As primary eye care providers, prescribing contact lenses is an important and necessary component of full-scope care; one which drives patient loyalty, professional satisfaction, and practice success. Regarding the latter, an informal inquiry sent to a select group of high-producing, independent optometrists revealed to me that roughly 20% of their gross revenue was attributable to a combination of contact lens services and materials.
Here, I provide seven action steps to build your contact lens practice.
1 “MINE” YOUR CURRENT PATIENT BASE
It’s easiest to begin by building “from the inside out.” Your current patient base is a ready source of potential new fits and refits. Have a staff member go through your current patient records to determine who may benefit from lens wear. For example, how many of your current eyeglass-wearing and non-eyeglass-wearing patients are on the verge of presbyopia and could, therefore, benefit from multifocal contact lenses at their next visit? Have this staff member create a patient list or a color-coding system in these patients’ EHRs that then alerts staff that these patients may be ready for a discussion on the benefits of multifocal contact lens wear.
2 LAY THE GROUNDWORK
Have staff use each patient touchpoint as an opportunity to broach contact lens wear:
- Appointment scheduling. When staff schedule appointments for either new or existing patients, have them ask every patient, “Will this evaluation be for both eyeglasses and contact lenses?” This plants the seed in the patient that contact lens wear may be a possibility that they never considered, and it gets them primed for discussing it further. Additionally, this action step conquers the staff assumption, “once an eyeglass wearer, always or only an eyeglass wearer.” No one knows unless they ask!
- Pre-testing. Have your technicians engage all potentially eligible contact lens wearers in a brief conversation surrounding vision and lifestyle needs, as they are conducting pre-testing. An example: “I see you’re wearing a Masters T-shirt, so you must be a golfer yourself. Have you given any thought to wearing contact lenses when playing?” Since the patient was asked about contact lens wear on the phone, he is ready to discuss it further. Additionally, he is learning that eyeglass and contact lens wear are not mutually exclusive. Now, the patient is prepared to have the contact lens conversation with you in the exam room, where you’ll illustrate the benefits of and options for wear.
- Check out. The parting transaction can be of great positive impact and value, if you have staff ask the patient whether they enjoyed their visit and would be willing to spread the word about your contact lens services. Specifically, have staff provide satisfied patients with a link to your Google Reviews page. (See “Make Ongoing Recall a Priority,” left.)
Make Ongoing Recall a Priority
I have found that a conscientious approach to follow-up and clinical management of all wearers, but especially new wearers, is critical to preventing contact lens dropout. Let’s remember that 25% of wearers discontinue during the first month, and 47% within 60 days.1 A courtesy telephone call three days post dispensing of lenses or a refit can quickly alert you to any immediate problem that would necessitate a sooner follow-up visit. Additionally, I have discovered that patients greatly appreciate the courtesy phone call, as it reemphasizes to them that I genuinely care about their comfort and vision, which binds them to my practice.
Ongoing recall and patient management are best accomplished using digital platforms. These inform patients when they are due for their periodic evaluations via email and text, provide the convenience of electronic contact lens ordering, and confirm scheduled visits. These features all help to optimize clinical success, patient loyalty, and practice finances. There are a variety of both manufacturer-based and distributor-based platforms. These can be integrated with your EHR software to coordinate lens-ordering and appointment recall.
- Sulley A, Young G, Hunt C. Factors in the success of new contact lens wearers. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2017 Feb;40(1):15-24. doi: 10.1016/j.clae.2016.10.002.
3 DISPLAY MARKETING MATERIALS
Carefully select and neatly display in-office brochures, pamphlets and posters on the contact lens products and services you provide, which should, obviously, align with your patient demographics. This helps reinforce, or creates interest in, contact lens wear while patients wait to be seen.
Marketing materials can be obtained through the contact lens manufacturers themselves, or, alternatively, brand-agnostic brochures can be displayed and labeled with your practice’s logo. You can source these from organizations, such as the American Optometric Association, the Scleral Lens Education Society, Gas Permeable Lens Institute, and websites, such as MyMyopia.com .
4 SEND EMAIL BLASTS
Email blasts are an effective tool for educating on a specific technology or product, whether to introduce it or to increase interest. I recommend using a segmented approach, likened to what was described above, to target your messaging to the intended audience and to be mindful that “less is more.”
Methods for selecting the patient cohorts include a search in your EHR for patients who have a particular condition, such as presbyopia (see prior example), by contact lens brand, or by contact lens modality.
The email content should convey your message in an organic way. I find that blog-type posts or patient testimonials that answer questions create great interest and garner attention.
Finally, always conclude your email with a “call to action,” such as, “We have identified you as a possible candidate to benefit from this new_______. Please contact us at _______ to learn more.”
5 EMPLOY DIGITAL CONTENT
Be sure to have a well-designed, search engine-optimized and mobile-friendly website that contains information on the contact lens services and products you provide. On our site, for example, the “CONTACT LENSES” drop-down menu includes “Brands We Carry,” “Bifocal And Multifocal Contact Lenses for Presbyopia” and “Contact Lenses for the ‘Hard-to-Fit’ Patient,” among other items. (See eyewise.com .)
Additionally, leverage social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) to stay in contact with current wearers, while attracting new contact lens patients. You can either provide your own content, or use developed content from an outside contractor. I have found that blogging or posting on private Facebook threads (once admitted by the administrator) is an excellent way to demonstrate your expertise. This is a form of professional goodwill that serves to boost your recognition within a broad clinical or geographically local community, resulting in “sales-qualified leads.”
6 DON’T FORGET PRINT ADVERTISING
While traditional newspaper or “pennysaver” print advertising has trended down since 2000, a campaign that aligns with your digital marketing and is carefully directed may help to increase your brand awareness.
Alternatively, consider purchasing space within the journal or program of a local charitable or arts organization in which you may already have a patient member or one which has a cause that is personally meaningful. The business exposure is good and even better is the emotional lift!
7 NETWORK WITH OTHER PROVIDERS
Cultivating a small number of consistently reliable professional referral sources will outvalue a broad network of infrequent referrers. Corneal surgeons, pediatric ophthalmologists, and LASIK centers are all excellent sources of new patients, especially in the myopia management area.
Develop a professional outreach strategy that includes canvassing new doctors and their key team members, followed by lunch or dinner meetings to deepen the relationships. Seal the deal by equipping their offices with professional referral pads and a direct line to your practice liaison.
Always engender trust and credibility by ensuring that their patients are returned for other care, sending timely clinical reports, and making it a two-way referral street.
BECOME A HIT WITH FITS
Employing a methodical, comprehensive strategy to build your contact lens practice will not only yield rewards that elevate your reputation in contact lens care, but will benefit your entire brand as well. OM
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