When Patients Search for Eyewear Online, What Are They Looking At?

Digital Marketing, Marketing, Practice, The Patient Journey

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When using the internet to search for eyewear, most people are usually window shopping online, according to The Vision Council VisionWatch Internet Influence Report. In other words, they are conducting research and activities that are utilized to help them purchase eyewear in-person at a future date. People most often compare prices of eyewear. They also look to the internet to examine possible brands, and to examine possible retail locations where they might eventually make a purchase in-person. People are somewhat less likely to use the internet to select the exact brand of eyewear they will buy, or to select the exact retail location where they will make a purchase. Finally, a small number of consumers are using the internet to review customer ratings/satisfaction relating to eyewear or eyewear retailers.

The doctor-patient relationship has changed. The internet has driven that change. Information now is just fingertips away. Now patients come to doctors after going on the internet to do a little research. This can be both good and bad.

The good news is the more educated a patient is about the problems they are facing, the easier it is to get them to follow your treatment plan.

The bad side occurs because the internet is filled with both accurate information and inaccurate information, but there are no flags telling patients they are reading inaccurate information.

In our youth, one of the first of the medical television shows (Marcus Welby, M.D.) was popular. It was the story of two physicians treating patients. Each week had a new disease that was the center of the show. The problem was, the day after the show doctors’ offices across the country would be inundated with people calling to schedule appointments believing they had the disease that they had seen the night before on the show. That problem has not gone away. We’ve all seen patients who’ve spent time on the internet coming into the practice convinced they have a problem they’ve read about after using the Symptom Checker on WebMD.

Patients also research glasses and contact lenses online. The problem is they do not know that there are significant differences between glasses or contact lenses design, material, or manufacturing process. Patients have a fundamental misunderstanding that just because my new glasses or contact lenses have my doctor’s prescription in them, it doesn’t matter where I buy them. The reality is that it does matter. Design, material, and manufacturing process matters.

For both spectacle lenses and contact lenses, the design of the lenses matters. Just consider for a moment how many different designs of progressive addition lenses exist. Selecting the best design for the patient matters. Every contact lens company has a different design for astigmatism lenses. Design matters. If the patient does not have the best prescription design in the lenses for the patient, the patient may not have the best vision.

Material matters. Material directly impacts abberations, weight and thickness of the lenses. If the patient does not have the best material in the lenses made for the patient, the patient may not have the best vision.  The same thing is true for contact lenses. Some lenses are better for patients with dry eyes, and some lenses are worse. Some material gives patients comfort all day, while with other materials, patient comfort degrades as the day progresses. Material does matter.

Manufacturing process matters. We now have the ability–by using advanced manufacturing processes–to have patients see clearly edge-to-edge with their spectacle lenses. With older manufacturing process, there was only one place on the spectacle lens with the patient’s exact prescription. Manufacturing process matters with contact lenses as well. Edges, thickness, lens smoothness all matter.

Our job is to recognize that patients do go on the internet for information. One way to address this fact is to help patients with accurate information. Here are two important ways you can positively impact patient care.

1)     Make sure you are telling patient about more than just the change in their prescription. “Mrs. Jones, there has been a small change in your prescription and I’m going to prescribe this for you so that you can see clearer. But I’m also prescribing the material, the design of the prescription in your lenses, and the manufacturing process so that you will see the best. It’s more than just your prescription, you need to have all of these other things exactly as I’m prescribing them to see your best.”

2)    Take this week to examine your web site. Do you have information on your web site you can easily “push” to patients? We used to give patients brochures and paper handouts. In today’s digital world, you and your staff should be directing patients to your web site for information. “Mr. Smith, you have primary open angle glaucoma. I’m sending you a link to information on my web site about primary open angle glaucoma that I want you to read. I’m also updating the information on your digital medical record. My staff is going to show you how to access that information through our secure portal.”

Embrace the fact that patients are going to use the internet. Find ways to use this information positively by guiding patients in their online experience.

MARK WRIGHT, OD, FCOVD

Dr. Wright is the founding partner of a nine-partner, three-location full-scope optometric practice. As CEO of Pathways to Success, an internet-based practice management firm, he works with practices of all sizes. He is faculty coordinator for Ohio State’s leading practice management program.

CAROLE BURNS, OD, FCOVD

Dr. Burns is the senior partner of a nine-doctor full-scope optometric practice that she built with her husband, Dr. Wright. She is also the COO of a state-wide nursing care optometry practice. Dr. Burns lectures nationally on practice management and staffing issues. Dr. Burns authored the Specialty Practice section of the textbook, Business Aspects of Optometry.

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Insight with Dr. Wes McCann

Insights

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This dynamic go-getter is a mere 5 years out of school and already owns 3 practices, speaks on practice

management and sits on the board of the Ontario Association of Optometrists.

Dr. Wes McCann

Doctor of Optometry

Upper Richmond Optometry • Central Optometry • Advanced Medical Group Vision Centre

Nova Southeastern University 2012

London, ON

 

What metrics do you track in order to gauge your success?

Business success is determined by setting targets and goals. We find it important to track year over year growth in regards to spectacles, contact lens and total sales. Setting growth targets that are linked to incentives for staff help our clinic to be successful.
Another helpful metric, albeit difficult to interpret, is capture rate. This can be determined as the number of dispenses divided by the number of dispensable patients (PTs for whom you are recommending a new Rx). Capture rate can also be calculated as a % of all visits. I find it is more accurate to measure capture rate as the former, especially if you have a more
medically focused practice.

What advice would you give a new grad today?

Work hard as an associate and show your worth to the practice owner. What can you offer the practice that the practice doesn’t already have?
Secondly, don’t forget that dispensing glasses and contact lenses are an important part of Optometry. A well dispensing practice not only helps the associate’s bottom line, but also allows the practice to invest in updated equipment to further the medical aspect of our profession. You really cannot have one without the other in the current climate of our healthcare system.

How do you hire new staff? What is the process and who does the hiring in your
office?

There’s isn’t one tried and true resource to find good employees. The best methods I have used in the past are free: word of mouth recommendations, Kijiji, and even hiring a server from a restaurant, to name a few. I collect and rank all resumes then conduct interviews on the top scoring submissions. Usually after a first round of interviews by phone I can narrow down a short list for second and in person interviews. In the past, I have offered a position on the spot. For staff, I hire solely on personality and competence. I don’t care what they know about the industry – I can train them in house and pay for them to take the Optometric Assistant Course. Skills can be learned, personality and competence cannot.

What is your favorite TV show / Netflix series?

Schitt’s Creek – great Canadian comedy!

What would you do if you won 10 million dollars? What would you do with your
practice?

Invest and work part time – I enjoy being a practice owner and my passion is helping my patients. I am certainly not yet ready to retire.

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To Capture Millennials, Create a Millennial-Friendly Office

Differentiation | Business Strategy, Marketing, Merchandising, Practice, Resources

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My office, a four-doctor practice in Cary, N.C., is dominated by Millennial patients, those born between 1982 and 2002. That means we’ve had to put thought into creating the kind of office that appeals to these young patients. 

We’ve had to understand what makes the Millennial patient different from patients of older generations, and the type of office environment they are likely to appreciate, return to for care and refer others to experience.

I’m a Millennial myself, and my staff is almost entirely Millennials, age 25-37, so we know from first-hand experience the kind of office environment that is likely to appeal to people our age.

Equip Exam Rooms with Large Screens for Patient Education
I have used iPad technology for charting in my exam room before, but have found having large desktop monitors to be better technology for Millennial patient education. We use multiple large screens to pull up high-quality images of retinal scans and meiboiman gland imaging for patient education, and it lets me review their prescriptions easily with them.

Millennials are invested in their personal care; they want to know what you changed and what you are writing in their chart. There is no diagnosis or concept that they feel is too complicated for them to understand, and they expect complete transparency. Large screens that they can easily see from the exam chair give them that feeling of being surrounded by state-of-the-art technology that they are actively a part of; not just me typing into a chart they can’t see.

Offer Free Wi-Fi in Office
We have free WiFi, but to protect patient records, we have two separate accounts. We have a public WiFi access that patients can utilize, and a separate private WiFi account for staff and doctors that is password-protected. This protects us from the threats of viruses or potential identity theft issues, while still letting our patients enjoy a wireless internet connection, and have the experience they expect in a high-technology office.

Tell Patients Why They Should Buy from You: Technology & Value
Millennials are not shy to tell you they are buying online and they need you to supply the PD. There is no sense of shame in purchasing from outside your office, and they expect you to give them everything they need to do so. Instead of bashing Warby Parker, or other online stores, I explain how what I offer in my office differs from what an online retailer is able to offer.

I let them know that online stores don’t usually offer the kind of doctor-patient exchange that leads to pinpointing and prescribing the kind of technology we just discussed during their exam: the anti-fatigue lenses to combat their tired eyes, the blue-blocker glare coatings and tinted lenses to reduce their light sensitivity and frequent headaches, the low prism I showed them to relax their eye muscles. I usually say something like, “I understand having an inexpensive back-up pair that you don’t mind throwing around in a suitcase, or scratching up, but for the glasses you wear to work every day, you need much better technology if you want to your eyes seeing and feeling their best.”

Talking about all these new lens technologies in the exam takes a lot of chair time, but if I’m not offering them state of the art lens technology, then why would I expect them to think there is a difference between my glasses and Warby Parker’s? You have to prescribe and educate the difference for them to understand your glasses aren’t the same.
Dr. Lyerly says the type of “capsule” marketing shown in the above picture is more effective at marketing to Millennials than a traditional frame board display.

Go from Frame Board to “Capsule”
We continually update the appearance of our optical to provide an attractive shopping experience. A clinical feel with racks of frame boards? Not what Millennials are looking for. You can tell by the clothing stores, restaurants and craft breweries (the epitome of how Millennials spend more for products they think are better quality), they spend money for the aesthetic that best captures and engages their interest.

We are working to turn traditional frame boards into capsules of brand stories where patients can get an idea of each frame line’s identity – what makes them different, where they are made and what social message they have. We want to present high-quality frames with a high-quality aesthetic, so right away when you enter the optical you can tell what’s inside is much nicer than what they can expect from discount stores or online warehouses.

The message is quality, performance, craftsmanship and technology right when you walk in, and before you even try on a frame!

Be Selfie-Friendly
We also want to make an environment where people want to take pictures and selfies. Bright lighting, clean lines, a coffee station, a bar height optical table – this is how we create a visual environment that a patient wants to share on their social media accounts. Nothing is better advertising than when a patient tags us in a post that they want to share with their friends, bragging about the frames or the experience they just had in our office.

JENNIFER LYERLY, OD

Jennifer Lyerly, OD, is an associate at Triangle Visions Optometry in Cary, N.C. To contact her: jelyerly@gmail.com

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7 Trunk Show Essentials for Increased Sales and Customer Loyalty

Advertising & Promotion, Marketing, Resources

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Some do it often, and others, sadly not at all. Some do it very well, and others, less so. We are of course talking about optical trunk shows.

VuePoint’s research shows that slightly more than half of ECPs in Canada are trunk show fans, with the others having less than stellar results and or not bothering to try.

A well-planned and well-executed trunk show can be a tremendous success in building short-term revenue and longer-term customer loyalty.

We’ve canvased the experts and offer these seven key tips for making your next, or first, trunk show a success.

1. Get Everyone Involved. Make it a team effort right from the planning stage to the final post-event debrief and follow up. Your staff will have a stronger sense of ownership if it’s made clear that this is everyone’s event, while also ensuring delegated authority and task responsibility are clear. You might even discover some hidden talents within your staff by doing so.
2. Don’t call it a Trunk Show. “Trunk show” is industry jargon that doesn’t speak to your customers. Create a theme. It’s an Open House, a Celebration, an Anniversary… anything but a “Trunk Show.” A great opportunity to engage your staff in a brainstorming session.
3. Plan Ahead. Start your planning well in advance, at least 3-4 months for event details. If you are doing an annual budget and marketing plan, build the trunk show into your numbers to ensure the resources are available and you have specific goals. If you are not doing an annual plan… you should!
4. Get a Good Rep Partner (or two). Talk to your best reps and identify those with experience that are willing to work with you. Press them for special pricing and tap into their expertise. They have been involved in many more trunk shows than you, and have great insights as to what makes them successful.

Leverage the experience of your best reps for help well before the planned event.

Don’t limit it only to frame reps. Many ophthalmic lens reps are also licensed opticians and can lighten the load for you on the big day.
5. Find the Sweet Spot. Don’t start promoting too soon or you’ll give customers a reason to postpone a purchase. Too late and you’ll have trouble generating traffic. 3-4 weeks out is the time to start event promotion.
6. Sweat the Details. Make sure all the little things are covered. This is not a normal day in the practice. A successful event requires a lot of details to come together. Again, involving the staff will identify many small tasks that you may not have even thought about.
7. Do a Debrief. Have the team recap all aspects of the day, including sales results and expense versus the plan. Ask yourself: What did we do well? How can we do better? Make sure that you record the debrief. It will be an asset for making next event you plan even more successful.

 

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Rectifying a Rotten Review

Digital Marketing, Marketing, Resources

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The reality is bad reviews happen. Today’s high-tech world guarantees a seamless outlet for clients to provide their feedback and not every one is going to agree with your approach. That is life. Experts suggest the best thing you can do when faced with the dreaded one-star review is to avoid turning a blind eye, address the complaint and harness the opportunity to make improvements to your business process.

Some may slough off a poor online review and not give it much merit. However, it is a serious matter and can certainly be a risk to any business, even more so in the healthcare industry. We all rely on our peers for advice and, no matter what advertising strategy may be in place, word-of-mouth still reigns.

Take a Deep Breath

And, while the thought of one poor online review tarnishing your well-developed professional reputation may be gut-wrenching, the best thing you can do is put your best foot forward.

But what does that mean exactly? This can be a touchy subject, especially if you are not comfortable online to begin with. Here are a few tips from the experts to guide you through what may be uncharted waters:

Take a moment to digest. What has the customer really said to you? Poor reviews can often feel very personal and the last thing you want to do is rush to reply and respond with emotion. Do your best to understand the situation from the customer’s perspective.

Evaluate the validity of the complaint. Has this issue ever come up before? Could the situation have been avoided? And, is there any action the practice could take to prevent this from reoccurring?

Don’t be defensive. The last thing an unhappy client wants to here are all the reasons why they had they experience they did. Do not try to justify anything.

Be sure to follow through. Whether you pursue connecting with the author of the review privately or respond in an open forum, be sure to follow through with any action items you may suggest.

Focus on addressing the issue. In many cases the customer just wants to feel heard. So, focus on acknowledging what has been said and try to rectify the situation with fairness.

A negative review can certainly be downer but experts say it’s not all bad news. These situations can also provide an immense opportunity to demonstrate your practice’s commitment to client engagement and offer a chance to make business improvements that are directly impacting your clients.

“An important thing to remember when dealing with negative reviews is to be proactive. This is your opportunity to demonstrate that your business is properly run and deals with problems quickly and fairly,” said Matt Earle, president of Reputation.ca, a Toronto-based digital public relations company geared towards helping people and businesses improve their online reputation. “Always respond in a highly empathetic way that addresses the substance of the complaint and shows a fair and generous response to their complaint.”

Seize the Opportunity

If you have never had to deal with a negative online review, you should still consider how to best position yourself before it happens. In this scenario, the old adage, ‘the best defense is a good offense,’ rings true.

A good starting point is to gather a few spots clients may be posting about your practice that you can monitor regularly. A simple Google search of your name or company name can pull up local discussion boards or mentions on sites such as healthgrades.com, vitals.com, or ratemd.com. Facebook, the Yellow Pages and Google itself also provide the opportunity for user to leave a review about your business.

“We do have a couple of staff members that monitor this at our practice,” said Dr. Ian Beaumont, practicing optometrist at FYidoctors in Brandon, Manitoba. “We just want to be aware of any major deficiencies that people may be posting about us. I don’t mind the online review system. It obviously has limitations just like any system, but it can be used as a self evaluation tool to better yourself.”

Aim to hold an active presence online, whether it may be with a company website, blog or social media posts. Then take it a step further and encourage all of your customers towards providing their feedback online. More often than not, patient reviews are going to be exceedingly positive, but of course the negative ones always seem more prominent. Think about balancing that equation and painting a more accurate picture of your practice by motivating clients to comment, like or provide a review.

Don’t forget, thank everyone who takes the time to provide feedback, no matter the intention. These reviews provide valuable insight from the patients’ point-of-view about what areas of your business are working well and where improvements can be made. All feedback, including that rotten review, has the capacity of improving your practice if handled correctly.

 

JENNIFER PAIGE GOLLETZ

Jennifer Paige Golletz is a freelance writer and journalist based in Toronto, Ontario. She graduated with honours from the print journalism program at Lethbridge College in Alberta and has been actively writing for a number of publications for the past five years.

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5 Key Patient Touch Points That Built a $1 Million Practice

Practice, The Patient Journey

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Focusing on five key patient touch points improves care and revenue. Here’s how we used them to deliver outstanding care and build a $1 million practice.

Each year we focus on a BIG goal. Last year, our goal was $1 million in revenue–and in December we reached it. This year’s goal is to build on that achievement by meeting five key touch points with every patient visit.

Use Online Forms
We ask all patients on our web site and over the phone to go online and submit to us through our web site their patient forms. This allows us to make sure (before they come in) that their demographics and insurance information are correct. It also allows our technician to verify medications prior to talking to the patient. This has enabled us to identify diabetics and pre-verify their insurance for photos or any other testing that Dr. Thomas calls for.  This is a time-saver and the patient has no “surprise” charges at check-out, which creates good will and a great relationship between the patient and our practice.

One of our 2017 budget expansions is web site enhancements that will make it easier for patients to find the forms on our homepage, and then easier to fill out and submit to us.

Better forms means better information about patients, which means better patient care and revenue-generation opportunities. For example, being able to identify certain ocular conditions through medications on patient forms can result in additional testing. This, in turn, will have greater impact on per-patient revenue.

Discuss Daily Disposable Contact Lenses
We have challenged our technicians to discuss the option of wearing daily disposable contact lenses with each patient here for an exam who wears glasses. Educating a patient that they can wear contact lenses on an occasional basis will result in additional examination and fitting fees. And not only will this add to per-patient revenue, it will also benefit patients who have not thought about wearing contacts to a formal event such as a wedding or the big playoff football game! Enhancing lifestyle options is a win-win! Patients appreciate the lifestyle choice, it boosts per-patient revenue, as well as referrals to their peers!

Perfect Optical Hand-Off
The doctor’s EXAM is the most important touch point BUT the hand-off to the optical gallery staff is crucial. We are learning to advise the patient that “hasn’t had much change” that this is the year to add that desktop pair of glasses or that polarized sun pair! That partnering in communication with the doctor makes identification of patient needs more likely, which then results in more second-pair sales, and more sales of eyewear with AR and light adaptive lenses (Transitions or Sunsync).

First, the doctor walks the patient to the optical gallery and introduces the staff member who will be helping the patient: “Mrs. Jones, this is Dawn [one of our opticians]. She will be assisting you today.”

Second, he hands Dawn any demographic information (i.e. paperwork), and then goes over Mrs. Jones’ visual needs: “Mrs. Jones plays harp for her church, and needs a specific pair of glasses with a 36-inch correction to read music. She also needs a pair of every day glasses, as well as polarized sunglasses.” By that point, all three of Mrs. Jones’ prescriptions would already have been sent through our EHR, and would be ready for the optician to discuss.

Enhance Optical Service
We are filling the prescriptions from the doctor. But the patient has also now become the consumer/customer, and we have to respect that need just as much. It is our responsibility to not only feel the weight of delivering a medical device (or multiple medical devices), but to do so in a highly competitive consumer arena, delivering customer service that is second to none.

Our opticians are trained to serve both as style consultants, as well as experts on the the fit and making of the eyewear. We take time to continue the conversation started in the exam room by the doctor on the patient’s lifestyle, and the kinds of eyewear that will enhance their life. We also patiently advise them on matching eyewear to their personal style.

Our opticians add hand-written thank-you notes to each patient’s check-out bag that invite the patient to “Stay in Touch” – the flip side of the card asks them to “like” us on Facebook, and to follow us on Twitter and Instagram. This increases our reach through marketing, and keeps us top of mind, and easy to reach.

In addition, we are incentivizing opticians to provide improved service and to generate greater sales. We have created a monthly “Jingle Jar.” Every month we select a women’s line and a men’s line to have a small bonus on based on which optician generates the greatest sales. We have a $1,000 club.  When you have a patient who spends more than $1000 in the office, you get $20 in your jar

Enable Smoother Check Out
The patient experience has to be smooth as silk at this touch point. They say that you don’t have a second chance to make a first impression. I am here to tell you that when that patient came in, the first touch point was the first domino, then the tech was the second domino and so on…. If you have a negative experience at check-out, those dominos that you so carefully set up start crashing ! The last impression is what the patient carries out of the office as they go throughout the rest of their day.

We ensure the reception desk is always staffed, so that the patient is never left there waiting for an employee to return before they can leave the office. Our optical staff is cross-trained to assist front desk with check out, as well. Everywhere else in the office we have given our time and talents to the patient. This patient has selected our practice over 23 others that they could have chosen, and we truly feel honored.

This final touch point of check-out is when the patient “gives” to us. It must be a stellar experience that allows the patient to leave with the motivation to review us positively on our social media and refer us to friends and family.

  Stuart J. Thomas, OD, is the owner of Thomas Eye Center in Athens, Ga.Contact: StuTh2@vsp.com

 

 

   Ellen Byrum-Goad, LDO, is practice manager. To contact: Ellen.Goad@thomaseyecenter.com

 

 

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Insight with Bryan Rossi

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Bryan Rossi is the General Manager of Carl Zeiss Vision Canada since July 2017.

A 15+ year industry veteran in the United States.

Bryan shares what is exciting him in the eye care industry,

and what he likes to do to unwind.

 

Bryan Rossi

General Manager Carl Zeiss Vision Canada

BSBA Finance, Ohio State University 1996

 

How did you get into the Eye Care business?

I was moving up in my career but becoming complacent within the financial industry. I vividly remember looking at Monster.com, sorting through 250 jobs and found one that sounded very interesting at Sola (now ZEISS). I received a call a few weeks later and the process began. About three months later I was hired as the first Regional Manger selling directly to the ECP. The people that hired me are still with the company today. We all have advanced our careers and continue to work on projects together from time to time.

What is currently the most exciting thing in your field that’s helping practitioners and patients?

The advancement of the optical lens and coatings. Backside freeform delivers better optics for the patients and creates an ease of use for the ECPs. We can deliver exceptional vision across a wide range of materials, which was more difficult with traditional atoric surfacing. The coatings have become extremely durable over the entire life of the lens and now have Blue Light protection as an option. These advancements are delivering better visual acuity and contributing to the overall health of the eye.

What business books would you recommend ECPs read?

Two books that are staples in my library are Good to Great by James C. Collins and Blue Ocean Strategy by Renee Mauborgne and W. Chan Kim. Both books have some solid principles and concepts on creating a productive work environment and using out of the box thinking. The business case on Yellow Tail® in Blue Ocean Strategy is quite a read.

Favourite pastime/hobby?

I enjoy many things, but golf is probably my favourite these days. It allows you to be outside enjoying the weather and can really tell you a lot about your patience. I’m looking forward to playing some of the great courses here in Canada.

Favourite Food?

I’m a little bit of a foodie and try to experience the local cuisine when I travel. I must admit, I haven’t had poutine yet. Every time I ask about it, people tell me it’s late-night food. I’m sure I’ll try it soon.

 

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Website Design 2017: 7 Things You Need To Know

Digital Marketing, Marketing, Resources

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Website design standards? What the heck are those? Who determines them and how do they impact my practice website?

I don’t expect Optometrists to be expert web developers or coders, but there are some basic aspects of a website you need to consider when looking at your online presence. We are all consumers at heart and we all appreciate a good user experience when we travel around the web – our own practice websites should be no different.

Here are the top 7 website design aspects you need to consider for 2017.

1. Mobile:

We’ve been saying it for years now but a mobile friendly design that works across all devices is still this years number one factor. Over 65% of traffic to Optometry websites comes from mobile devices and as of March 2015, Google began actively punishing non-responsive websites moving them lower in search rankings, and positively ranking websites that are mobile friendly. To test your website use Google’s mobile testing tool.

2. SEO (Search Engine Optimization):

This helps search engines know what your website is all about, which helps your all important search ranking. Things like keywords in content, images with titles and descriptions and your proper locality information (name, address and phone number) – all are important factors to keep in mind.

3. Content Management System:

CMS’s like WordPress, Drupal etc. are powerful content publishing tools that allow you to quickly update and add content to your website without being beholden to your web designer. At the very least you should be able to add practice news or write a blog post on relevant content on your own. Google looks to see how often a website is updated and this is the easiest way to do that. If you cannot easily add content to your own website I suggest you have a serious conversation with your website designer / host.

4. Secure:

Who has access to your website? Who is responsible for the security of your website? Is it being updated frequently? Is it being backed up? Websites are being hacked and taking down all the time, you should talk to your web host to see what safeguards are in place in case disaster strikes.

5. Fast:

In 2015 it was mobile responsiveness, in 2016 it was speed and in 2017 – well get to that in a second! Speed matters, Google rewards faster sites with higher search results. According to Kissmetrics, nearly half of web users expect a site to load in 2 seconds or less, and they tend to abandon a site that isn’t loaded within 3 seconds. GTmetrix has a great tool that will analyze your site. It provides you with a ton of data but one number you should pay attention to is how long the homepage takes to load, see screen shot below.

 

eye care website speed

6. https://

Before your eyes glaze over, 2017 is the year that Google wants the web to become more secure. Https:// provides the little green secure lock icon in the top left corner of your browser bar (in Google Chrome), see screenshot below. Google will once again reward those that make their site secure and punish those that don’t. Talk to your web host to see if they can convert your site to this new standard. A few years ago you had to pay an annual fee for this service but there are now free / opensource options available such as Let’s Encrypt 

 

https:// for eye care webites

7. A Clear Call To Action:

People visit your site for some pretty basic reasons such as your hours, phone number and location. Make sure these elements are easily found on each and every page of your site. Try and position a click to call or request appointment button in a prominent place. The site below has a “sticky” button that does not move as the user scrolls, making it easy to request a consultation. Click here to see it in action.

 

CTA button for eye care websites

 

In summary, user expectations and behavior  are constantly changing. As small business owners with a web presence it is our job to keep pace with that. It doesn’t mean that you need a new website each and every year, far from it. All of the above items can be added to your existing site quite easily. I encourage you to reach out to your web designer to discuss these items and look at those which can easily be added. Back in the day, the outside of your practice was super important in attracting new patients, but your website is your new storefront and it needs the same care and attention that the outside of your practice does.

Dr Jeff Goodhew Optometrist

 

Dr. Jeff Goodhew, OD is co-editor in chief for Canadian Eye Care Business Review, he is also part owner of Abbey Eye Care in Oakville, ON. He has special interest in web design and digital marketing.

 

 

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Scribes: Give Patients Your Full Attention & Improve Work Flow

Practice, Specialty Practice, The Patient Journey

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DECIDE ON NUMBER OF SCRIBES & DUTIES

We currently have four scribes, each employed full time. We are constantly training staff to become scribes. All scribes begin in our office as pre-testers, and learn most of all by also working at the front desk. We found quickly that each job in our office (outside of optician) feeds on the others, and can become monotonous if that is the only thing you do. For that reason, we like to rotate our support staff between the roles of front desk receptionist, pre-tester and scribe. Those who excel at scribing, however, end up concentrating mostly on that task.

DETERMINE PAY SCALE

Our scribes are paid based on their ability to grasp each job role in our office. We begin with scribes hired to pre-test, and as their skill set increases, their pay increases. The highest pay for a scribe is when they can perform in all areas, including: checking in and out patients, pre-testing and scribing for the doctor. We also have them involved in other technician skills such as retinal photos, visual fields, genetic testing and other imaging.

Miamisburg Vision Care
Miamisburg, Ohio

Locations: 1

Doctors: 3

Support Staff: 16

Annual Exams: 6,000

Annual Revenues: $2.2 million

HIRE EMPLOYEES WITH POTENTIAL TO LEARN SCRIBING

We have long believed in hiring based on personality, and then training the skillset needed for each job role in the office, included that of scribe. It is impossible to train someone to become more friendly or to have abetter work ethic. It is much easier to train someone how to check visual acuities or record a medication list into an EHR.

IDENTIFY EMPLOYEES WHO WOULD MAKE GOOD SCRIBES

Scribes need few skills starting off, and the knowledge comes as they get more experienced. The primary characteristic of a good scribe is multitasking ability. This is why we prime employees for the job by having them work at the front desk before they train to become a scribe. If they are able to answer the phone and schedule a patient while checking another patient in, as well as dispense a contact lens order to someone else, they can handle the duties of chair-side scribe.

Another skill that is needed is the ability to be flexible and change pace. Often during the course of the day, the “typical exam” becomes anything but typical. The course of each encounter with patients varies, and the scribes need to understand what test is being done, and incorporate the data as the exam unfolds. The last skill, and most critical, is being very detail-oriented. Notes for patient encounters function in many ways, but primarily they are medical-legal documents and need to record the information as it happened. The notes also will be used to shape future encounters with patients, and to guide the care we give them. Capturing the small details ensures we have great continuity with our patient encounters, and that we address all the issues for each visit; not just at that one visit, but as a continuum.

IMPROVE EXAM EFFICIENCY

We initially looked at EHRs as a burden to efficiency since we were not used to working entirely online, so before we even added an EHR to our office, we added scribes. We trained a few staff members on the anatomy of the eye and common findings, and how to input that data into the EHR. The typical exam is about 15-20 minutes, and this has never really changed since adding scribes. Without scribes, the doctor is either making lots of exam notes after a patient leaves, or there is time added during the visit to note all the details needed for the EHR to be complete.

The scribe puts in over 95 percent of the information needed in patient’s EHR chart. On occasion, I may clarify something in the record or add to the information they put in. However, most of the time, the information inputted by the scribe is accurate and complete. The only things I need to do within a chart include: authorizing a glasses or contact lens Rx (and I like this as a double-check on accuracy), signing the records and writing letters–all of which I do on the fly with a touchscreen laptop that I carry from room to room. The scribe works on a desktop workstation in each room to input all the information, and I finalize most patient encounters before leaving the room with a few key strokes and button clicks.

IMPROVE DOCTOR-PATIENT INTERACTIONS

The key moment in my decision to add scribes to the exam room occurred when my daughter was seen in the Cleveland Clinic by a neurologist in 2009. This was my first experience with EHRs, and the entire time we were with the doctor he was facing his computer screen typing notes. He seemed very efficient, but rarely looked at us or our daughter. This, of course, was through no fault of his own, but the reality of charting on a computer. I considered a laptop and facing the patient, or taking notes and adding later, but the reality was that the volume of information that needs to be captured by the EHR is too big to not have a scribe’s help.

I am able to face the patient, perform needed tests, and frankly, examine the patient–not my computer screen. The interaction with patients even improved with scribes, as I so rarely even look away from them during the examination. My scribe gives me information from previous visits, so I don’t need to turn away to look at the chart. I don’t look at a screen more than a few seconds during the course of an exam–all my attention is on my patient.

ENSURE ALL SCRIBES WORK WITH ALL DOCTORS

Good rapport develops when the same doctor and scribe work together, but we have been bitten by only having one scribe work with one doctor when a scribe left the practice or was out sick or on vacation. We try to have the same scribe with the same doctor all day, but switch them to different doctors during the week to ensure all scribes have a good understanding of the workflow for each doctor, as well as differing terminology. We consider this cross-training. If a scribe can only work with one doctor, they do not add enough flexibility to our practice.

RELATED ROB ARTICLES

Scribes in the Exam Room: Patient Experience & Efficiency Enhancer

Getting on Track with the Medical Model: Patient Intake Process

Medical Eyecare: Expect the Unexpected

DR. DAVE ANDERSON, OD

Partner Miamisburg Vision Care, Miamisburg, Ohio

Dave Anderson, OD, is a partner withMiamisburg Vision Care in Miamisburg, Ohio. To contact: doca@burgvision.com

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Insight with Ahmos Henry

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Ahmos Henry is the President of Hoya Vision Care Canada.

Ahmos moved from the pharmaceutical industry to eye care over 13 years ago.

He shares with us what got him interested in eye care and what changes

he sees coming in the near future.

 

Ahmos Henry

President Hoya Vision Care Canada

EMBA Saint Mary’s University, 2008

B.V.Sc., Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, 1987

 

How did you get into the eye care business?

My career in the eye care industry started by sheer coincidence! After many years in the pharmaceutical field, I happened by chance to meet a friend at an eyewear trade show (MIDO Eyewear Expo) that his company was participating in. I was completely fascinated by the unique combination of science and fashion. Innovation and fun radiated throughout the entire show and I immediately knew that I wanted to work in the vision care field. When the opportunity came, I pursued it passionately until I got in. It has been over 15 years and I have never regretted my decision, nor do I want to join any other industry! I love what I do, enjoy working with my team, and embrace the many relationships formed with Eye Care Professionals (ECPs) over the years.

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

I see differentiation to be more important for independent ECPs as they fight for a more ethical and professional patient eye care experience. I praise the Optometrists and Opticians’ associations in Ontario as they stand for providing patients with proper education and dispensing. An example of this is when they took legal action against online vision care product providers and were rewarded by settling their grievance.

What is something you plan on implementing in your business this year?

Hoya has already launched some exciting “first to market”, innovative products and services this year and are currently planning to launch more over the next few months. Some of these include, a national offer for independent ECPs who are looking to differentiate themselves in the market. These products include the Sensity Dark and Sensity Shine photochromic lenses, as well as the revolutionary redesign of Hoya’s most popular LifeStyle progressive lenses.

What is something you have done in your business to set you apart?

We have done numerous things to set Hoya Canada apart. We pay special attention to our team and through the implementation of our “Core Leadership Values” we focus on “integrity,” “innovation”, “treating each other with dignity and respect”, and being “passionate about winning”. Reading about them is one thing but if you come to visit our facilities you will see a difference in how we communicate. It is refreshing to see a manufacturing facility run with these values as the cornerstone of operations.

What was the last gift you gave someone?

Ironically, I came across an excellent Spanish red wine by the name of Hoya. I just gave it to a friend of mine and she was happily surprised!

Tell me something few people know about you?

Very few people know that I received my Executive MBA at St. Mary’s University in Halifax with a focus on the optical industry. I was totally fascinated with all its aspects from manufacturing, sales and marketing, and even human resources! The pinnacle of this experience was my graduation thesis which was a comprehensive business plan for a full-service optical laboratory in Canada.

Describe your perfect day.

Believe it or not, every day I go to work is a perfect day! I am alive, well, happy and healthy. Furthermore, I go to work knowing that Hoya helps thousands of people see better and live better. Because of what we do, thousands of people EVERYDAY avoid an accident, excel at school, enjoy their lives and loved ones, do better at work, and the list goes on!

 

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