BUSINESS PLANNING

INCREASE PRACTICE EFFICIENCY

FOLLOW THESE TIPS TO SCHEDULE ADDITIONAL PATIENTS AND CONTINUOUSLY GROW YOUR PRACTICE

Neil Gailmard, O.D., M.B.A., F.A.A.O., Munster, Ind.

MAXIMIZING EFFICIENCY is a goal for any business looking to both save money and continuously grow. The adage, “Work smarter, not harder,” comes to mind. Optometric practices are no exception to this rule.

Here is a compilation of Optometric Management’s “Tip of the Week” entries, written by Dr. Neil Gailmard, that deal with increasing practice efficiency in the most prominent areas of one’s practice: contact lenses, the optical and medical management.

CONTACT LENSES (CL)

• Use just one contact lens evaluation fee. Some ECPs have a few different fee levels for the CL evaluation, depending on the complexity of the case. I prefer to have just one CL evaluation fee, since it’s only used when all is well with the patient and with the existing fit. One fee is simpler for staff to quote in advance and to explain. (Note: Staff should quote the fee in advance, over the phone, to avoid patient misunderstanding and dissatisfaction, both of which can make a dent in practice efficiency.) If there is a problem with the CL evaluation and a change in lens fit is required, then the case changes to a refitting, and there are now different fee levels based on complexity.

• Delegate contact lens follow-up visits to a clinical technician. This frees up the doctor’s time to do more revenue-producing exams. Here is a possible protocol: All patients with new fittings or re-fittings are scheduled for a follow-up office visit with a contact lens technician, who has been trained to evaluate contact lenses and has passed a clinical proficiency exam. Technicians have an appointment schedule of their own and could be equipped with a special exam room used for just this purpose, or use an available exam room. The technician should do everything that the doctor would do on a progress exam: case history, review of lens handling and hygiene, VA, over-refraction, slit lamp exam for lens fit and eye health, case assessment and patient plan, including recall date. The doctor should be called to examine the patient if anything is abnormal, and a specific criteria would be established for this. An example of this could include an over-refraction greater than .25D.

THE OPTICAL

• Clear a pathway for patients who have eyeglass complaints to see the O.D. With good intentions, most O.D.s empower opticians and other staff members to “Do whatever it takes” to make happy patients who present with eyeglass issues. However, if the opticians don’t know what to do and your staff’s best troubleshooting measures fall short at fixing the problems, this could be a waste of time and effort on your staff’s part, and could quickly lead to a loss of confidence among your patients. Instead, offer a no-charge recheck to patients who have a visual complaint with new glasses purchased from your office. Let the optical staff work on the problem, and also let the O.D. recheck the refraction and review the plan for remake. If we can fix the problem the first time and get it done quickly, we save the patient relationship, help the practice reputation and keep cost of goods low.

• Efficient recall of walk-in patients. When a patient comes in for an eyeglass repair, adjustment or warranty replacement, put a system in place to check the patient’s record, such as the date of his or her last comprehensive exam and whether follow-up appointments are necessary.

In cases in which it is opportune, the optician or front desk personnel can inquire whether the patient would like to schedule an appointment. This process could include patient sign in and front desk personnel inspection of the patient’s record before passing this information — and the patient — on to the optician.

MEDICAL MANAGEMENT

• Provide a handout that illustrates the difference between vision plans and insurance. The handout can be given to patients at check-in or check-out, and it serves as a guide for staff members as they speak to patients over the phone. I find it best to keep educational handouts short and simple. Here is an example of what the handout could include: “There are two types of health insurance that will help pay for your eye care services and products. You may have both, and our practice accepts both. Vision care plans cover routine exams along with eyeglasses and contact lenses. Medical insurance plans are used if you have an eye health problem or system health problem that has ocular complications, such as diabetes. If you have both types of plans, it may be necessary for us to bill some services to one plan and other services to the other. We will use coordination of benefits to do this properly and to minimize your out-of-pocket expense.” Include a patient signature and date on the form to indicate that the patient has read and understands your outlined policies.

• Look for coordination of benefits (COB). Some vision plans allow for COB, which is a process by which the office bills the medical plan first with a medical diagnosis and you also bill the refraction. Some medical plans will cover the refraction, but most do not. The patient may also have a medical co-pay, which can be collected at the time of the visit or can be held on the patient’s personal account. If the medical insurance rejects the refraction, you may then use the COB procedure to bill the vision plan for the refraction and in some cases the plan will also cover the medical co-pay or part of the deductible. If a vision plan allows COB, there will be a section about it in the provider manual. Identify these plans during the initial appointment scheduling of a comprehensive exam to save time when office personnel submit the paperwork and also to ensure earned funds are not left on the table.

TIME SPENT

Although implementing these tips may take some time initially, realize that you will more than make up for that time once you use them. And while increasing practice efficiency, you can schedule additional patients, increase your practice revenue, and continuously grow your practice. (Subscribe the Dr. Gailmard’s Tip of the Week at tinyurl.com/TipSubscribe.) OM

DR. GAILMARD is chief optometric officer at IDOC LLC of Norwalk, Conn. and he is CEO of Gailmard Eye Center of Munster Ind. He is also editor of Optometric Management’s Tip of the Week. Send questions or comments to neil@gailmard.com or visit tinyurl.com/OMcomment to comment.