Overhead Costs

Accounting Basics, Finance|Wealth, Resources

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As a small business, overhead costs are just a part of doing business. While many of your overhead costs are fixed costs that don’t vary much year to year, it is still important to analyze these costs periodically.

Overhead costs include things like rent, utilities, office supplies and software maintenance. As a guide, aim to spend no more than 8% of your Gross Revenue on Overhead Costs.

How long has it been since you reviewed what you are currently spending on office supplies? You will be surprised how much you spend on this. Track it to see how much you spend. This category includes everything from pens and paper to snacks and refreshments. Ultimately, we want you to continue to offer all the extras that create your unique patient experience. We are just suggesting that you take the time to price shop your options. For many of these items, there is a bulk buying opportunity.  Creating lists and buying in bulk can save the office quite a bit of money versus buying ad hoc.

Sometimes “just in time” supplies can save you money too, depending on the situation.  At home, we have signed up for an ink service.  The printer is connected to WIFI.  When we are starting to get low on ink, a message is sent to the company to send out ink.   We are limited to the number of prints we can do per month (300) but if we don’t use them all, they carry over to the next month.  This ensures that we always have ink when we need it and saves me from impulse purchases at the store!

The Little Things Can Add Up.

Another way to save money in Overhead Costs is to retrofit your office lighting. For many offices, cabinet lights are on all day long and use a lot of energy. Consider replacing the GU19 bulbs in the cabinets with the LED version or LED strip lighting.  Replace your florescent bulbs in your grid ceiling with LED flat panels. This could save you between 50-75% of electricity costs used on lighting and will generate no heat. These bulbs are also less maintenance. They can last 50,000 hours (10 years) without any maintenance. The cost to do this has come down significantly so that is it almost equivalent to what we used to pay for traditional bulbs.

For some offices that provide cell phones to their employees, shopping cell phone plans can present another opportunity to save. There are bundles that will allow employees to share the data you are paying for.

We get used to using the same things but it is possible that there are better priced options. Often there is some down time over the summer as doctors take vacation. This could be a good summer project for staff with extra time on their hands.

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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How Patients Find You Can Define Your Marketing Spend

Advertising & Promotion, Digital Marketing, Marketing, Resources

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The normal attrition rate in an optometric practice is 13%. Patients move away, pass away or sometimes choose a new office. We advise our clients to aim for a 20% new patient rate to replace this loss and to continue to grow their practice.

There are a number of ways to attract new patients. The most common are word of mouth (WOM), referrals from other doctors, the location appeal of the practice, social media referrals, memberships to community organizations and Google searches.

Which method is the most effective for your office?   

If you aren’t already, put a process into place with the staff to ensure that you record where every new patient heard about your office and track this information every month.

Depending on your strategy, the sources can vary. For instance, if you have set up a medical practice, you are more likely to see doctor referral as your main source for new patients. If you are in an area catering to young professionals and families, you are more likely to see Google at the top of the referral sources.

Pushing the analysis a little further, we are also curious to see which referral source is the most profitable in each office. Again, there is going to be a correlation between the strategy and this result.

When you are clear about your strategy, it drives all other decisions to ensure you are offering all the products and services that the patient is expecting from the practice.

Tracking Can Optimize your Expenses

As many EMRs don’t easily allow this analysis, it is likely that a manual process is required, but it’s worth the effort.

Using a spreadsheet, record where all new patients heard about the practice and how much they spend at the office, including all services and products.  At the end of the month, sort by referral source and get an average RPP (revenue per patient) for each referral source.

We recently did this exercise in an office where we putting a lot of resources towards Google adwords. Interestingly, the analysis came back that the office’s most profitable patients were from WOM.

What does that mean?

First, we revisited their strategy. They have a long history in their community and their patients have a lot of trust in them. The people that they refer are their friends and family, who likely have similar expectations of loyalty and trust in their practitioners. Perhaps this is why they more readily accept the recommendations of the office and opt into their services and purchase their products.

With this information, we know that we need to spend more time and energy on encouraging more WOM referrals. Marketing efforts may include activities such as email blasts with “loyalty” coupons for referrals. We may let every patient know that we would be happy to see their friends and families as patients too.

This is such an exciting time for your business. There is so much information available to help guide your decisions. Tracking and analyzing your new patient information will take the guess work out of where to spend your time and money in marketing.

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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Don’t Hire in a Hurry: Why Panic Hires Can Bruise Your Bottom Line

Human Resources, Talent Acquisition

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If there’s one situation that’s guaranteed to make practice owners and managers break out in a sweat, it’s an open position that goes unfilled for too long.

The pressure to fill open jobs quickly is real, and with good reason; the costs of empty positions are very real too:

  • Uncertainty for patients and customers
  • Increased workload for other employees
  • Reduced revenue
  • Lost productivity
  • Poor employee morale

The best way to mitigate the damage is to get your team back up to full speed by recruiting new staff as quickly as possible, right? Wrong!

Hiring in a hurry may seem like a good idea, but in fact will likely bruise your bottom line even more.

The High Cost of Bad Hires

Unfilled positions are costly, but bad hires are even more expensive in the long run.

With increasing pressure to fill vacancies, it’s tempting to fall into the trap of believing that somebody – anybody – is better than nobody. In most cases, however, a “panic hire” only serves to make a bad situation worse.

In the rush to hire a warm body, shortcuts such as interviewing too quickly, not screening applicants carefully, and failure to assess the candidate’s “fit” with the job and your office culture are common, and costly mistakes.

A U.S. Department of Labour study found the cost of the wrong hire can be as much as 30% of the employee’s first-year earnings. Can your practice afford that financial hit?

Bad hires inevitably result in high employee turnover. Turnover is costly.

A study from Inc. Magazine pegs the average turnover cost for a minimum wage job at $3,200; for managers and higher-level staff the costs increase significantly:

  • Entry level: 35-50% of annual salary
  • Mid-level: 150% of annual salary
  • High-level: 400% of annual salary

Take Time to Hire Right the First Time

As tempting as it may be to fill a vacancy as quickly as possible, a bad hire is more costly than having no hire.

Take the time and use all the resources available to ensure you fill the position with a candidate who not only is qualified, but is the right fit for the job.

It’s easier than you think! Web-based platforms like Eyeployment.com can help reduce the workload and take the guesswork out of the hiring process for businesses both large and small.

By screening candidates both on your criteria, and on their potential fit with the job, these tools help you identify which applicants have the skills, values, work ethic and personality traits most likely to lead to success in your position.

Eyeployment.com even creates customized interview guides for each candidate, ensuring you focus on the right questions that will help you make the best decisions.

Bottom line – don’t panic! Hiring in a hurry is no way to find the best fit for your job vacancy.

Focus on what really matters – employee fit – and you’ll be glad you took the time to hire well.

JAN G. VAN DER HOOP

Jan is the co-founder and president of Fit First Technologies, a company that applies its predictive analytics to the task of matching people to roles. Those algorithms drive platforms such as TalentSorter, FitFirstJobs and Eyeployment.com, which are relied upon by organizations to screen high volumes of candidates for “fit” in their open positions.

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Hiring a Receptionist? Get it Right Using Behavioral Science.

Human Resources, Managing Others, Talent Acquisition

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The first face of your practice is, arguably from a customer service perspective, the most important. A friendly and empathetic first encounter can leave a lasting positive impression on your practice … or… it can go the other way and be the root cause of a nasty review on Yelp!

Using the scientific algorithm from Eyeployment.com, the behavioural characteristics of an “ideal candidate” can be determined with science.

Because of the way Eyeployment.com’s assessment engine has been designed, it is able to compare the personality traits and other attributes of an individual to those of people who have been high performers in a given role, and generate a FitScore™ that is a very accurate predictor of success in a particular role.

Ideal Candidate Traits: Health Care Receptionist

For each role in your practice, Eyeployment.com has identified the the ideal behvioural traits that can make the difference as to whether your new hire is a star or a passenger.

 Extraversion: Degree to which one requires social interaction and authority.

Perhaps surprisingly, a Receptionist position calls for people that display this trait less prominently than most people. The ideal candidate will likely follow group consensus when required to work in a group.

Agreeableness: Tendency to be friendly, approachable, and easy to get along with.

This position calls for people that display this trait like most people. The ideal candidate usually cooperates with others in order to ensure group harmony as long as their goals do not drastically differ from those of the candidate.

Conscientiousness: Tendency to strive for perfection, sometimes at all costs.

Receptionist positions call for people that display this trait like most people. The ideal candidate prefers to be precise in their actions, but can take the big picture into account when necessary.

Stability: Degree to which one reacts positively to negative or stressful situations.

This position calls for people that display this trait more prominently than most people. The ideal candidate is usually objective in their decision making and actions, even in trying circumstances.

Openness: Willingness to try new ways of doing things.

Receptionist positions call for people that display this trait like most people. The ideal candidate usually appreciates being able to try new methods, but is able to accept tried and true methods as well.

Resolve: Willingness to work for the intrinsic benefit of work and its ability to enhance character.

This position calls for people that display this trait differently than most people. The ideal Receptionist candidate tends to be passionate about their work and get a lot of enjoyment and pleasure out of it.

Reliability: Tendency to behave in an uncompromising and consistently honest, moral, and ethical manner.

Receptionist/Information Clerk positions call for people that display this trait differently than most people. The ideal candidate always follows through on their commitments to others to the extent they are in control of a situation.

Cooperativeness: Tendency to be friendly, agreeable, and to be a team person.

This position calls for people that display this trait more prominently than most people. The ideal candidate is generally not one to express their opinions unless absolutely necessary.

Above all else, don’t short-change the evaluation process if you are hiring a receptionist.   Using behavioural science can help you find the ideal candidate for this important position.

JAN G. VAN DER HOOP

Jan is the co-founder and president of Fit First Technologies, a company that applies its predictive analytics to the task of matching people to roles. Those algorithms drive platforms such as TalentSorter, FitFirstJobs and Eyeployment.com, which are relied upon by organizations to screen high volumes of candidates for “fit” in their open positions.

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Two Ways To Lose And why customer care is still the be-all and end-all when dealing with clients

Differentiation | Business Strategy, Practice, The Patient Journey

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I have been a long-time, loyal client of a local dry cleaner. A new owner (who I quite like) took over the service. However, it soon became clear to me that a pre-existing, long-term employee was not happy with this new owner.

One day, when collecting my clean clothes, the new owner was absent and the employee in question told me she disliked working there and asked if I knew anyone who was hiring. I suggested she send me her resume.

Our firm happened to be hiring and we interviewed her, but her qualifications were inadequate for our position and she was not offered a job. Since then I have encountered her again on a number of occasions and she remains unhappy and is unpleasant when dealing with me and other customers.

It’s possible she’s mad that we didn’t offer her a job. I hesitate to say anything to the new owner because this is a convenient location for me and I want to remain a customer. Yet, it is difficult to go to this business because of this employee.

Is this the fault of a bad new owner who doesn’t treat his employee well? Or, is this a disgruntled employee who’s angry she was not offered a job and free her from an unhappy situation? I don’t know the answer, but I know I’m not happy and may move my business elsewhere, despite the inconvenience.

When a business sells, a new owner brings new policies, procedures and an ownership style that might not suit some employees. They may become resentful about the changes being implemented. That resentment may negatively affect the new business. It’s a given that customer care and service is what makes a business successful. All it takes is one employee not providing the required customer care for a business to fail. My advice to the owner would be to terminate her, even though she was an ideal employee at this dry cleaner for many years.

In any health care practice, customer care is also crucial. My son, daughter-in-law and my three grandchildren have been loyal to the same dentist for more than 10 years. Recently, my son arranged appointments for two of my grandchildren, one at 5 p.m. and another a half hour later. There was some confusion about the appointment times, but my son looked through his messages and verified the 5 p.m. arrival time. Because he’s not the most efficient at managing the kids, he arrived five minutes late and was informed that there was only enough time to see one of the children because they had given away the 5:30 p.m. appointment to another client.

Like all young families, my son and daughter-in-law are very busy. They were upset that after 10 years of loyalty and many treatments—my grandkids have had substantial work done on their teeth—the office staff would treat them this way.

It’s possible that an administrative error occurred regarding the appointments, even if they had previously been confirmed. It happens. What was upsetting was how disrespectful the office staff was to a loyal patient and his family. My son was distraught when he relayed the story and told me that he changed health care practitioners.

The result: a young couple with three kids left their health care practitioner of more than 10 years and connected with another one closer to the family’s home. The new practitioner is thrilled to now provide services to this family of five for many years to come.

Appointment times can be confusing when texts, emails and other means of communication are used. When more than one staff member is working and reworking the appointment schedule, human error can occur. But upsetting a busy young man with family responsibilities, who’s been a loyal client for years, makes no sense. I would hate to calculate the amount of revenue lost by alienating and losing the opportunity to serve a growing family of five for many years.

TIMOTHY BROWN

is Chief Executive Office of ROI Corporation Canada’s national professional practice and brokerage firm.

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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The Importance of Updating your Website

Digital Marketing, Marketing, Resources

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Coffee shops, grocery stores and other refresh locations update their physical locations every 3-5 years. There is a very good reason for this.  The changes indicate to their patrons that they are staying current and relevant. As humans, we are also very curious about anything new. We are compelled to investigate and see what the latest trends are.

In fact, your virtual presence also needs attention and updating. Your website is often the first time that a new patient interacts with your practice and you want to make sure that it reflects the experience that the patient will encounter if they were coming into the physical office.

Every business has a different strategy, look & feel and personality. It is important that the website reflects all of that so that the patient can be sure that it is the right fit for their needs.

The website also acts as one of your most important sales people. It is going to work for you 24 hrs per day, 365 days/year!

Now the question is, do they have the skills to sell what you do and/or offer?

Take a close and critical look at your website:

  1. Copycat – the highest form of flattery! Look at your competitions websites, see what they are doing. Find other websites in your industries in other major cities and look at what they are doing on their websites.
  2. Hire wisely. Find someone you trust in house or outsourced to be your web person. Look at their previous work and get multiple quotes!

How will you know that your updates are effective?
Conversions! Conversions are people who contact you from your website.

The TWO most important questions you want to know in regards to your website are :

  1. What is the conversion rate to contact from your website?
  2. What is your close/sold/hired/won percentage from those contact conversions?

For example :

100 people visit your website

20 Contact you via Phone/Form Submit/Email (Mix)

You are a closer and your offer and service is great, you close 10.

Your average client value to you is $700

The Answers:

  1. Website Conversion Rate : 15%  (20)
  2. Closed Sale Conversion Rate : 50% (10)

The Math:

For every 100 visitors in our example 20 contacted and 10 became closed/won business.  If it costs $5.00 per click on search to drive 100 that’s $500.00 = 10 New Clients at $700×10 = $7000.00 ROI

ERIC HARBOTTLE

With 15+ years of marketing experience, owner of Addison Marketing Solutions and co-founder of MarketingforOptometry.com Canada’s newest marketing agency option for Optometrists, Eric Harbottle knows what it takes to succeed in a robust and confusion digital world.

Coming from a strong background working and consulting with some of Canada’s largest marketing agencies to offering SMB solutions at the ground level with his boutique agency, Eric is able to understand the needs of every level of client with unique optimism and an experienced view as a business owner himself targeting KPI’s and goals to help every client achieve success.

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Summer Staffing with OD Students is a Good Thing!

Practice, Resources

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We are finally approaching the well-loved and relaxing season of summer. Life seems a bit easier; you can get out the door with less layers t and you don’t have to worry about snow-induced traffic delays. Summer vacations and trips to the cottage are coming.

Of course, when you are running a small business, summer time can also present challenges, specifically around staffing.  Luckily, there are often university students who are currently registered in Optometry School looking for summer work. They are really ideal candidates to hire for the 4 months they are available. They are committed to the industry, they want to learn as much as they can and they are eager to do well.

In our experience, having this additional staff member has more than paid for itself. During the weeks when you are fully staffed, the summer student can tackle jobs that have been on the back burner; organizing the CL trial room, reviewing frame pricing, doing an inventory, price comparisons, the list goes on.

Further, many staff take summer vacations, and with an extra member on your team during this time, you don’t have to go short handed. The reality is, you want your patients who visit in the summer to have the same great experience in your office now as they would in the winter with a full compliment of staff ready to serve and assist.

Another advantage to hiring an OD student for the summer is the potential for grooming an associate for the future. Working in your practice, they will become very knowledgeable about the front end of your business. Understanding the flow from appointment booking to retail sales will make this associate a valuable member of your team very quickly.

It is tempting to consider going short staffed for the weeks different members are off on vacation.  This, of course, is not ideal. Not only will the patient experience be compromised but it will likely also have an impact on your Revenue per Patient (RPP) – the two are intimately related. Are patients receiving additional testing to improve their health care outcomes, are they finding glasses that they want to purchase, are they leaving with drops and vitamins for preventative measures? Discussing these solutions takes time and energy. Tracking and reviewing RPP will give you some reassurance that maintaining a full compliment of staff is in the best interests of both your patients and your business.

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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Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

Finance|Wealth, Human Resources, Managing Others, Practice, Resources

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When a trusted, long-standing associate leaves, where does that leave you?

Throughout my career, many clients have shared with me the mixed feelings sparked when a long-term associate leaves the business. It’s never easy when someone leaves a practice, especially on short notice.

I’ve heard this story hundreds of times and listened patiently while a practice owner tells me how this feels. They handpicked their associates. They recruited them right out of school. They taught them everything they know. They helped them build their career. In short, they more or less helped them get to where they are today.

And then that young protégé they mentored says, “I’m moving on.” Sometimes he or she gives a lot of notice and is honourable about it…and other times he/she gives no notice or doesn’t even show up and sends a resignation by email.

I’ve been very fortunate that this has only happened to me on a few occasions and not for many years. When it happened the last time, I had known for some time that there was some staff dissension. The company has grown rapidly and my management team has expanded to the point that not everyone fits in, particularly those who started when the business was a small and intimate corporation.

It can be devastating when your long-term business relationship is suddenly and permanently severed. Even if you have a premonition, you really don’t see it coming. As a principal you might think, “They are probably better off with me than without me, so I can’t believe they would actually leave.”

In reality, principals should prepare for the eventuality of an associate leaving. If and when an associate feels able to do so, he or she will go his or her own way. Knowing this might help in your planning process, but it does not lessen the drama and stress that follows such a departure. What’s also deflating and disruptive is the confusion that results for patients.

For the most part, patients don’t like change when it comes to their caregivers. Principals are often left with major knowledge gaps and ignorance of patient’s preferences, established procedures, financial considerations and so on. And last but not least, patient confidentiality issues and company security measures may be at risk. More stress and consternation.

The truth is people will do what they think is best for themselves and their families, and I completely respect that because my own family has been protecting its interests for many years.

It’s the sudden impact of somebody simply saying, “I’m leaving.” That’s hard to deal with-no matter how many times it happens. We’ve all been through it in dating relationships, marriage relationships, friendships or business relationships. And when you don’t see it coming is when it hurts the most.

I’ve reflected on it in many different ways–anger, relief and most of all sadness. I still don’t understand where the relationship failed so badly. Remember, this is a business relationship. This is nothing like being in love with someone. Yet, I have to ponder, what could I have done better? Should I have been more attentive? Maybe I didn’t listen well enough? What did I do wrong? How did I upset this person to the point of deciding to leave?

Self-reflection is a large part of this experience, but when you’re a principal/owner and a long-term associate leaves, I can tell you one thing…

It hurts.

TIMOTHY BROWN

is Chief Executive Office of ROI Corporation Canada’s national professional practice and brokerage firm.

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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We Need to Take Our Place at the Table

Practice, Resources, Specialty Practice

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Sports vision is often referred to as a specialty within optometry, but I see it differently: as a core optometric service that can be part of most every optometric practice. In fact, what we now call “sports performance vision and dynamic vision testing” is fundamental to our optometric calling, which is to enhance the visual performance and lives of our patients.

It has been my privilege to serve as team optometrist to the Washington Redskins, Wizards, Mystics and DC United, as well the Director of Visual Performance for the Washington Nationals. But in our practice, which has five locations in the Virginia-D.C. metro area, we also help young athletes and their families to improve their visual performance every day.

Technology advances are dramatically enhancing our ability to establish visual performance baselines and then to track improvements in an objective data-based process. But we bring basic optometric skills to this process, as well. When I speak to optometry students, I explain that they will enter practice with most of the knowledge and many of the skills to do most of what we provide in neurodynamic vision services or what we call sensory-cognitive sports vision training. At the same time, I alert students to the fact that athletic trainers and physical therapists are beginning to conduct visual performance evaluations and training. Shame on us if we miss this opportunity or hand it off to others. ODs need to carve out our place at the table while we still have it.

Today, when a parent calls an OD and says. “My child suffered a concussion on the playing field and was  told to see a vision rehabilitation specialist,” most ODs would say they cannot provide that. I want us to get to a place where most ODs will say, “We can provide that; let’s schedule an appointment!”

Seek Out Training & Expertise

Specializing in sports and performance vision is something that works only if you love sports. There are profits to be made, but you have to love working with athletes and teams because it often demands time away from family and practice.

When I graduated PCO Salus University nearly 20 years ago, I was focused on sports vision and vision training and sought out experts among the optometric community in my area and nearby. There were a few courses available, but I learned because I sought out the best and studied what they did.

At the time, “vision training” had a bad name since some medical professionals felt it lacked science. Also, “sports vision” had been around, and many perceived this as working with pros, not so much with kids and amateur athletes.

I became involved with the AOA Sports Vision Committee, and we changed the name–for strategic  purposes–to Sports & Performance Vision. Again, we wanted to broaden the appeal to include not just ODs who were “sports specialists” but all ODs who had an interest in adding such services to a general practice.

WHAT YOU NEED: DEVELOPING A SPORTS & PERFORMANCE VISION SPECIALTY

Diagnostic Instruments:

Auto-Refractor, Visual Fields, OCT, Optomap, Portable Tonometer

Vision Training Equipment (essential & optional):

Big screen display screen, RightEye system, NeuroTrainer, Senaptic or Vima strobe glasses

Facility & Space:

Pre-test area, Exam room, Sports room, 500 square feet

Be Part of Sports Training Community

Over the past two decades, I have had the privilege of working with a number of professional sports teams, and I’ve seen a dramatic change in the medical expertise that teams now seek.

Once, there was a team doctor. Now a pro team may have a podiatrist, a physical therapist, a chiropractor, a dentist, a neurologist, an orthopedist–as well as an optometrist–on board. There are times when medical professionals outnumber players in the locker room.

This is an enormous opportunity for optometrists. We have great chances to learn from and network with an array of other medical professionals–and we can raise the level of understanding about what optometry brings to the table. Again, we need to claim our place at the table — and be part of the “performance team” of both professional athletes and amateur and youth athletes we work with.

Equipment &Technology

Another enormous change in recent years comes from advances in diagnostic and training technology. In particular, we can employ diagnostic equipment to create baselines in visual performance-eye tracking, dynamic visual focus, visual concentration, visual pursuit, binocularity, reaction times, etc.

This data is important for a number of reasons. It establishes a baseline that determines natural ability, and against which we can track improvement. RightEye, for example, analyzes data to generate what it calls a “Sports Vision EyeQ.”

Should an athlete be injured, and here concussion is a common and debilitating injury, a sports performance baseline provides a critical evaluation tool and a measuring stick in rehabilitation. Further, the ever-higher level of data on visual performance can be used to predict likelihood of injury and to extrapolate maximum performance. In professional sports, data is king, and sports organizations are adding statisticians and analysts from top schools like MIT who play critical roles in determining which athletes get top contracts.

Immediate ROI

Establishing a sports and performance vision specialty requires some instruments, equipment, space and time, but the investment need not be a daunting one. In our practice, it required adding the equivalent of only one more autorefactor and a visual field. In 10 years time, we have invested perhaps $50,000 in equipment related to sports vision training, and we saw that investment paid back in one year. In other words, we’ve been in the black for nine of the last ten years that we have incorporated a sports and performance vision component to our practice.. In other words, we’ve been in the black for nine-and-a-half of the 10 years we’ve specialized in neurodynamic vision.

But again, we do this for love of sport. And the rewards have been tremendous. We’ve helped teams on their way to achieving championships, we helped athletes back from injuries, and we’ve helped pros and kids alike to achieve dramatic and measurable improvements in playing the sports that they love.

 

NEURODYNAMICVISION.org is your single source for the latest information in the understanding of the power of the brain to improve overall human performance. Any new sub-specialty requires a combination of interrelated activities that help elevate an idea from obscure theory to everyday practice. NEURODYNAMICVISION.org offers these in the form of the latest information in the areas of validated scientific research; proprietary testing protocols supported by new advanced concepts in
sports-vision-related tools and training products, and consumer education, awareness and understanding of the benefits of improved performance, both on and off the field.

KEITH SMITHSON, OD

practices at Northern Virginia Doctors of Optometry, which has locations in Alexandria, Arlington, Falls Church and
Reston, Virginia. Dr. Smithson works with amateur and professional athletes to enhance visual performance for sports and to remediate
the visual symptoms of concussion. He is the immediate past chair of the American Optometric Association’s Sports and Performance
Vision Committee and member of the AOA’s TBI Task Force. He is the Director of Visual Performance for the Washington Nationals, the
Team Optometrist for the Washington Redskins, Wizards, Mystics, Spirit and DC United, as well as a visual performance consultant for the
Washington Capitals. He also is sports vision consultant for several companies. Contact: ksmithson@sportsvisionpros.com

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Top 8 Things Corporate Optometry Needs to Change

Differentiation | Business Strategy, Practice

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top 8

It’s ironic isn’t it. Many optometry students are absolutely sure that they won’t join a corporate retailer. Their stated preference is to enter private practice. However, most of them will be sending in their CVs to these retailers at graduation time.

If you are about to graduate, the above scenario probably rings true. What you need to know is that corporate optometry can certainly be a lucrative field – but it also has its fair share of shortcomings.

There are major disadvantages of corporate optometry practices that you ought to know beforehand.

Here are 8 important aspects of corporate optometry that need to change for the better.

  1. Improve Working Hours

Many people envy corporate optometrists because these jobs usually begin from 10 am onwards. But that’s only half the story.  Late starts simply mean that shifts runs later into the evening.

Many Corporate ODs are required to work till 8 pm (or later) every night and often on weekends as well. This is disruptive to work-life balance and is a major reason why most employees in this field start feeling alienated from family and friends.

  1. Let ODs Control the Schedule

One of the most significant problems in corporate optometry jobs is that managers who are not professionally liable such as a general manager (GM) or a records manager (RM), control the scheduling of patients and dictate daily work practices. While not always the case, it is very common.

People in positions of authority and power may know how to run a business but they do not know the intricacies of eye care or the time and individual attention that each patient requires. Scheduling should be left to ODs and/or associates who directly deal with patients.

  1. Improve Knowledge of Lens Optics

We might have spent years in optometry school, taken several courses and undergone a lot of training, but the fact is that technology is always evolving. Instead of being lured by fancy marketing techniques and buzzwords, doctors need to continuously update themselves with the latest technological advancements.

ODs must develop a better understanding of the working principles of the lenses. Having deeper know-how of lens optics will enable us to make the right recommendations for patients.  Corporate retailers should be facilitating this knowledge transfer to corporate ODs.

  1. Reward Top Performers

A primary reason why many ODs will sweat it out in corporate optometry is in hope of eventually getting a sublease. They will work painfully through the hectic and demanding job requirements, serving as much as 7 days a week in order to reach their goals.

Better performers ought to be rewarded with better lease options because they have already proven themselves to be worthy of running one successfully.

  1. Pay Opticians Better

Another disadvantage of corporate optometry is that Licensed Dispensing Opticians are rarely rewarded with better pay. It goes without saying that licensed opticians are far more skilled at what they do and know the tricks of the trade a lot better than the non-licensed staff. Therefore, opticians pay must be more reflective of their higher qualifications.

  1. Training for Everyone

As mentioned above, as extensive as any academic course might be, there’s no denying that practical application requires a lot more than theoretical knowledge.

Every employee in the industry needs to be given practical hands-on training in order to improve the quality of their service.

  1. Advocate the Profession of Optometry

Corporate optometry is far more than performing a ‘glasses and contact lens exam.’ Of course, you would know this if you are a corporate optometrist.

But this is a common misconception that exists amongst the general public. Customers are often bewildered at why a particular exam or service costs beyond what they imagined.

Corporate optometry is a complex practice where every eye exam is customized to the patient’s needs. The public needs to better understand this and Corporate Optometry leadership needs to tell that story.

  1. Pay Fairly

It is said that two things should never be asked: a student’s percentage and an employee’s wage. But not sharing pay information with fellow workers gives the bosses the upper hand.

You may (or may not!)  be surprised to know that most ODs have very different salaries, even if they belong to the same corporation in the same city. What’s more unfortunate is that the corporations know of this disparity and apparently use that asymmetrical information to their advantage.

Do you know what your colleague across the street is earning? Try to find out because it is likely that you are leaving money on the table.

Moving forward on any and all of these points will move the entire profession forward, and with it, patient care and customer satisfaction.  With the suggested changes, don’t be surprised if corporate optometry job satisfaction improves, OD recruitment is made easier and job retention is enhanced.

MARIA SAMPALIS

is the founder of Corporate Optometry, a peer-to-peer web resource for ODs interested to learn more about opportunities in corporate optometry. Canadian ODs and optometry students can visit www.corporateoptometry.com to learn more.

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