Pearls

Overview

Pearls

Practice Pearls are “pearls” of wisdom that come directly from our CPN member practices. These are great ideas for every area of an independent optometric practice that have worked for our member doctors in the real world. Each volume details action steps and cost and offers doctor comments. Each volume represents a wealth of ideas that will translate directly to your bottom line.

Pearl Vol. 1

Table of Contents

1. Pre-appoint everything    

2. Develop a “family form”                                                  

3. Get a Patient Coordinator                                                                       

4. Create exam opportunities                                             

5. Develop an infallible recall system                                

6. Simplify contact lens choices                                         

7. Target the 15-24 year old market                                  

8. Cater to kids                                                                     

9. Court CL reps                                                                    

10. Educate patients about replacement lens costs        

11. Just say NO to one box of lenses                                 

12. Reward disposable lens compliance                           

13. Discover Orthokeratology                                              

14. Nursing home/assisted living vision care                   

15. Don’t be afraid to raise your fees                                

16. Package pricing for eyeglasses and contacts             

17. Hire a Pro to reduce A/R                                                                       

18. Structure for Pricing                                                      

19. What does it really cost you                                          

20. Invest in your team

21. Grow a better staff attitude

22. Establish Team Leaders

23. Business cards for the staff

24. Perk for Presbyopes

25. Create & Promote a website

Pearl Vol. 2

Table of Contents

1.      Up sell everything
2.      Improve eyewear quality
3.      Talk to patients a lot
4.      Get a smart mirror
5.      Copy the jewelry stores
6.      Home phone number
7.      Change your attitude with your reps
8.      Create a unit pricing grid
9.      Write scripts for second pairs
10. Check on red eyes
11. Simple optical techniques
12. Barcoding
13. Name a Patient Director
14. Color code personal information
15. Have a frame “trunk show”
16. Reduce frame vendors
17. Design a buddy system
18. You look for it, you find it
19. Two-week check-in
20. Address “unspoken requests”
21. A gift for waiting
22. Rx on business card
23. Check with laser patients
24. Patient of the month
25. Change the dynamic

Pearl Vol. 3

Table of Contents

1.      Special benefits for managed care
2.      Automatic shipping program
3.      Base bonuses on yearly improvement
4.      Make Davis Vision disappear
5.      Annual supply of disposable lenses
6.      Reading stand at library
7.      Telemarketing
8.      Dictate for the patient record
9.      Teacher education
10. Fees for photos and screenings
11. Back to school promotion
12. Cut your losses with problem employees
13. Truly empower your staff
14. Intra-office e-mail and remote computer access
15. Bring in a part-time marketing person
16. Revisit your cross-training program
17. Co-op money for newsletter
18. Recalls combined with promotions
19. Keep the doctor busy
20. Insurance benefit “cheat sheet”
21. Schedule time off for one year
22. Trust your instincts
23. Sometimes, have fun
24. Add doctor’s assistant, expand office hours
25. Focus on the positive

Pearl Vol. 4

Table of Contents

1.   Rx for Pre-Appointment
2.   Target your market, serve their needs

3.   Add digital slit lamp photography

4.   Outsource practice billing

5.   Glaucoma flow sheet

6.   Eye exam letter to patient GP

7.   Incentives on sales and cost reduction

8.   Get a GDx

9.   Insurance allowable software from Eyecor

10. Tablet PC for patient charting

11. Take full advantage of Co-op dollars

12. Build it and they will come

13. Personalize the optical experience

14. Host a lunch for medical staff

15. Written scripts for common patient questions

16. Give gifts to your best patients

17. Have a booth at a health fair

18.   Rent frame space to vendors

19. Keep index cards on patient problems

20. Outsource hiring

21. Offer a CL Promotional Rebate

22. Read a book together

23. Invest in technology that educates

24. Eyewear incentives for CL patients

25. Bring technology to you

Pearl Vol. 5

Table of Contents

1.      Bonnie and Clyde after-hours pickup
2.      Monitor health care panels
3.      IT proactive maintenance
4.      Jump on the infant bandwagon
5.      Sell contact lenses online
6.      Dedicate a day to testing
7.      Printed referral pads
8.      Send a retinal photo calendar to referral sources
9.      Dry Eye assessment: OSDI
10. Individual strategic planning
11. Market your own vision plan
12. Outsource billing and accounting
13. Walk-ins welcome
14. Have a “Live LASIK Surgery”
15. Mommy mornings/Daddy days
16. Send e-mail newsletter
17. Do a media survey of your patients
18. 4PatientCare automated phone system
19. Warranty letters
20. Hand-written thank-you’s
21. Display task-specific eyewear
22. Co-worker performance reviews
23. Commit time to staff training
24. Plan a staff appreciation day
25. Track individual OD numbers

Pearl Vol. 6

Table of Contents

1.      Give a great open house every 6 months
2.      Stay up-to-date with Audio CME
3.      Take your staff on a Caribbean weekend
4.      Dedicate a room to sunwear
5.      Create an eyewear policy sheet
6.      Lens option packages
7.      Exam forms that ensure proper coding/billing
8.      A year-end planning retreat
9.      Hand off contact lens patients to optical
10. Pre-appoint optical visits
11. Crunch staff schedule
12. Pre-authorize insurance
13. ICE every patient
14. Face time with medical community
15. Commit LASIK policies to paper
16. Analyze vision plan reimbursement
17. Have a kids’ day
18. Web-based patient communication
19. Direct ship contact lens replacements
20. Hire Practice Builders
21. Hand out “How We Doing?” cards
22. Give patients a bonus for referring others
23. Send fundus photos to PCPs
24. Full-time phone answering
25. Techs Verify Progressives and AR Coatings

Pearl Vol. 7

Table of Contents

1.      Complete doctor summary sheet
2.      Add a paging system
3.      Ramp up that refraction code
4.      With lenses, sell down – not up
5.      Promote designer frame brands
6.      Email a vision report and photo
7.      The $25 Chum
8.      Create checks and balances
9.      Back-lit signs with changeable photos
10. Get help from HR folks
11. Offer patients a ride
12. Create an online contact lens store
13. Gas cards to reward travel
14. Train and gain with test results
15. Create a WOW board
16. Educate patients about “Vision for Life”
17. Give some “Eye Buck$”
18. Have patients pre-address recalls
19. Sponsor an “Extreme Makeover”
20.  FDT for pre-testing
21. Buy a color laser printer
22. Give out kids’ t-shirts
23. Get creative with reactivation letters
24. Create a DVD training manual
25. Sponsor a student DVD contest

Pearl Vol. 8

Table of Contents

1.      Invest in a fee review
2.      Red Eye card
3.      Look and compare
4.      Frame and fashion show
5.      Staff self-review
6.      New technology wow
7.      Purchase RBRVS Plus CD
8.      Part-time PR help
9.      Easter egg hunt
10. Buy a topographer
11. Close at noon on Friday
12. Cat gut plugs
13. Get plubished
14. Try Craig’s list
15. On-site safety dispensing
16. IPORTMedia AV system
17. Eye diseas DNA test
18. Better hiring system
19. The Magic Y Stick
20. RPS Adeno Detector
21. Patient-designed bags
22. Instant message your staff
23. Personal financial management
24. SEElebrity Bingo
25. Better Saturday scheduling

Pearl Vol. 9

Table of Contents

1.      The Amsler Grid on Steroids
2.      Select a Patient of the Week
3.      Maximize the Dispensing Visit
4.      The Decorated Car
5.      The Monkey Game
6.      Photo-Screening for Pediatric Eye Exams
7.      Label Water Bottles for School Use
8.      Discount for School Districts      
9.      Goodbye-Debt Forgiveness Letter
10. Weekly Newspaper Name Campaign
11. Portable DVD Player
12. A Dozen Ways to Lose Patients
13. Go “Green” with Forms
14. Dress for Success
15. Job Satisfaction Survey
16. CPN Sunglass Sale
17. Office Walk-Around
18. Phone with Wireless Headsets
19. Boost Second Sales with Vision Plan Patients
20. Valentine’s Day Coffee
21. Last Minute Medical History Check
22. Canoe and Bicycle Access for Staff       
23. Two Minute Meetings
24. School Nurse Breakfast
25. 20/20 Word Scramble

Pearl Vol. 10

Table of Contents

1.      Black Velvet Jeweller’s Trays     
2.      Internet Driven E-Communication
3.      Fly Full Program
4.      Ugly Sunglass Contest
5.      Fall Fashion Show
6.      Rotating Staff
7.       A Step Closer to “Paperless
8.      Put Kidzpace into Your
9.      Bring Your Marketing “In-House”
10.  Learn a Simple Magic Trick
11. Ask the Patient
12. Set Up a Dry Eye Clinic
13. Really Cool Sunglasses
14. Electronic Office Brochure
15. Red Eye Test
16. Have a Bowling Party
17. Changing the Culture     
18. The Two-Man Team Concept
19. Attend a Wharton Executive MBA
20. Establish Protocols to Maximize Medical Optometry
21. Have an Employee Open House
22. Internet Based EMR/PM Software
23. Create a Fashion Magazine for Patients
24. Build a New Optometry Office Building
25. Digital Photo Frames

Pearl Vol. 11

Table of Contents

1.      Skyrocket second pair sales
2.      Steal from the spa
3.      Double your optical space
4.      Staff presents topics of interest
5.      Make your practice senior friendly
6.      ABO training for staff
7.      Advertise emergency number
8.      High tech risk assessment
9.      Two questions for candy survey
10. Top 100 patients
11. InfantSEE personalized Mailing
12. Incentive trips for long-term staff
13. Barcode to increase profit
14. Create a “How-To” book
15. Write a business culture statement
16. Advertise on a billboard
17. Back to basics marketing
18. Well Vision ABN
19. Give the gift of cleaning
20. Checkmedicare.com
21. Boost sales of annual CL supplies
22. Trunk show teamwork
23. Lockers for team members
24. Eyedock.com
25. Health club sunglass sale

Pearl Vol. 12

Table of Contents

1.      Send a Half Birthday Letter in a Half Envelope
2.      Create an Email Marketing Database
3.      Give Tootsie Roll Pops to Kids
4.      Give “Practice Bucks” to Select Patients as a Thank You
5.      Conduct Anonymous Reviews of All Staff by All Staff
6.      Use an Inexpensive Digital Camera for Anterior Segment Photos
7.      Use Plastic Clings for Frame Pricing
8.      Take the Karrass Negotiation Seminar
9.      Invest in Staff Uniforms
10. Archiving Optos Images
11. Exchange College Athletic Department Eyecare for Advertising
12. Use Your Own Eyewear and Patients to Make Posters
13. Increased Demand Leads to Earlier Hours on Holidays
14. Contact Lens Annual Supply Spiff/Game
15. Get a Laptop for a Mobile Optical Workstation
16. Take iZon Unit to a Health Fair
17. Open Book Approach with Monthly Benchmarking Stats
18. Rewrite Package Sheets so Patients Can See the Value
19. Get the Office on Facebook

20. Hold on Annual “State of the Practice Meeting

21. Increase VCT/Computer Spectacle Sales

22. Promote Second Pair Sales with “Economic Relief Packages”

23.  Create a Lifestyle Dispensing Sheet

24. Staff Exchange/Field Trip Program

25. Have an Office Fix-up Day