everyone knows” should be put in writing. By putting all policies in writing, problems and confusions that could otherwise surface will be curtailed and even eliminated.

It is advisable to create your “General Office Policy” to address fundamental issues that affect every practice. In addition, policies relating to specific areas of the practice should be properly documented. The practice should maintain a Master Policy Manual and each employee should have his or her own copy of the policies of the practice.

Once a General Office Policy Manual is developed, the practice will continue to generate new policies as time goes on and new issues and situations present themselves. When creating a new policy, place a copy in the Master Policy Manual and distribute a copy to each relevant staff member. Request that the staff then send written compliance to the office manager that they have read and understand the policy and that they have placed their copy in their respective manuals.

Following is a list of the types of topics that should be addressed in the General Office Policy.

Recommended Topics That Should Be Addressed In Written Office Policy

Patient Relations

Equal Opportunity Statement

Harassment

Bonding Of Employees

Terms of At-Will Employment

Orientation and Training

Definition of Full and Part Time

Work Hours

Pay Periods

Payroll Deductions

Wage and Salary Guidelines

Salary Adjustments

Fringe Benefits

Retirement Plan

Vacation

Holidays

Sick Leave

Maternity Leave

Funeral Leave

Jury Duty

Absenteeism

Tardiness

Personal Time Off

Leave of Absence

Voting

Reimbursement of Expenses

Disciplinary Measures

Staff Meetings

Continuing Education

Problem Resolution

Smoking

Breaks and Lunchtimes

Job Performance Reviews

Termination

Unemployment Insurance

Worker’s Compensation

Health and Safety Rules

Cleanliness/Maintenance

Appearance

Uniforms

Personal Data Changes

Solicitation

Office Security

Where To Park

Telephone Use

Outside Employment

Confidentiality

Dating of Patients

The material presented is not intended as a substitute for appropriate legal, accounting and governing board advice. The information and suggestions may or may not conform with all Federal, State (or Province), and Local rules, laws and regulations. Each state, county or city may have very different statutes or ordinances influencing legal employee policies. It is imperative that you have your policy manual and employment practices reviewed by legal counsel with particular expertise in the employment laws of your city, county, state or province.

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Posted in Issue 09 | 1 Comment »

Larry Silver

When the Doctor is Away

Posted by Larry Silver

How you keep the office running

If you as the doctor/owner are planning to be away from the office – even for a day or two – the staff has some free time, too. The doctor/owner or office manager can make lists of things that need to be done.

Make sure that if your absence was somewhat unforeseen, provisions for referring emergency cases to other doctors have been arranged for, and that patients/clients have been rescheduled.

The doctor’s absence provides an opportunity to take care of matters that could not be conveniently handled on days when patients/clients are in the office. For example, this may be the time to have the walls repainted or to have equipment repaired. Of course, the owner should be consulted before this is organized.

The staff should take care of as many tasks as possible on their own, so that an insurmountable pile of unfinished business will not be waiting for your return. Mail should be opened, sorted, and placed in priority order. If any mail comes into the office that needs to be acknowledged, the office manager should send a letter informing the writer that the doctor is away, when he/she will be returning, and that the doctor will answer the letter when he/she returns. If the doctor is going to be away for a long time, a brief summary of the mail and phone calls can be mailed or emailed to him or her, or communicated over the phone.

This is a good opportunity to perform chart purges, contact patients/clients regarding their recall appointments, activate inactive patients/clients and get them scheduled, send out letters, and work on promotional projects.

The owner and the office manager should meet prior to the scheduled absence and form a plan for what the staff should work on during that period. As unexpected absence of the doctor can occasionally occur, the owner and the office manager should determine the policy to govern such an instance which would define what the staff is to do during that time.

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Posted in Issue 09 | No Comments »

Larry Silver

Collecting money at the time of treatment

Posted by Larry Silver

By: Ken DeRouchie

I interview doctors every day as part of my research for writing articles for Solutions. We also have a number of staff surveyors constantly interviewing doctors to find out what is important to them concerning the management of their practice. Accounts receivables and collection percentages are a subject that we hear about frequently. Every doctor has a different idea about what a good collection percentage is as well as how to collect money for services rendered.

For example, I have talked to many doctors that feel obligated to let patients/clients go without paying. They feel guilty about trying to collect from a patient/client if they feel that person is in a financial hardship.

While this is quite altruistic, what these doctors must also understand is that they can’t continue to provide help to their patients/clients if they can’t afford to keep the doors of their practice open. If you provide a service, you should be compensated for it. Period. Unless you go into a situation KNOWING in advance that it is going to be a charity case, (and there is certainly room for that in any practice, as long as it is planned for) you should insist on being paid for rendering that service.

Of course this is great in theory but being able to actually collect all monies owed is another story and requires good group coordination and effort. If you and your staff are trained on how to do this from initial contact through patient discharge, including having the proper policies in place with your staff and patients/clients, your chances of collecting at the time of treatment go up exponentially. We believe that you should be collecting 98% or better of what you are producing minus insurance adjustments. If you are collecting less than 98%, you are losing net income out of your own pocket.

Let me explain. If, at the end of your fiscal year, you have enough money to pay for everything, all of your overhead is covered, your staff salaries, your mortgage/lease, equipment payments, taxes, etc., any lost income then becomes your own lost personal net income. For example: if you were collecting an average of 93% (5% lower than what should be your standard) with an annual gross income of $650,000.00 ($55k per month), this would equate to a loss of $32,500.00 per year. Over ten years this amounts to a staggering $325,000.00! And that is essentially straight out of your own pocket. This is the equivalent of you working one or more out of every ten years for free. Many doctors we survey think that “a few percent here or there isn’t that significant.” I hope the above numbers disabuse you of that idea.

With the above in mind, is it now worth it to you to spend the time to train your receptionist and/or collection/finance person on collecting properly?

Here are some tips on things you can do to increase your collection percentages.

First Contact:

When a new patient/client initially calls to make an appointment, the receptionist should keep it as simple as possible for the patient to arrive. Simply schedule them in as soon as possible so that they feel well serviced as their first impression. The new patient/client should be informed to arrive early to fill out paperwork so that the appointment can happen on time. Payment terms and conditions should not be discussed on the phone. You want to make it as easy as possible for the new patient/client to come in the office and not be put off by anything at the initial contact. When they get into the office you can then go over your financial policies. You should, though, ask them to bring any insurance information they have should insurance be relevant to the potential treatment. This should include the name of the company, their policy number, what is covered, what their deductible is, etc. Do not worry about having to get into the details of this over the phone and don’t make the patient feel harassed by this. You don’t want to turn the patient off before they even arrive or they may not arrive. You want the patient to feel friendly and comfortable about coming into the office but, at the same time, you want them to bring any relevant data that they can.

When they arrive:

As soon as the new patient/client comes through the door they need to be greeted warmly by the receptionist. The receptionist should then supply the new arrival with the necessary forms to fill out. Included should be a form covering your specific payment requirements indicating that payment is due at the time of treatment and/or your insurance agreements and arrangements. If insurance is involved, the form should include a place to provide what insurance they have, how much is covered, what the deductible is and most importantly, that they will be expected to pay the co-pay, deductible or anything not covered by insurance at the time of treatment. They should also be told that, unless otherwise agreed upon, you don’t offer billing but will gladly accept cash and most major credit cards. Let them know if you offer financing through companies such as Care Credit and, if they feel they will require such financial assistance, make sure they meet right away with the person in your office who handles these matters. If you don’t take care of it on the spot, you are likely to be left with a collection problem on this account. Make sure that you require their signature on this form that signifies that they have read, understood and will comply with the financial policy of your office

Once they have received treatment:

Validate your patient/client for the good decision they made to confront and handle the problem they came to you with. Let them know they did the right thing and that the investment they made was a good one. Follow up the first treatment with a quality control call, ideally from the doctor, to make sure all went well.

As treatment continues, make sure that everyone in the office continues to reinforce the good decision the patient/client made and, make the patient/client feel welcome in the office.

If you do these things you will see a turn around in your collection percentages and you will see your net income go up.

If you have specific questions for Ken DeRouchie on this article or would like to suggest a new topic for him to write about, please call 800-695-0257 ext 1664

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Posted in Issue 09 | 1 Comment »

Larry Silver

Guest column: Coping With Conflict – Part Two

Posted by Larry Silver

A Layperson’s guide to resolving conflict in the office

By Daniel A. Bobrow, MBA

President, American Dental Company

Part two in a series of two articles

In last issue’s article, we discussed models and tenets used to resolve conflict. In this part, I’ll go over the skills necessary that, once mastered, can greatly assist you in managing and resolving conflict in your office.

Active Listening

Truly listening and showing with your body language a sincere desire to know what the person is saying is vital. A person must feel that they are being heard for any resolution of any conflict or problem to occur. This can be further demonstrated by some of the points below.

Mirroring

Restating conceptually what is said to you to confirm your understanding. Care should be taken to “neutralize” statements by eliminating or changing words that are emotionally charged or are accusatory.

Pacing

Another method has to do with understanding and matching the tone and pacing of a person’s speech pattern, and, if needed slowing it down. The goal being to calm the person so a more productive conversation may take place.

BATNA

This is an abbreviation for Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement. It involves asking the person to consider what the best possible outcome will be if a mutually agreeable settlement can not be reached. An example of the use of BATNA is: “Joseph, I know you don’t like making reactivation calls in the evening. But you’re the only one on our staff who is capable of doing so. And you remember the mess we were in before we brought you on. What do you think will happen if we just stop doing this?” Embedded in this sentence is another technique called stroking (see below).

Reality Test

Similar to BATNA, reality testing attempts to get the person to see that his or her proposed solution is unrealistic, or at least, not optimum.

Blame Yourself, Not Others

A great way to neutralize tension during the mediation session is for the mediator to take responsibility for any misunderstandings or uncomfortable situations that might arise. For example, if a party grows impatient while the other party is speaking, you might say “I’m sorry for not giving you an opportunity to speak, Sam. Just as soon as Bill finishes, you’ll have your chance.”

Ask “Harmless” Questions

Ask “leading” questions: especially when the parties seem to have reached an impasse, ask “safe” questions that get the parties talking again. For instance, you might say “Whose turn is it to get lunch today? I’m starving!” or “By the way, did I remember to thank you both for helping me juggle those four patients this morning? I owe you for that one!”

Stroking

Let the parties know that they’re doing a great job in the mediation, and you really appreciate their willingness to sit down and talk things over. It’s too bad more people are not willing to talk and listen.

The goal of all the above techniques is to get people to see for themselves why resolution of the conflict is in everyone’s interest, including theirs. If someone feels that they are being manipulated, or that a solution is being forced upon them, the parties to the conflict will be less likely to adhere to the proposed agreement. Remember that agreement is not the sole criterion of success. In fact, if either party feels the agreement is “forced on them,” it may do more harm than good.

An Ounce of Prevention

One way to deal with conflict is to create an environment where it is less likely to arise. One way to do this are to anticipate the kinds of conflict between staff members, doctors, and patients, then implement systems and training to prevent these situations from arising. Examples include:

“Personality Conflicts” between staff

Implement some form of compatibility assessment into your employee screening procedure, as well as for current employees. Doing so can help you understand who is most suited for working with whom. Employ active listening and caucus tools (see part 1, last issue).

“Trust is an essential ingredient of a productive and profitable environment,” says Dr. Ira S. Wolfe, DDS, president of Success Performance Solutions. “The willingness of people to exchange ideas and collaborate is thwarted when people are selected and promoted on the basis of skills and experience alone. ” People have to be able to get along with their co-workers in order to have a winning team environment. Wolfe’s SMARRT management process encourages and facilitates matching people who are compatible with the job, the team, and the practice culture. There are also testing procedures that help choose the right person for the right job and assesses their potential compatibility with other staff. Find some technique, test, or company who has experience and proven results in this area to help you with this. Doing this properly will result in less conflict and stress, and higher practice productivity.

Patient Complaints about being kept waiting

Implement a policy of notifying patients in advance if the doctor is running late. Promote a “no waiting policy” as part of your mission statement or declaration of principles. When the occasional complaint does occur, be prepared to use disarming verbiage such as “The doctor asked me to apologize to you for not being able to see you. He is busy with a procedure that has proven more involved than we anticipated. He assures me he will do everything he can to see you as soon as possible. Is that acceptable to you Mr. Jones?” Doing so before the complaint arises in the first place is a great way to show your sincere concern for your patient and respect for their time.

Staff Member refusing to implement changes or “grow with the practice.”

Caucus with that person employing the techniques covered above. Through good communication and active listening you can get to the source of this team member’s unwillingness to work with the team. In many cases, you may discovering something more fundamental going on that has farther reaching implications for the practice.

Another way of preventing conflict is to hire, then educate and motivate staff members to recognize the value of the work they do, and the value of the practice to its patients and the community. Involvement in charitable groups, for instance, can give the practice team a sense of shared pride, and serve to put in perspective the disagreements as self-indulgent exercises that neither the practice nor staff members can afford.

As I am writing this, I am experiencing a poignant example of potential for conflict. I am working on my laptop on a return flight from a conference I’d attended. A rather ample gentleman was seated in front of me. As he reclines his seat, my laptop is thrust into my abdomen. I struggle in vain to position the laptop in a way that will not restrict my breathing. Out of desperation, I at last say, “excuse me sir, I’m sorry to distrub you, but I wonder if it would be possible for you to bring your seat back up just a little bit and still remain comfortable. I realize these seats were not designed with the use of a laptop in mind, but it would be a great help if I could continue working on this article as I am under somewhat of a deadline.” He was immediately accommodating.

In addition to my choice of words, the fact that I had earlier helped this same gentleman avoid a bump to his head by pointing out the open overhead cargo bay no doubt set the stage for his cooperation. As to what I said, I was careful not to use accusatory or demanding language that suggested blame or that I was entitled to anything. I also showed a respect for his comfort, and directed the cause for the situation to the design of the seats. Finally, I offered a reason why I needed to continue my work.

Final Thoughts

Remember, an agreement needs to last, especially if between staff members.

A number of resources are at your disposal if you would like to learn more about how alternative dispute resolution (ADR) can help you achieve more harmonious relations in your practice. Which are appropriate depends on factors such as the number of staff members and the types of conflict you experience. I invite interested readers to contact me if they would like to learn more about these powerful techniques.

Daniel A. Bobrow, MBA is president of the American Dental Company, a Chicago-Based Consultancy serving the dental profession. He has mediated and arbitrated various cases. He is also Executive Director of Climb For A Cause, a non-profit Foundation whose mission is to provide health care treatment and education to people in need worldwide. He may be reached at 312-455-9488 and

Dbobrow@AmericanDentalCo.com or

Director@ClimbForACause.org.

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Posted in Issue 09 | No Comments »

Larry Silver

Optometry Awards Contact Lenses With Seal of Acceptance

Posted by Larry Silver

World Council of Optometry Awards UV Absorbing Contact Lenses With Global Seal of Acceptance

The World Council of Optometry’s (WCO) Global Seal of Acceptance for Ultraviolet Absorbing Contact Lenses was awarded to Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. The announcement was made at the annual meeting of the American Optometric Association in Boston.

“In awarding the Global Seal of Acceptance, the World Council of Optometry Global Commission on Ophthalmic Standards (WCO GCOS), which provides independent evaluation of ophthalmic related products, has determined that certain Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. contact lens brands meet established, recognized and accepted standards that are adopted by the WCO GCOS,” said WCO President Robert Chappell. “These include published standards of International Standards Organization (ISO) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI).”

The ISO and ANSI standards classify UV-blocking contact lenses into two groups based on the lens’ absorptive capacity at its minimum thickness. Class 2 UV-blockers must absorb at least 70 percent of UVA and more than 95 percent of UVB radiation. Class 1 UV-blockers must absorb a minimum of 90 percent UVA and at least 99 percent UVB radiation. Only products that meet these standards may claim to be UV blocking. All of the lenses previously received the American Optometric Association (AOA) Seal of Acceptance for Ultraviolet Absorbers/Blockers.

“Not all contact lens lines offer UV protection, and, of those that do, not all provide similar absorption levels,” explains Cristina Schnider, OD, Director, Medical Affairs, VISTAKON(R), Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc.

Experts say the effects of UV radiation are cumulative and can do irreversible harm to all structures of the eye and surrounding tissue that are left unprotected or under-protected. Certain conditions, such as age-related cataract, may not manifest for years at which point the damage is already done and it is too late to reverse the effects of the sun. “That’s why it is important to get maximum protection beginning in childhood,” advises Dr. Schnider. “The most complete measure of UV protection can be achieved with a combination of UV-absorbing sunglasses, a wide-brimmed hat, and UV-blocking contact lenses.”

Because they cover the entire cornea and limbus, UV-blocking contact lenses offer an added level of protection when worn with UV blocking sunglasses. While many sunglasses block UV rays that enter through the lenses, most do not prevent unfiltered rays from reaching the eyes through the sides, as well as the top, and/or bottom of the glasses. Due to their inability to block these peripheral rays, some sunglasses block as little as 50 percent of all UV radiation from reaching the eyes.

“It is just as important to block these peripheral UV rays,” warns Dr. Schnider. “UV-blocking contact lenses provide added protection by effectively blocking sunlight that may enter the cornea from the top, bottom, or sides of the glasses.” Although UV-blocking contact lenses provide important added protection for patients, they should not be viewed as a stand-alone solution. Contact lenses should always be worn in conjunction with high-quality UV-blocking sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat for maximum UV protection for the eyes.

The World Council of Optometry is an international organization dedicated to the enhancement and development of eye and vision care worldwide. Representing over 200,000 optometrists from 75 member organizations in 41 countries, WCO serves as a forum for optometric organizations to respond to public health needs and opportunities around the world. The WCO is a member of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness and maintains official relations with the World Health Organization.

SOURCE: PR Newswire

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Posted in Issue 09 | No Comments »

Larry Silver

Profile: Dr. Steve Schoemer, OD

Posted by Larry Silver

A Major Practice Management Success Story

Practice: Vision Concepts

Location: Springfield, TN

Dr. Steve Schoemer, an optometrist twenty miles outside of Nashville, Tennessee, had a cash flow problem. Although his practice was growing 10-20 percent every year, his practice wasn’t organized or efficient enough to handle the problem.

”I was staff heavy and was having problems with staff management,” said Dr. Schoemer, “I didn’t feel I was making the money I could be making given the size of my practice.”

He had been in practice for 10 years and tried managing everything himself. He found that the combination of managing the staff and being the doctor was a very difficult situation to be in. He contacted a number of practice management consulting firms before settling on the one he felt could handle his problems.

“The gentleman that came out was professional and to the point. My first contact with him was over the phone and I could feel that he understood the problems I was having and that he had some answers for them. He was confident and that made me feel confident. When he came to the office it took him about 30 minutes to correctly evaluate everyone and all our problems. I was beginning to think he was psychic. I could see that he was so thoroughly familiar and knowledgeable in the area of practice management that problems I might never be able to solve, he and his company could figure out in no time at all,” he said.

Dr. Schoemer has found tremendous success through taking the step of bringing in practice management consultants to his practice. “They helped with my cash flow problem as soon as my consulting started. I began showing a profit every month and have shown a profit ever since I started, except for the first 3 months after I moved into my new office. This month I am showing a large profit and next month we are just going to practically blow the doors off. I’m excited. I may never have been able to build my own office without [their] help,” he exclaimed.

And the cash flow problem has been thoroughly handled. Dr. Schoemer said, “The gross has more than doubled. The year before I signed up, my gross was $370,000. The year after was $480,000.” Shortly after that he had raised his gross to over $750,000.
“Several other important things have happened as well. I have a management system in place that I am so excited about. We know how to hire the right people, which is a big relief. Before I was afraid to lose any staff member and therefore felt like they were holding me hostage. We have more new patients than we’ve ever had and our internal marketing is phenomenal. We’re very efficient, we know how to manage, we’re organized and we’re having a great time. A lot of the old stresses are gone,” he said.

A key action that eliminated those “old stresses” for Dr. Schoemer was by removing day-to-day operations from his zone of responsibility and delegating those to an office manager. This enabled Dr. Schoemer to concentrate on delivering quality care to his patients.

Most doctors are familiar with the problems extant when dealing with managed care systems. Dr. Schoemer also got those under control.

“I’ve been able to stop taking certain plans that were poor reimbursers. I’ve even had some plans come back and offer me more money because they get such a good response from our office. Our patients go out of this office with the best in service and products. This provides me with a great peace of mind. We’re the number one office in Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky for selling the AR coating and the scratch coating. This is a direct result of having a well trained staff. We use a nationwide lab and we’re doing an incredible number. We get people to buy the top quality lenses and frames whether they have insurance or not. I no longer feel like I’m a hostage to insurance companies,” he said.

Dr. Schoemer offers some advice to practicing optometrists,”I would have done this program much sooner if I knew then what I know now. It only took a few months for me to make the cost of the program back. My advice would be to take a serious look at doing something now as opposed to later, or never.”

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Posted in Issue 07 | No Comments »

Larry Silver

PROFILE: DIRK BEYER, OD

Posted by Larry Silver

PRACTICE: BIG SKY EYE CARE

LOCATION: HAMILTON, MONTANA

How a Doctor Made his Wife Happy

Dr. Dirk Beyer, an optometrist based in Hamilton, Montana had no idea how much he didn’t know when he came out of optometry school.

“I had no idea how to run a practice,” said Dr. Beyer.

After graduating from the University of Houston College of Optometry in 1996, Dr. Beyer started his residency working for a government agency – the Indian Health Services. Granted, it gave a tremendous amount of hands-on experience on the clinical side, but it did nothing to prepare him for the real task of running a for-profit practice.

In 2000, after 4 years with Indian Health Services, Dr. Beyer bought a practice of his own. Initially there were 3 doctors and they went through 22 staff in a two-year period! There were no real management systems in place to properly run the business side of the practice.

After two years of struggling, he knew he needed some help. He hired a practice management consulting firm and quickly made remarkable improvement.

“I went from $353,000 in production per year to $750,000 per year in just over a 2-year period,” said Dr. Beyer. “I’m more organized and handling staff is a lot better and a lot easier.”

“We use statistics to keep us in line. Our scheduling is better, recall is better. The whole practice atmosphere has improved,” explained Dr. Beyer. “I would propitiate to staff or with clients if they didn’t get good service and I would give service away. Consulting got the practice to the point where I’m just the doctor and the staff take care of handling clients. It’s an incredibly successful formula. We handled things across the boards as well as got rid of a lot of bad management habits.

“We are excellent at pediatrics, filling contact lens prescriptions and educating our patients. These have all contributed to our big referral base.”

With this success, Dr. Beyer was able to purchase a new building with all new equipment and hired some new staff for expansion. He said, “A key aspect of consulting is getting new staff trained and operational.”

“Even given the success of the practice, I maintain consulting because it’s easy to wander off and do poorly. It enables me to stay on track even though we’re doing very well.”

He feels, though, that the biggest benefit has not been financial or organizational. The biggest benefit has been that his wife is now sleeping at night. Things used to be so stressful that his wife, Terri – his high school sweetheart – couldn’t sleep at night. Now she is happy and they have been able to have 3 children over the last 6 years.

His favorite hobbies are bow hunting, golf, snowboarding and skiing. “That’s why I love Montana, there are so many opportunities to do those activities,” exclaimed Dr. Beyer.

“I would like to add one more thing,” said Dr. Beyer, “Just because a practice has been in existence for many, many years doesn’t mean the doctor or the staff are doing well. It could just be they have been making the same mistakes over and over again for years. Consulting can help you to see the areas you’re blind to so you can recover and cause your production to go even higher.”

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Posted in Issue 06 | No Comments »

Larry Silver

Haas School of Business and Optometry Join for Business Plan

Posted by Larry Silver

BERKELEY /Ute Frey, UC Berkeley/- Optometry students at the University of California, Berkeley, are getting a leg up in basic business skills from Haas School of Business faculty as part of a special program to prepare future optometrists to manage a private practice.

Workshops in the new Executive Eye Care Business Program, a new collaboration between the Haas School and the School of Optometry, began aiming to sharpen the business skills of eye care professionals and better prepare them to run their own private practices after graduation.

“There is an often unrecognized need for management skills in non-corporate environments,” said Andy Shogan, associate dean for instruction at the Haas School. “Similar to our Management of Technology collaboration with the College of Engineering and our concurrent degree programs with the School of Public Health and School of Law (Boalt Hall), this is an example of Haas leveraging its expertise to help another discipline interested in elevating the business savvy of its practitioners.”

The response from the students has been outstanding. Over 90 percent of third-year optometry students, plus many of the available fourth-year students, are participating in the workshops, which consist of nine instruction sections delivered over 12 weeks. Each section features an instructor and an advising consultant, roles shared by faculty from the Haas School and the School of Optometry.

Haas School instructors include Professor Jonathan Leonard on human resources management; Professor David Vogel on ethics; Assistant Professor Thomas Davidoff on microeconomics; and lecturer David Robinson on marketing. Serving as advisers are Professor Candace Yano on operations management; Assistant Professor Thomas Davidoff on personal finance; Visiting Associate Professor Godwin Wong on entrepreneurship; and lecturers Rada Brooks on accounting/finance and Alan Ross on business law.
Classes are not for credit and are free to participating students, who must fit the additional coursework in with their existing studies. The School of Optometry is funding the program, with corporate support from Vision Service Plan, Alcon, and Vision West, Inc.

“While the primary thrust for any medical practitioner is giving top quality care to patients, this can only be sustained if a medical practice is also a going concern,” said Dr. Robert DiMartino, chair of the faculty for the School of Optometry and an associate professor of clinical optometry.

“We already have a reputation as a leading optometry school, training people to be the best eye care providers they can be,” he said. “Now, we’d like to widen their options by giving them the tools to be medical providers who can also be successful in an entrepreneurial venture or as a partner in a private practice.”

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Posted in Issue 04 | No Comments »

Larry Silver

PROFILE: Dr. Tommasina Pasqua

Posted by Larry Silver

Fresh Out of School Michigan Optometrist goes from $84,000 to $425,000 in 3 years!

PROFILE:

Dr. Tommasina Pasqua

Practice: Harrisville Eye Care

Location: Harrisville, Michigan

A 1998 Dean’s List graduate of the Michigan School of Optometry at Ferris State University, Dr. Tommasina Pasqua opened her office right out of school while also being employed at an ophthalmology practice.

During her first 3 years in practice she worked part-time at her practice and was producing $80,000 per year, which is very respectable for a starting part-time practice.

However, her accounts receivable was out of control and she didn’t have the time to put things to rights due to working all the time. She was having problems with staff members, felt that she was stuck in an old building and that she should be seeing more patients. Not only that, she had a newborn to take care of.

With all of these issues weighing her down, Dr. Pasqua decided to hire practice management consultants to put some order in. This was in 2002. Within 8 months of hiring her consultants, Dr. Pasqua had recouped her investment. She currently is working full-time, seeing patients 4 days a week and made $425,000 in production last year. That is a 500% rise over only 2 years!

“I’m continuing with my consultants because I want to take my practice to the next level and increase my net. I want to start a second practice and buy excellent equipment to better service my patients,” said Dr. Pasqua, “Currently, I’m getting guidance in financial planning. Each course I take causes my statistics to go up.”

She said, “Right now, delivery is great and I like giving my undivided attention to one-on-one patient care. To be honest, I especially like the fashion aspect of optometry. I like helping people with frame selection because it makes them feel good when they find the frame they love.”

Building the practice has enabled Dr. Pasqua to participate more in local activities. She recently accepted a position on the board of Tawas St. Joseph Hospital. She has very diverse interests. In the past she was a music instructor for elementary school students, plays the organ and has a high interest in music theory. Not only that, she is a certified aerobics instructor with a passion for traveling. Her favorite travel destinations are Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; Portland, Oregon; and Southern Italy.

“Anyone starting their first optometry practice should start with training from a practice management company. This is a business and if you don’t know what to do, you can’t pay the bills,” recommended Dr. Pasqua.

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