Insight with Dr. Devan Trischuk

Insights

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Dr. Devan Trischuk was born and raised in Yorkton, Saskatchewan

Interest in optometry started from a young age with yearly visits to his OD for stronger glasses due to rapidly progressing myopia

Lectures across Canada to other ODs and health care professionals on myopia management

Dr. Devan Trischuk

Doctorate of Optometry from the University Of Waterloo.

He received the Michael Gutwein Memorial Award for his graduating class at Waterloo (2011)

Selected as one of the top “40 Under 40” optometrists in Canada by Johnson and Johnson Vision (2018)

 

Why did you choose your field?

I was a young, rapidly progressing myope. From age 7 I needed a bump in Rx every ~6 months before eventually plateau-ing in my early 20’s. My childhood optometrist, Dr. Ron Rogoza, always brought such positive energy, laughter and smiles to my appointments that I always looked forward to them. (I also looked forward to more minus, like all good myopes 😉 )

These fond memories paired with an interest in math/science/healthcare directed me towards optometry as a career.

What changes to eye care do you see coming down the pipe?

I see myopia management becoming the standard of care for myopic children. I look forward to the day when the awareness in the general population of this specialty area results in parents/guardians expecting myopia management for their child.

Hopefully this increased awareness also results in preventative measures being taken – time outdoors, appropriate amounts of near work, future preventative treatments (?) – so that there is an improvement in the global projections of increasing myopia and severity.

What is something you have done in your practice to set you apart.

Offering a wide range of myopia treatment options.
The ability to tailor a treatment plan to each child’s exam findings/visual needs/family dynamic coupled with the constantly increasing number of evidence-based, effective treatment options has allowed more families to access myopia management than ever before.

What business books would you recommend other ECPs read?

‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ – Dale Carnegie.
A great book for anyone to read – improve your work and personal life.

What advice would you give a new grad today?

Shadow more senior practitioners – there is an immense amount that can be learned from observing those years of experience in action.

Last time you laughed?

Being a human jungle gym for my kids.
Listening to my 4.5 year old daughter describe her perception of the world around her.

What’s your Favorite food?

My wife’s Prime Rib with a nice red wine.

Favorite past-time/hobby?

Previously it was taking in outdoors/sports for my own enjoyment, but it has now shifted to instilling (forcing?) a love of outdoors/active lifestyle in my children.

You can listen to Dr. Trischuk discuss his perspective on myopia control on our Eyes Wide Open Podcast. 

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Looking Forward to 2021: The Importance of Positivity

Human Resources, Managing Others

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2020 did not work out as any of us planned. So many had great expectations which quickly came to a grinding halt. The world changed and the way we do business has too. Some of the changes will even become permanent.

As difficult as this pandemic has been for people, we must continue to believe we will come through this. Because we will. Think back to when our parents and grandparents had to experience extremely challenging times like the Depression, World Wars and other tragedies. There were always celebrations once these challenges came to an end.

No one has a crystal ball. No one knows what 2021 will really look like, but we must enter with optimism and hope. People will gather again, hug again, travel again. Global economics will rebound. There is pent up demand for products and services. After all, we caught a glimpse of this when dental and optometry offices reopened after the forced closures. Many practices are seeing revenues rebound and approach pre-pandemic levels.

Positivity in life is the key to success, happiness, and a sense of fulfillment. It is difficult to have a positive attitude and positive thoughts when we look back at 2020 but as much as there was pain and suffering, there were some silver linings.

Those of us in the people business had to really work at our communication skills. You had to ensure you kept in touch with your patients—to not only educate but to be a calming voice of science-based information. Many people improved their technology skills. For those of us that consider ourselves “too old”, we embraced things liked zoom calls, webinars and Instagram. One of my favourite moments is about my 89 year old mother setting up an Instagram account. On a personal level, we valued those closest to us. Hopefully family relationships have also strengthened.

2020 has taught us that we cannot always be in control and that we must be willing to adapt. One thing we can control is our attitude and how we choose to approach life. An optimistic attitude is critical and necessary for 2021. It pushes us forward, encourages us, and helps us overcome obstacles. It inspires those around us and helps us in accomplishing dreams and goals. A positive attitude also helps with making difficult tasks easier to fulfill. A positive frame of mind increases our motivation to
succeed. It motivates us to think creatively and therefore achieve more than we ever expected.

Most importantly, a positive attitude awakens happiness within ourselves and those around us. Goodness knows, we need happiness and hope. To be very clear, we can all agree that we need more positivity, joy and happiness in 2021. Please be a beacon of hope. We will get through this pandemic if we stay positive together!

Jackie Joachim, COO ROI Corp

JACKIE JOACHIM

Jackie has 30 years of experience in the industry as a former banker and now the Chief Operating Officer of ROI Corporation. Please contact her at Jackie.joachim@roicorp.com or 1-844-764-2020.

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Nurturing A Legacy of Quality Patient Care Even Through an Acquisition

Buying-Selling A Practice, Practice

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Quality patient care starts with the people providing it.

Perry Steigner, Optician-Owner

During an ownership transitions, maintaining standards of care among new staff is particularly important for practices that have thrived due to exceptional patient care.

Perry Steigner’s practice was one such case; tucked away in a medical building, Perry leveraged strong people skills to build a robust practice that stood out from the crowd.

His personalized, high-end service drew in repeat patients during its 27 years in operation, even without a street-level storefront. That lack of visibility might make it seem like an unlikely candidate for an acquisition, but Perry successfully sold the practice to IRIS in 2019.

With IRIS, Steigner was able to grow his legacy of patient care at a new location, while at the same time adopting a more fully integrated practice that enhanced competitiveness.

Below are the details of Steigner’s story: the sale, transition, and outcome.

A Second Look
When Perry started his independent practice in 1993, he wanted to stand out amongst the superstore and 1-hour optical outlets popping up in eyecare: “I wanted to get back to the basics: customer service, personal relationships and build a practice that way.” His friendly, conversational approach to service and commitment to quality care was what set his business apart in an increasingly competitive retail landscape.

Dr. Daryan Angle, VP of Business Development at IRIS, approached Perry in 2012 about partnering with IRIS, but the timing was not right for Perry. He was very interested in IRIS’s collaborative model of patient care but was not ready to make a move with a large lease term remaining on his office space.

His practice, Medical Arts Optical, depended on a strong relationship with nearby ophthalmologists and optometrists, giving Perry lots of referrals to work with.

While his store continued its robust growth year after year, Perry realized, that after 40 years in the industry, he still needed the perfect exit strategy.

When Daryan approached him again in 2018, his lease was coming up, and he made the decision pursue a partnership with IRIS.

Evolution of the Deal
IRIS provided Perry different options. He could choose to bring in a partner, keep a small percentage, or sell his practice outright. Perry decided to sell 100% of his practice to IRIS and work with them as an employee.

There were other offers on the table, but they all offered an earn-out over a specified period of time, whereas IRIS offered him the option to sell the entire practice immediately. Selling his practice gave him a chance to continue working and provided an easy exit option at the same time.

Although he did not plan to retire right away, he wanted a strategy that made the most of the business he had cultivated over the years: “All the people that I know, and I’ve been in it 40 years, don’t sell their business. They shut them down and get rid of the phone line, and that’s it.”

His passion for the work left him wanting to keep going without worrying about how he would make his exit and entrust his legacy of exemplary patient care to a responsible partner.

New Location, Same Great Service, Flawless Transition
Usually, IRIS will partner with an existing location, but this time Perry’s Medical Arts practice relocated to an existing corporate IRIS location half a kilometer down the street. IRIS made sure to bring the features of Perry’s practice with him, to keep his regular patients coming back.

Rose Chiarot, Optician

Rose Chariot, an optician with whom Perry had been working along for 20 years, was also transferred to the new IRIS location maintaining her schedule of two afternoon shifts per week.

Although IRIS does not typically have in-store edging equipment, Perry brought over his own so he could continue to provide assembly services.

Eight thousand flyers were sent to Perry’s existing patients, explaining the merger.  The Medical Arts Optical phone number was rerouted to the new location and the new welcome message was provided in Perry’s familiar voice. Steigner characterized the transition as flawless.

Perry also passed on his formula for friendly patient care to the staff at IRIS: “This is our stage, we are performers, let’s get to know our customers. It’s the personal touch that will set us above our competitors. They are very receptive to that.” Perry was rewarded by seeing the transformation among the staff, who learned from his approach by watching him work.

IRIS provided Perry with a three-year employment contract but told him he could stay on as long as he wanted. The three years will help IRIS integrate Perry’s practice successfully, and Perry was eager to help in any way he can.

A COVID-19 Lesson
On March 24th, IRIS decided to shut down the location after COVID-19 hit. After the Ontario regulatory allowed limited open hours for urgent care, the office switched to appointment-based services. Perry initially thought it would be a problem for the optical dispensing side but was impressed with the sophistication of IRIS’ digital appointment system.

His patients also commented on the shorter wait times as a result of appointment-based retailing.

The End Result
Perry has no regrets about his decision and keeps working out of love for the business. He was happy to make the switch to a great location, and to keep seeing his patients without the administrative hassle of running a business: “What I was glad to get rid of was writing the cheques, worrying about the suppliers, reconciling statements, all that stuff. All my energy now is 100% focused on getting these patients to IRIS.

“Even my accountant would say, ‘Perry, if you are looking at an exit strategy, this is textbook: here you go, you sold your practice, you like the guys you are selling to, you are two blocks away from where you were, the location is fantastic.’ It was a great opportunity.”

Update
Perry is  working Tuesday to Saturday, an arrangement that works best for this location. The stores sales volume has been exceeding projected goals.

Due to COVID the store continues to see patient’s by appointment only with very positive feedback from patients. Perry has suggested that even when the COVID situation settles down, IRIS should continue to offer appointments for eyeglass selection or repairs and adjustments, and pursue a balance of appointments and walk ins.

 

IRIS provided Eye Care Business Canada full unconditional access to ECPs that have recently completed a partnership agreement with the group.  Each partner story provides and insider’s view to the the acquisition;  challenges faced, obstacles overcome and the final results.

This is the fourth of a four part series:  The Power of Partnership: Overcoming Challenges Together.

Related Articles:  

Previous articles in the Series:

Power in Partnership:  An Early Adopter Parnership:  Lessons Learned and Shared 
Power in Partnership: Overcoming Challenges Together (Dr. Christa Beverley, Barrie)
Power in Partnership: Enhancing Value Through Transformation to a Full Service Practice 
Eyes Wide Open Podcast:  How IRIS Challenged the Ontario OD Regs and Won
Eyes Wide Open Podcast:  IRIS sees Sliver Linings Behind the Covid Clouds
Insight Profile:  Dr. Daryan Angle, IRIS VP Business Development

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Episode 16: An Effective New Option: Specially Designed Lenses for Myopia

Eyes Wide Open, Podcasts

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Dr. Devan Trischuk, OD shares his perspective on myopia control with host Dr. Glen Chiasson. In particular, they discuss the place for a truly effective new spectacle lens option, MiyoSmart, as part of the myopia management kit tool.

About the Guest

Dr. Devan Trischuk’s interest in optometry started from a young age with yearly visits to his optometrist for stronger glasses due to his rapidly progressing myopia. He was born and raised in Yorkton, SK, completed his Bachelor of Science – Honours Physiology degree at the University of Alberta in 2007 and his Doctor of Optometry at the University of Waterloo in 2011. He received the Michael Gutwein Memorial Award for his graduating class at Waterloo.

Dr. Trischuk has taken his interest in Myopia Management a step further and has begun lecturing across Canada to other optometrists and health care professionals on this topic. He is in private practice in Saskatoon.

 

Episode Notes

Dr. Devan Trischuk discusses his personal motivation to pursue help for young myopes and improve their quality of life.

He shares information on the evolution of spectacle lenses in the treatment of myopia and the reasons he is impressed with the the most recent addition to the tool kit – MiyoSmart lenses from Hoya.

Dr. Trischuk deems this new option as effective as the best conventional myopia management options available based upon the results of clinical trials. He outlines why and when he considers the spectacle lens as a first choice treatment option and discusses how his patient follow up plans have evolved with experience.

Dr. Trichuk provides an overview of the D.I.M.S mechanism of action to slow down axial growth.

Finally, Dr. Trichuk discusses how to address, or preempt, the pricing discussion with patients’ given the differential between standard single vision lenses and this specialty lens option.

Resources

 

 

Dr. Glen Chiasson

Dr. Glen Chiasson

Dr. Glen Chiasson is a 1995 graduate of the University of Waterloo School of Optometry. He owns and manages two practices in Toronto. In 2009, he co-hosted a podcast produced for colleagues in eye care, the “International Optometry Podcast”. He is a moderator of the Canadian Optometry Group, an email forum for Canadian optometrists. As  a host of  “Eyes Wide Open”, Glenn  looks forward to exploring new new technologies and services for eye care professionals.

Dr. Chiasson enjoys tennis, hockey, and reading. He lives in Toronto with his wife and two sons.

Dr. Chiasson splits EWO podcast hosting duties with Roxanne Arnal.

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A Great Office Manager Can Help You Lead and Inspire

Human Resources, Managing Others

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people management

Even before COVID, independent Optometrists shared a common complaint. How do you see patients all day as well as manage staff and the business demands of the practice? The answer is often an Office Manager. Even with a small team, it is important that someone is leading the ship when the Owner is seeing patients.

How’s Right for the Job?
For many offices, the Office Manager can be someone who has shown interest in managing tasks and taking on a bigger role within the office. It is also possible to hire someone with an affinity for office management but doesn’t have optical experience.

I have seen some wonderful Office Managers come from other backgrounds and bring new insight and perspective to the practices they work in.

Ultimately, the main responsibility of the Office Manager is to be the contact person for staff and patients, in your absence. It is imperative that they have a consistent and direct line to you on a regular basis. The staff will be accountable to the Office Manager and the Office Manager will be accountable to you.

A great office  manager can fill the gaps.
Just recently, a client mentioned that their associate’s appointment book was starting to look sparse in the week or two ahead.

They were looking for some guidance on how to approach staff. This is the perfect example of how an Office Manager could be of great assistance. In charge of overseeing the general business functioning of the clinic, the Office Manager will have independently identified this concern. The Office Manager will “huddle” will staff and brain storm action steps to get the appointments booked.

Often, when I am speaking to Office Managers, or even Practice Owners, they will express a concern about micromanaging the team. In fact, teams need managing – and even inspiring!

Recently, when mentoring a teammate in one office to become the Office Manager, we reviewed the action steps the team had already taken – getting caught up on recalls being the big one – and it appeared the team was being proactive. I asked if the team was also asking if there were other members in the household that were due for an eye exam that wanted to come in at the same time.

Particularly during COVID, it actually benefits the family and clinic if they come into the office at once and in their bubble. The future Office Manager graciously acknowledged that although they had done so in the past, they had stopped asking this question when patients were booking.

Now armed with a suggestion that could bring fresh perspective to the situation, the future Office Manager left our call to meet with her team to brainstorm ideas to get the schedule booked! I challenged her to do a similar exercise with the front desk staff in the spirit of unearthing ideas that had simply fallen off their radar.

This type of mentorship and coaching is necessary to transfer authority to the Office Manager, so that ultimately, the Office Manager can start independently assessing the business needs and acting accordingly. It takes some time and guidance, but the end result is well worth the effort.

KELLY HRYCUSKO

is the co-founder and managing partner of Simple Innovative Management Ideas (SIMI) Inc. and expert Practice Management contributor for Optik magazine. She can be reached at info@simiinc.com.

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Managing Your Practice During The Next Wave

Practice, Resources

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Many of us believe that we are already seeing a second wave of COVID-19. We feel it is here, now that we have seen a continuous rise in cases and that we should also try to be prepared for potentially a third and fourth wave.

The COVID-19 crisis found the world unprepared, but despite this, the reaction was both rapid and responsible. Nonetheless, challenges remained – especially as practices moved from initial response to living with the pandemic longer-term. Healthcare has proven its resiliency to both recessions and now a pandemic, so now is the time to plan and not simply react. The best we can all do is take the lessons we learned from how we responded to the first wave. I am a firm believer that history truly is a great teacher. The first thing every practice owner needs to do is talk to other practice owners. Don’t use the time to complain and fear the worst but rather, ask people what they did the first time. What did they feel worked well and what would they do differently if they had to? Now is the time to do a review and see if your business plan requires a revision or modification. People will always need healthcare. That is a fact. But there is nothing stopping you from ensuring your practice operations are fine tuned in order to manage future waves.

An important measure to take is improve your communication with staff and prioritize their concerns. Despite all the protocols implemented in offices, staff are human. Many are anxious and as numbers increase, so does fear. Taking time to listen and not dismiss is critical. Addressing their concerns in an open and transparent manner will go a long way in keeping them engaged. As the owner, providing confidence and reassurance is key. Offices have gone to great lengths to ensure all the steps are in place to ensure the safety of both staff and patients within the practice. Being that calm voice in the storm is so important. Human nature is such that people will make decisions on their own, if a clear strategy is not presented for them to follow. This is where your leadership matters.

This may sound very simplistic or even obvious but ensuring that you have a proper supply of PPE, hand sanitizer, and cleaning supplies will avoid any scrambling or being caught in a rush that could result. Another tip is to continue to manage your cash flow – both in the office and at home. I sincerely do not believe a second closure of offices will occur, but from the various practice owners I’ve spoken to, those who could weather the storm the first time were people who were not overleveraged. It is easy to engage in retail therapy or home renovations (I certainly have) in lieu of not taking a formal vacation or just managing stress. Do your best to create a financial cushion. Also, one of the best things you can do to help calm yourself during times of uncertainty is to prepare regular budgets and stress-test them. This knowledge will give you better clarity and an important sense of control.

During the lockdown, I was so impressed to see practice owners take to the internet – whether it was videos, email messages or Facebook posts. Keeping patients connected is so critical. Now more than ever is the time to be an informative and calming voice to patients. Do not be afraid to invest wisely in your online presence.

If this pandemic has taught us anything, it should be that we need to prepare for future pandemics. Infectious disease experts warn that COVID-19 may not be the only global pandemic we experience in our lifetime. Some of the changes we have had to roll out may now become part of the ‘new normal,’ such as physical distancing in reception areas and PPE during patient visits. After all, it was the care of patients with HIV that led dentists to start wearing masks and gloves.

COVID-19 has taught us that even in volatile times, it is possible to manage and maintain your practice. Some have even been able to grow. While we all had to adapt on the fly earlier this year, this time around we can turn to the good habits we adopted and lessons learned during the first wave to get ourselves through the ones to come.

Keep staying safe and healthy!

Jackie Joachim, COO ROI Corp

JACKIE JOACHIM

Jackie has 30 years of experience in the industry as a former banker and now the Chief Operating Officer of ROI Corporation. Please contact her at Jackie.joachim@roicorp.com or 1-844-764-2020.

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Canadian Health & Personal Care Retail Sales Edge Downward

Finance|Wealth, Marketing, Planning, Resources

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August retail sales, as reported by StatsCan, indicate Canadian consumers spent 3.8% less in August compared to the  previous month, continuing a trend of softening sales after an initial strong rebound earlier this year.

The Health & Personal Care sector* posted even weaker sales: a 7.0% decrease compared with the prior month.  The August decline follows 3 consecutive months of increases from the low point in April 2020.

Among all categories, building material and garden equipment stores and food and beverage stores showed the strongest increases, whereas clothing stores were unchanged and sales at sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores fell, as did home furnishings.

By region, H&PC retail sales were strongest in Atlantic Canada (+10.3%)  and British Columbia (+2.6%).  Ontario (-12.1%), Quebec (-5.2%) and Alberta (-6.1%) showed the weakest sales versus the prior month.

The same period report shows online sales also slowing down but still significant higher compared with the same period last year.

The Retail Council of Canada reports that the preliminary results for September 2020 also indicate sales softness.

* Source 
H&PC retail category is a broad swath of personal care retail operations that includes pharmacies and optical stores but excludes mass merchandisers and private optometry clinics.  The  H&PC retail category may not be an exact benchmark for individual practices.

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July 2020 StatsCan Report Shows Slowing Bounce-Back

Finance|Wealth, Marketing, Planning, Resources

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April 2020 retail sales report sent shock waves through almost every retail sector in Canada.  Since then the May and June results showed a buoyant bounce-back in most sectors.

The July 2020 StatsCan report of Canadian retail sales, however, show that the rate of the bounce-back has slowed considerably.

From the APRIL low of $43.6 M, May retail sales increased 35.8% and June increased 19.0% over May.

The July numbers,however, are a stark reminder that full recovery of economic activity may not yet be in the cards.  July retail sales reached $57.2 M a mere 1.7% increase over the prior month.

One positive to take from the July numbers is that sales posted 4.5% higher than July 2019.

Taking a sector-specific view July 2020 Canadian Health and Personal Care (H&PC)  retail sales show a similar trend to that of all retail sales.

June H&PC sales showed a strong bounce back of 10% from May, but the July sales rebound, while still positive, were up 1.5% compared to the prior month.

H&PC retail category is a broad swath of personal care retail operations that includes pharmacies and  optical stores but excludes mass merchandisers and private optometry clinics.  The  H&PC retail category might not be an exact benchmark for individual practices, but it is the closest proxy we can gather from the publicly available StatsCan reports.

While each of the sectors showed varying results, so do regional sales. Not all regions across the country shared equally in the positive numbers.

On the plus side, British Columbia and Quebec lead the way with +5.5% and +4.2% month over month sales growth respectively.

Ontario and Man-Sask showed declines of 1.3% and 2.6% respectively in July.

EyeCarebusiness.ca will track H&PC sales as a information bookmark for Eye care Professionals.

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Ophthalmology Launches New Public Awareness Campaign and Consumer Contest

Advertising & Promotion, Marketing, Practice, Products | Services | Industry News

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The Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS) has teamed up with Bon Look, an new and rapidly expanding Optical Chain with a National presence, to provide an online risk assessment tool and contest helping consumers understand the risk of developing serious eye disease.

This initiative is one part of a public relations effort highlighting that 75% of cases from serious eye diseases are treatable or preventable with ophthalmological interventions.

Additionally, in collaboration with the the Conference Board of Canada, a newly released report shows that treating vision loss is projected to save $1.6 billion in direct health care costs in 2020, and is expected to reach $4 billion by 2040.

The report, which examines the value of ophthalmology from a health outcome, health care efficiency, and societal/economic perspective, shows the large economic impact on health care systems, society and individuals. According to the study, an estimated 263,400 individuals will have improved vision in 2020 through ophthalmic interventions. By treating vision loss, approximately 82,500 negative medical outcomes will be avoided, including injuries or other associated health care needs such as falls, hip fractures, depression, anxiety, admission into long-term care, and use of home care or caregiver services.

Dr. Colin Mann, President of COS, says, “Of all the disease categories in Canada, vision loss has the highest direct health care cost. The report shows that the economic benefits of averting vision loss far outweigh the cost of delivering ophthalmic interventions and help to safeguard the future of eye care in Canada.”

COS says the number of ophthalmic interventions in Canada increased by 30% between 2014 and 2018. Demand is projected to rise from around 1.1 million interventions in 2018 to 1.7 million interventions by 2040, driven by population growth and aging, as well as innovation and changes in clinical practice.

The Conference Board of Canada report, part of a series on The Value of Health Services in Canada, can be found here.

The online risk assessment tool can be viewed here:  seethepossibilities.ca

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An Early Adopter Partnership: Lessons Learned & Shared

Buying-Selling A Practice, Practice, Resources

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Dr. Christian Nanini was aware of IRIS from their home province of Quebec. IRIS clinics had developed a forward-thinking, profitable business model that Dr. Nanini and his partners attempted to emulate at a smaller scale within their own practice – but without the benefit of the IRIS brand name. Ontario regulations stood in the way.

Profession’s Politics at Play

For many years, the Ontario College of Optometrists (COO) had very restrictive regulations that forced an antiquated pricing mechanism and forbade association among Optometrists, Opticians and corporate entities.

In 2006, the same year that Dr. Nanini consolidated three practices in the Niagara region into one location, IRIS led the charge to challenge the status quo which drew the ire of optometry’s regulators in Ontario.

Nanini and his partners wanted to move quickly but were advised to wait until IRIS’s challenge to Ontario’s antiquated regulations were settled.

Ultimately, by marshalling the support of the Ontario Ministry of Health and the Competition Bureau of Canada and citing the Canadian Charter of Rights freedom of association provisions, the COO publicly acknowledged resistance to IRIS’s business practices would cease.

Listen to Dr. Daryan Angle recount the story of IRIS’s challenge to the Ontario College of Optometrists in the Eyes Wide Open Podcast, hosted by Dr. Glen Chiasson

Gaining a Better Work-Life Balance
As a young family man, Dr. Nanini began to feel overwhelmed having to do everything in his business early on. Work-life balance was not in his vocabulary.

He faced the challenge of juggling all the balls that come with running a small business. Aside from patient care, his time was spent doing joyless grunt work: managing and training staff, marketing, payroll, strategizing how to grow the business and the list goes on.

Like many optometrists he simply wanted to do what he studied and trained for—examining, diagnosing and treating their patients. He did not want to feel weighed down by the tedium and stress of an endless to-do list, but still wanted a sense of control over the business.

A Shared Vision
Knowing of the success of IRIS in his home province, Dr. Nanini believed that his clinic would do better to partner with IRIS rather than compete with them for patients. He also saw the value in relinquishing essential business responsibilities that would free up his time.

“I was 100% okay with that because, for me, it’s freedom from all the workload, all the training, all of the advertisement, all the negotiations with suppliers. Everything was out of my hands now …freeing up my time a lot. After work, I could come home and enjoy quality family time instead of having to do paperwork,” Nanini remarks.

In 2009, two years after his initial meeting with Dr. Francis Jean (the now-deceased founder of IRIS), his clinic was officially a 50% shareholder with IRIS owning 50%. He chose this option over alternative percentage splits or a franchise model.

“Right from the beginning I didn’t want to sell the whole thing. I still wanted to have some power into some decisions.”

Transition Lessons Learned
Dr. Daryan Angle, IRIS VP of business development, worked with Dr. Nanini to transition the Welland Ontario practice. Discussion and negotiation about the partnership was smooth, however they did encounter challenges immediately following the merger.

During IRIS’s initial expansion into Ontario, Dr. Angle frankly admits that there was a steep learning curve with many missteps made around on-boarding, especially for the first handful of clinics that opened in the province. Part of the issue was that IRIS’s onsite on-boarding and training for the new system was compacted into a few short days before the actual launch.

IRIS Welland Reception Desk

Dr. Nanini recalls that he should have briefed his staff more rigorously about why the transition would make life easier, and what to expect when it happened. As a result, he lost two employees who could not adapt to the changes fast enough. Subsequently, he had to scramble to hire and train two new employees on top of everything else.

Today, IRIS’ on-boarding process is far more comprehensive. Training days are held months in advance to give owners and staff time to integrate the information. By the end, staff are well-versed in navigating the software system and have good knowledge about new products.

Navigating Pricing Changes
Even though the legal battle between IRIS and the College of Optometrists had been settled in 2008, it was not until 2014 that regulatory changes were made. While regulators moved slowly, the new IRIS in Welland Ontario was forging ahead with retail pricing while many private practice ODs cautiously remained on the sidelines.

None of Dr. Nanini’s staff, now part of IRIS, were ready for the retail-model pricing which created significantly higher price points than the previously regulated cost-plus dispensing model that IRIS worked to change. Dr. Nanini’s staff suddenly found themselves needing to explain and sell products to sticker-shocked patients.

Nanini recalls “We used to sell our high-end products at a really low price compared to what they were selling for everywhere else in Canada…people wanted the high-end products, but they were suddenly $200 more. That’s what the patients and the staff found difficult.”

Another stumbling block was that IRIS, at the time, only offered premium-priced eyewear therefore losing potential sales from patients with lower budgets. They now adopt a “good, better, best” approach that can accommodate most budgets while maintaining the highest quality of products possible.

Sharing the Experience with Others
Since its inception, IRIS has displayed a willingness to adjust to the needs of its customers, franchisees and partners. Customers get the best care and products, and independent eye care professionals thrive under a time-tested, profitable business model.

Today, Dr. Nanini helps on-board other optometrists who have embraced more profits and more freedom with IRIS. As well, he sits on internal IRIS committees to guide the integration process, sharing his experience.

When asked if he would do it again if he had the chance, Dr. Nanini had no qualms.

“Yes, definitely I would still join IRIS in my mind, knowing I lose some control but there is a lot of stuff that is off my shoulders now…I can enjoy a better quality of life. So, to me, I would do it in a blink.”

Dr. Nanini still works 5 days a week, and sometimes 6!  

He enjoys walking 6-7 km every day, jogging and biking.

 

 

 

 

IRIS provided Eye Care Business Canada full unconditional access to ECPs that have recently completed a partnership agreement with the group.  Each partner story provides and insider’s view to the the acquisition;  challenges faced, obstacles overcome and the final results.

This is the third of a four part series:  The Power of Partnership: Overcoming Challenges Together.

Related Articles:  

Previous articles in the Series:
Power in Partnership: Overcoming Challenges Together (Dr. Christa Beverley, Barrie)
Power in Partnership: Enhancing Value Through Transformation to a Full Service Practice 
Eyes Wide Open Podcast:  How IRIS Challenged the Ontario OD Regs and Won
Eyes Wide Open Podcast:  IRIS sees Sliver Linings Behind the Covid Clouds
Insight Profile:  Dr. Daryan Angle, IRIS VP Business Development

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