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Finding a Niche

Four steps to implementing a medical specialty with staff help

TRUDI CHAREST, RO, ABO

As the optometry landscape becomes more competitive, finding a niche your practice can specialize in will differentiate you from the office down the street.

Here are steps to help you and your staff choose and implement a medical specialty service.

1 Choose your specialty

Deciding on your specialty is an important task, as you will be building an entire business plan, including your personnel, around that concept. Evaluate the needs of your community, as well as your interests and strengths. For example, are you interested in difficult contact lens fits? Do certain staff members have extra training or skills that can be applied to a niche, such as dry eye training?

Some specialties to consider: vision therapy, low vision and sports performance vision.

2 Prepare your practice

This includes (1) bringing in all related products and treatment options for diagnosing and educating patients and staff; and (2) contacting suppliers and vendors who also specialize in your niche about supporting information, marketing materials and co-op funds for advertising.

3 Train your team

If you want to be successful in growing a medical specialty, build a team of highly trained experts. Here are a tips for training:

• Create a guidebook for your staff that includes all pertinent information. Gather research and information on the specialty and compile it into a training manual, including patient symptoms, concerns (general age group, life cycle stage, etc.), treatment options and related products and vendors.

• Bring in manufacturers to provide staff training on how to operate instruments and products and provide patient education.

• Hold regular staff meetings as you launch and grow your niche to discuss successes, ideas and strategies to better implement procedures and training.

• Have staff attend relevant conferences and CE courses. Proper training benefits both the practice and staff. Not only will your staff love to be involved, they will be growing their own skill sets and career goals.

Employees who are directly involved in an office program get more behind the initiative than those who are just handed assignments. Let them help you build the tools and marketing you need to succeed.

4 Market your niche

With the help of your staff, create your materials and a campaign strategy. Appoint a marketing manager in your office to assist you with building a marketing plan. Also, most employees have some, if not more, social media and online skills than practice owners, so take advantage of their abilities.

Deciding on the best marketing channels will depend on your geographical location and previous marketing successes. Experiment with several methods, and track your results to cultivate the best strategy. Options include internal marketing with posters, educational brochures, patient newsletters and direct e-mail, community newsletters and advertising and social media and website marketing. Also, visit general practitioners and ophthalmologists in your area, and drop off a letter outlining referral options.

Steps to success

Offering a specialty service will not only increase revenue and patient satisfaction, it will help people see better every day as you and your team assist them with their eyecare challenges. OM

TRUDI CHAREST IS THE PRESIDENT AND TRAINER FOR TOTAL FOCUS TRAINING & CONSULTING, AS WELL AS PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER OF JOBS4ECPS, AN ONLINE EYECARE JOB SITE. SEND COMMENTS TO OPTOMETRICMANAGEMENT@GMAIL.COM.