Practice Management
Winter 2024
by William Rabourn Jr.
There’s no doubt the pandemic caused many changes in the way ophthalmic ASCs and private practices provide care. One of the unfortunate side effects is that many clinics have lost dedicated refractive coordinators, or the ones they have are stretched too thin with other duties. The introduction of lens replacement is offering new options for those over 50 that were previously unavailable. Many practices are missing out on opportunities to provide this type of care because there is no longer a dedicated professional to counsel and answer questions from potential patients. That means lost revenue.
A focus on patient services
What can be done to ensure your ASC or practice is making the most of every opportunity?
The first thing to consider is how your practice currently handles patient counseling. Is it providing the same type of service as before the pandemic? As mentioned earlier, COVID-19 caused many changes in the way ophthalmic clinics provide care. Many of those changes required cutting and consolidating personnel, reassigning or dividing duties, and learning to operate with less support. While that may have been effective during the pandemic, many practices have become accustomed to operating in this manner and adopted it as the new normal.
The key question is whether your practice is providing the necessary education and support for those seeking care, especially for elective services such as LASIK and lens replacement. While maximizing efficiency is always a good idea, be sure your clinic hasn’t cut too much when it comes to patient services.
A good way to gauge this is to test your practice with secret shoppers. Have a few people you trust from outside the practice call and inquire about several different eyecare services. Find out what answers they receive. Did they feel rushed? Were their questions answered completely in a way that was easily understood? Was the person they spoke with knowledgeable, and did he or she provide enough information in a polite and courteous manner? Were they encouraged to schedule a consultation or appointment to assess their options? Were they offered additional information such as a brochure or directed to the clinic website for details?
Secret shoppers are a great way to find out whether your practice is missing opportunities to provide care. If the responses you receive are disappointing, the next step is to figure out why, and work to fix the problem. However, it’s important to keep in mind that there may be many reasons this may be occurring. Don’t automatically assume your staff is not doing their job.
Look at the patient services position. Does the practice employ a dedicated patient counselor for procedures such as LASIK and lens replacement, or is that function spread out among several individuals? Is the refractive coordinator’s primary focus on helping answer questions and educate potential patients, or is their time too divided with other duties? Is your staff adequately trained and knowledgeable? Do you have the right type of person in this position?
Dedicate one person to focus on patient education and counseling
By investing in a dedicated patient counselor or refractive coordinator, practices can ensure that potential patients receive the necessary information and support to make informed decisions about their eyecare.
Although each practice is different, the best way to ensure you are not missing opportunities through poor patient service and education is to have at least one person on staff whose primary job is dedicated to this function. This ensures all the bases are covered and greatly reduces the possibility that something is not addressed or overlooked. This is important because when people are seeking eyecare, they need good and helpful answers to their questions. If they perceive the counselor is not interested or does not know enough, they will quickly move on to a competitor who can better help.
But is it worth paying the salary of a full-time patient services counselor or refractive coordinator? Consider the cost of not doing so. How much business are you losing? It’s likely to be a significant amount if your patient service and education is poor. It also means that any money you may be spending to acquire new patients (marketing) is being wasted, and your practice or ASC is limiting its growth. These factors alone are enough to justify the cost of this position. Make sure to consider all the factors before dismissing this option.
Conclusion
Prioritizing patient counseling is essential for ophthalmic private practices to thrive in today’s competitive market. By investing in a dedicated patient counselor or refractive coordinator, practices can ensure that potential patients receive the necessary information and support to make informed decisions about their eyecare. This results in higher revenue, greater patient satisfaction, and overall long-term success. Neglecting patient counseling can result in missed opportunities, decreased patient acquisition, and a negative impact on the reputation of the practice. It is important to recognize the value of effective patient education and make it a top priority at your practice or ASC.
About the author
William Rabourn Jr.
Managing Principal
Medical Consulting Group
Springfield, Missouri
Contact
Rabourn: brabourn@medcgroup.com
