• SELL AT THE RIGHT PRICE

The best way to arrive at the right sale price of your practice is to think about selling your practice every day, starting with the day you buy it. This mentality will keep you “lean and mean” and on an upward trajectory.
(O.D. to O.D., p.2) bit.ly/2fcynVP

• CONSIDER PATIENT SCHEDULING

Depending on the reason you bring on a new associate, your new scheduling process needs direction. For example, if you are looking to expand and see more patients, you may not want to transition all your existing patients to a new doctor. All this does is take your existing patient base and spread it out over two doctors, which increases your overhead without increasing revenue.
(Add a Doctor, p.16) bit.ly/2fbKW3r

• GET YOURSELF UP-TO-SPEED ON THE NICHE

Attend a workshop, a meeting or visit an expert who has already established himself or herself as a specialist in your chosen area, and pick his or her brain about successes and pitfalls, so you can avoid them yourself.
(Add a Niche, p.24) bit.ly/2fbMg6D

• CONSIDER PRACTICE SIZE

Sometimes, when you are running out of room, new technology that is portable or has a small footprint is the way to solve problems or add services. For optometrists who designed their office space years ago, the most common regret in hindsight is not planning for growth and not having enough space for new instruments.
(Upgrade/Add Equipment, p.26) bit.ly/2fbB1eA

• MAKE THE OFFER

Presbyopic patients are asking to see better and are willing to spend a little extra to achieve that with contact lenses. Offer the newest options.
(Contact Lens, p.41) bit.ly/2fbLcPX

• COMMUNICATE YOUR FINDINGS

When creating summary reports, it is crucial to be short and to the point and include both your diagnosis and plan. You also want to follow general guidelines to facilitate communication.
(Interdisciplinary Care, p.45) bit.ly/2fbG5zq

• BE YOU

Do you find that when in the lanes, you have to be vanilla? Should we all walk around the office with a generic white name badge and vertical stripes on the top and bottom that says “Doctor,” follow a script and not deviate, so as not to offend? I, for one, am going to continue to be me!
(The Way I See It, p.50) bit.ly/2fcz1CJ

• KEEP STAFF FOCUSED

Establish regularly scheduled meetings to keep staff focused on new goals, roles and expectations. Without a spotlight on new objectives, staff may resort to the “old way” of doing things.
(CEO Checklist, p.52) bit.ly/2fbKen2

• REMEMBER THE PURPOSE

Remember that an audit is nothing more than a system of checks and balances. The carrier paid you in good faith based upon the claim you submitted; an audit is simply making sure that the medical record supports the codes used on the claim form.
(Coding Strategies, p.54) bit.ly/2fcqBLI

• TREAT YOUR STAFF

Perhaps you think an off-site staff retreat is too extravagant and you can’t afford it? These types of perks and incentives usually pay back tenfold in employee retention and engagement. Plus, if they hit the goal, the dollars should be there.
(Personnel Pointers, p.57) bit.ly/2fbTyr9

• USE PERSONAL CONNECTIONS

Telling the story of how we found our associate sparked interest and created a dialogue in a variety of media that allowed us to tell our new doctor’s “story.” We included her information in our “push” to get patients used to the idea of the new associate, and frankly, to get them excited.
(Merchandising, p.58) bit.ly/2fbLZkb OM