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Survival Depends on Productivity

David Marco, an avid outdoorsman, aviator and passionate father, discovers an ultimate challenge.

David Marco, President and CEO, Marco

The following “Industry Insights” installment is an excerpt of a conversation between Scot Morris, OM’s chief optometric editor, and David Marco, President and CEO of Marco.

What do you feel are the greatest threats or challenges to the eyecare profession?

I like to think more in terms of opportunities rather than “threats/challenges” because we truly have more opportunities in optometry now than I’ve seen in my 41 years of affiliation.

Our greatest threat is lack of change, i.e., optometry’s slow adoption of new efficiencies. I’m not speaking of “new technologies,” such as certain medical diagnostic devices. I’m talking about the adoption of “practice efficiencies.” A practice can add all of the diagnostic testing equipment available, but survival today depends mostly on increased operational productivity.

Years ago, a doctor could just be a doctor. Today, they must command all aspects of the practice. Greater operational productivity allows for today’s doctors to thrive — not merely survive — and that allows for the ability to be a doctor to more patients. While the last few decades have been tolerant of this stasis in many medical fields, no more will the “system,” or, and I want to emphasize this, the patient, tolerate such lack of action.

The good news is with a willingness to adapt to the demands of today’s “high-tech and efficiency-minded” patient, optometry can excel like no other time in our history. In this same light, more continuing education practice management courses highlighting necessary gains in efficiency are sorely needed. The current “restrictions” to this is a significant threat.

Another threat is the considerable devaluation of eyecare medical services by Medicare and third-party insurers. While the economic state of our nation is cyclical and dynamic, Washington believes medical costs in America are way too high and, hence, reimbursements will continue to tumble. More patients should have access and need for eye care, but to take advantage of this we can’t practice in the same manner that we have for the past five decades.

What are the greatest opportunities in the eyecare profession?

The greatest opportunity is to embrace the changes in our healthcare environment and take control. Today’s up-to-date practices can establish a bold competitive advantage in efficiency, patient expectations and satisfaction. In my mind, further “stressing” the reimbursement system with bottleneck testing is clearly secondary to increasing the efficiency/operational productivity of a practice. We now have the ability to be very profitable with all patients, regardless of who is paying the bill, and [we can] simultaneously produce better results for 30 or more patients per day in a more relaxed manner. This is today’s reality and opportunity. At the end of the day, a patient judges their visit by how well they see when they walk out the door and how efficiently their visual needs were handled.

How can the profession help itself?

Optometry must be more visible to the public, other than at those times when patients have eye health- or vision-related needs. It will take a concerted and sustainable group effort. But without the adoption of up-to-date efficiencies providing monumental gains in “patient experience,” all the industry promotion in the world will not produce staying power here. Patients must witness a new “exam lane” experience from that of the past 50 years.

What does the profession need to do for industry to ensure our mutual survival?

The profession needs to accomplish the above to the betterment of all parties: patients, eyecare providers and the industry. Take action now. Be an industry that stands for change, not an industry accepting of stasis.

What is the most important thing that the profession needs to know about what Marco is doing or focusing on through the next 12 months?

Our primary focus will be on a new paradigm in the refractive process via wavefront diagnostics. We knew 20 years ago that our successful partnership with Nidek could advance eye care to greater heights. We knew back then our first autorefractor would communicate with a lensmeter, projector and electronic refractor.

But two decades ago, no one knew the power of aberrometry. It is the most powerful tool I’ve seen in decades, and we have developed a method that accelerates the refractive process while giving a quantum leap in qualitative and quantitative data. So with our wavefront-assisted refraction, (Xfraction) you can get a total analysis of the entire optical system, then complete the subjective exam in a fraction of the time. This yields greater accuracy in less time, resulting in a more “face-to-face” consultative approach to “lifestyle” visual needs. This drives a significant increase in optical sales with greater patient satisfaction — all driving greater revenue.

In short, we are concentrating our near-term efforts on educating the profession about the next generation of refractive technology.

What one personal item should we know about you?

While I am an avid aviator, outdoorsman and passionate father, I have grown to discover an ultimate challenge is that of growing an organization in a manner which is respected and appreciated while working alongside a group dedicated to the same passion — the passion of making a profound difference, a meaningful impact.

What was your first job, and what did you learn from it that you apply to your current position?

My first job was a summer job working for our sister company Frontier Contact Lenses (now Vistakon) where I was employed for many years. I was involved with the manufacturing of the first soft contact lenses. I learned about optics, contact lens design and eyecare practices worldwide. In addition, I became experienced in distribution models and marketing methods in the ophthalmic industry. All of this experience transitioned me well to this company. OM