In the South, Chick-fil-A is legendary and it's not even because of the chicken sandwich.
Sure, they have great food, but we constantly rave about their customer service. What makes Chick-fil-A so good at what they do is that they constantly adapt to the needs of the consumer. The drive-thru lines are too long? They opened two of them! The drive-thru lines are still too long? They put actual people in the drive-thru (regardless of the weather) to take orders via tablet and send them into the restaurant! Chick-fil-A is THE standard for customer service. They see and hear us and we love them for it. But the world of healthcare has seemingly been exempt from the high expectations consumers place on businesses.
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Paul Batson, O.D.
Center Director VisionAmerica of Birmingham New technological advances happen every day that shape the future of medicine. I had a glaucoma patient a few weeks ago that was progressively getting worse and struggling with compliance. We have all had those patients from time to time. As I was giving her my compliance speech and the consequences of not using her medication, I asked, "What are some things you can do to help you remember to use your drops?" She quickly replied, "It won't be an issue, I'll just tell Alexa to remind me to use them." She was easily approaching 80 years old and I just chuckled. Times are changing and it made me start thinking about some of the new technology we've heard about recently that will probably impact the way we take care of our patients. Not only do these advancements change the experience and quality of life for patients and their families, but they also have a huge impact on medical processes and healthcare professionals. 4/16/2019 0 Comments April Photo of the MonthThe image above is of a recent papilledema patient with Paton's Folds.
First described by Paton and Holmes in 1911, Paton's folds are concentric retinochoroidal folds that appear around the nerve in patients with papilledema. "as the disc swells lateralwards, it displaces the retina... throwing it into a series of folds which run concentric with the edge of the disc. This lateral bulging is due to the distension of the most peripheral nerve fibers.."(1a).1 1. Paton L, Holmes G. The pathology of papilloedema: a histological study of sixty eyes. Brain. 1911;33:389-432. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the unemployment rate as of February 2019 was 3.8%.
If 3.8% of the population is unemployed, how many of those without jobs do you think have any experience in an optometry practice? Finding someone unemployed with billing, technician, or front desk experience in our industry might be impossible. Prior to some of the current technological advances, employers called the shots. Job candidates had little to no knowledge and were unable to compare salaries, benefits and other opportunities. But the hiring market is competitive and you, the employer, simply do not have the leverage you used to. A 2015 study by the MRI Network shows how dramatically this has changed over the years. After polling recruiters across all industries, it was determined that many believe the job market is 90% candidate driven. This means that you don't pick the talent, the talent picks you! 4/10/2019 0 Comments Practice Benchmarks - Part 2(This is part two of our series on practice benchmarks. In part one, we covered gross revenue per patient, new patient growth per year, and accounts receivable. If you missed it and would like to check it out, click here.
Also, if you have any questions regarding parts one and two or the financials of your own practice, please don't hesitate to contact us. We would love to help in any way possible!) We understand that reading a piece on practice benchmarks might not be the most exciting thing on a Thursday. Nevertheless, it is an important topic. As we mentioned in the first piece on this subject, your practice might range slightly above or below the benchmarks discussed here. The important thing is that these numbers are being actively (and accurately) tracked and measured. In this final piece on financials, we are going to discuss three more key benchmarks. They are: Gross Revenue Per Staff Hour Spending Rate to Revenue Chair Cost by Dr. Dale Brown
Vitreoretinal Specialist at VisionAmerica The first image below shows significant vitreomacular traction. Fortunately, this patient maintained an acuity of 20/40 and was fairly asymptomatic. As a result, the decision was made to observe. Waiting to perform surgery does not affect overall prognosis/visual potential in most cases and also gives the VMT a chance to spontaneously resolve. (Note: As we mentioned last week, we were recently asked to provide some tips on working the front desk. Part one of this series was posted last week and, if you missed it, you can click here to read it! Our hope is that you and your team can use this as a resource to better serve your patients. If you have any questions or comments, please let us know!
Also, if you would like quick reference guide on the procedures outlined in these two pieces, click here to download a copy!) Identifying New Patient Calls and Keeping a Goal in Mind Here is the number one sign you have a new patient on the line: Questions! Out of the call types listed above, new patients will have unique questions that let your team know someone important is on the line. (See the box below for some common new patient questions.) |
AuthorThe staff and doctors at VisionAmerica are committed to providing relevant information for you, your patients and your practice. We hope you find the information in our blog post helpful. Archives
August 2019
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