Rely on the data, and make adjustments to minimize “prescription walkers”

Increasing practice profitability is the goal of any optometric business owner who would like to continue to serve patients. An increase in quantity or volume of patients is certainly one way to see an increase in practice profitability. Although, at some point, that approach often plateaus, and the end result is burnout.

One way to work smarter (not harder) is to improve optical capture rate. This allows you to focus on patients who are already in the door, rather than recruiting new clients. It also allows a practice to focus on providing a great patient care experience by ensuring patients get the exact materials recommended to optimize their vision quality and ocular health.

Here is my three-step approach to improving capture rate:

1 TRACK IT

Looking at the data is a true reflection of where a practice is, rather than relying on a subjective feeling of how busy the optical feels. Data can easily be pulled from EHR reports, and tracking it allows a practice to watch for trends and compare them to previous months/quarters/years.

Capture rate is the number of patients who receive their eye exam at your office and also purchase eyewear from you. It is calculated by dividing the number of patients who filled their prescription with you by the number of patients who received new prescriptions from your office and multiplied by 100.

For example, if 150 patients have a comprehensive eye exam and 100 of those patients fill their prescription with you, the optical capture rate is 66%. This can further be broken down to same-day capture rate vs. total capture rate, per doctor and per optician.

In 2019, the average capture rate was 50% to 55%, reports an ABB trend report of independent optometrists, created in conjunction with CareCredit. With more than half of refractions walking out the door, this equates to significant lost income for a practice.

2 CREATE OFFICE FLOW

Simply getting patients into the optical leads to greater optical visibility and, thus, more optical sales. One way this can be done is to be mindful of the flow of the office. Our practice moved printers to the optical department, so that the doctor and patient automatically stop in the optical to pick up their printed prescription. We also offer complimentary adjustments to glasses after an exam as a way to get “prescription walkers” into the optical.

3 GET THE TEAM INVOLVED

Every patient “touch point” provides an opportunity. Front desk staff can redirect post-exam traffic by simply asking, “Do you want to look at new glasses today?” during check out. Technicians can ask lifestyle questions to identify both work and hobby visual demands. Doctors can then make specific product recommendations for those visual demands and offer optical-specific solutions. Opticians can implement the doctor’s recommendations and finalize a sale. Staff training ensures every team member plays an important role in optical capture rate.

CLEAR AND REALISTIC GOALS

Achieving 100% capture rate is unrealistic, but any practice can set clear and realistic goals to grow an optical capture rate. It is no secret that the current eye care market is full of competition. Focusing on optical capture rate can increase practice profitability and provide an avenue to work smarter, not harder. OM

DR. QUINT is a co-owner of Smart Eye Care in Maine. She is passionate about entrepreneurship and optometric practice management. She was the 2019 Theia Young O.D. Award winner and consults for Allergan.