[Growth] The Importance of Tracking Data, Using KPIs, and Having Accountability in Your Practice

Meagan Staab is the Director of Client Support and Insights at Cleinman Performance Partners, a company that delivers business consulting and data-driven solutions for eye care practices. Under her leadership, Cleinman has developed benchmarking systems and client portals that help practices track 32 key performance indicators, with clients who engage regularly in data review seeing up to 8% higher growth that the other outperforming Cleinman ODs. With over a decade of experience at Cleinman, Meagan has played a critical role in optimizing information management systems and fostering a culture of continuous improvement among clients and staff.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[02:19] Meagan Staab’s journey from cold caller to data-driven leader
[03:12] Why client management databases are crucial for efficiency
[05:10] How proactive data gathering boosts client service outcomes
[06:06] How Cleinman Connect empowers practices with real-time performance benchmarks
[07:18] What separates high-performing practices using 32 key performance indicators
[10:59] Differences between Canadian and US optometry practices
[12:47] How consultants in Cleinman Performance Partners drive growth for both new and top practices
[16:18] Why HR challenges are consistently discussed in peer groups

In this episode…

Too many practices are busy every day but still feel unsure about what’s actually driving their growth. Numbers are everywhere, dashboards are full, and yet decisions often come down to gut instinct instead of clarity. So how do you turn raw data into real momentum, and who keeps you accountable when things drift?

For Meagan Staab, the answer starts with looking at the right data, at the right level, on a consistent basis. Drawing from her experience as a data and analytics leader, she believes KPIs only matter when they’re simple enough to understand and broad enough to tell a full story. Rather than chasing dozens of disconnected metrics, she emphasizes reviewing a small, focused set that shows how different parts of the practice work together. She points out that one strong number can look impressive on its own, but patterns only emerge when you step back and view the entire picture. That’s where accountability comes in, creating the habit of reviewing, adjusting, and acting before small issues turn into bigger ones. When practices commit to that rhythm, data stops feeling overwhelming and starts becoming a tool for confident decision-making.

In this episode of the Cleinman Connect Podcast, Kim Carson is joined by Meagan Staab, Director of Client Support and Insights at Cleinman Performance Partners, to discuss the importance of tracking data, using KPIs, and building accountability into your practice. They break down how to choose meaningful KPIs, compare results to the right benchmarks, and use regular reviews and peer accountability to drive measurable growth.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable Moments:

“You don’t know what you don’t know, right? If you’re not looking at it, you don’t know.”
“Just because you’re doing what the industry is doing doesn’t mean, you know, that’s it.”
“You can look at one data point and say, yeah, I’m doing great there.”
“Those that submitted monthly were outperforming those that submitted quarterly.”
“What Cleinman does differently is we keep it very high level and very to the point.”

Action Steps:

Define a focused set of KPIs: Limiting metrics to the most meaningful indicators prevents overwhelm and keeps teams aligned on what truly drives performance.
Review performance data consistently: Regular monthly check-ins allow practices to spot issues early and adjust before minor problems become costly ones.
Compare results to relevant benchmarks: Measuring performance against peer and network averages provides context and clarifies what “good” actually looks like.
Look at data as a complete system: Evaluating KPIs together, rather than in isolation, helps uncover patterns and root causes behind results.
Build accountability through shared review: Involving peers or advisors in data discussions increases follow-through and accelerates sustainable growth.

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Marketing4ECPs!

Working with them is like hiring a full-time marketing professional who knows the industry and understands your goals. Except, instead of one experienced marketer, you get a whole team in your corner.

Whether you’re an optometrist, ophthalmologist, or optician, they can help you grow your business with a plan that’s completely customized for you. Learn more here.

Episode Transcript

Intro: 00:07

Welcome to the Cleinman Connect podcast, where we discuss marketing, ownership, growth strategies, and everything else surrounding the business of optometry. Cleinman is Optometry’s trusted business partner for over 35 years. Hi, I’m Kim Carson, sitting with Meagan Staab, the director of business intelligence and client support at Cleinman on this episode of the Cleinman Connect Podcast. Past guests of this show include Dennis Evans Jr. from DryEye Rescue and Sarah Vinson of Lunette, USA. This episode is brought to you by Marketing4ECPs. Working with them is like hiring a full time marketing professional who knows the industry and understands your goals.

Except instead of one experienced marketer, you get a whole team in your corner. Whether you’re an optometrist or ophthalmologist or optician, they can help you grow your business with a plan that is completely customized for you. Learn more at marketing4ecps.com. So I am here today with Meagan Staab. She leads a strategic development, or she leads the strategic development and implementation of our information management systems.

She has a strong background in data analytics, and she ensures our clients have access to cutting edge technology solutions that drive efficiency and growth. Her expertise in optimizing information flow and safeguarding data integrity is instrumental in providing our clients with the insights and tools they need to excel. Meagan is dedicated to enhancing our capabilities and supporting our clients ongoing success. And thank you so much for saying yes and chatting with me today.

Meagan Staab: 01:46

Hi, happy to be here!

Kim Carson: 01:47

Yay! Thank you so much. I would love to know data or data. Well, it depends because I think I might have just used both. Actually, I do it all the time.

It’s whatever felt. Whatever feels right, I guess. Yeah. I would also really like to know how you ended up in this position. You know, just having conversations with you.

I don’t necessarily get this, this data mind, but clearly you have it. So. So how did you end up in this role?

Meagan Staab: 02:19

So I started with Cleinman fresh out of college in a tough position. And the first role that I worked in was actually working through our client relations management system to I was cold calling people for our business of eye care forms, which was a one day workshop where we were introducing the client and philosophy to people that didn’t necessarily know who we were. So my goal was to go through the system, make sure everybody’s information was updated, and, you know, kind of just cold call people and invite them to these events, which, you know, was a win, a, you know, a win or miss at the end of the day. Yeah, maybe.

Kim Carson: 02:59

You get hung up on a couple times and then you get a soft maybe. Yeah.

Meagan Staab: 03:04

Managers were very protective of their doctors. They’d be like. And who is this?

Kim Carson: 03:08

Yeah.

Meagan Staab: 03:09

And why are you calling? And how do you know us?

Kim Carson: 03:11

Yeah.

Meagan Staab: 03:12

But that was a good introduction to the database that Cleiman used to manage their. You know what, your Rolodex. There was information that I needed that I didn’t necessarily have. So that insight really helped me say, you know, go back to my manager to say, if I had X, Y, and Z, I could do this job a lot better. So today I actually do manage our our client relations management database, which is HubSpot.

And it’s really managing all of the communications from marketing to meeting notes to customer satisfaction surveys and scoring. And that’s, you know, I’ve just kind of built my way up through that, you know, initial like, take a look at this contact and how outdated is it and update it to. This could be a lot more comprehensive to the user. So you know, just building on what. I knew I needed as a salesperson to moving throughout the company to looking at it through the consultant’s eye, to what do you need to best serve our clients?

Because nobody likes to get on the phone with somebody and, you know, repeat information that they’ve already told someone.

Kim Carson: 04:25

Yeah, yeah. Like I was told that you would have that someone would have access to all this information. And now I’m getting asked all these questions. Right. You said something that I’m, I’m having, like a kind of chicken and egg situation in my head about that you, when you were cold calling, you were like, if I had access to this information, I could do my job a lot more effectively.

But I want to know if there’s a lot of situations that still come up like that, like where you’re like, oh, if I had this information, I could do the job more effectively. Or is it now more a proactive kind of approach where you’re like, we are going to start implementing something like this, so let’s go and ask people for it, and then we’ll have it once we actually need it.

Meagan Staab: 05:10

Yeah, I think it’s kind of both. So right now I think we are in a position where we have the information we need, and we’re just trying to enhance and optimize the way that we’re using it based on what, you know, information is so available to everyone. And the way that we’re collecting information, you can analyze, you know, our call notes, our meeting notes from our peer to peer sessions to get an understanding of what is everyone talking about and what do we need to know to make the next year the most valuable for our clients? Like what is trending? What does everyone need assistance in?

So just really being able to take a look at the information and saying, what do we need next?

Kim Carson: 05:47

Yeah.

Meagan Staab: 05:47

You know, just kind of happens.

Kim Carson: 05:49

Yeah.

Meagan Staab: 05:50

As needed.

Kim Carson: 05:51

Amazing. And this also means that you manage Like Cleinman Connect and our actual benchmarking numbers. So. Not necessarily. What?

Always what we at Cleinman need numbers for, but what actually our clients need. Yeah.

Meagan Staab: 06:06

So Cleinman Connect is our client portal. And that is a shared portal between our team, our consultants and our clients. So our clients use Cleinman Connect as a way to share their performance information, data that they’re collecting from their practice management systems, their payroll systems to feed it into Cleinman Connect. And then Cleinman Connect calculates KPIs, key performance indicators to help a practice understand how they’re performing.

Okay. And they’re comparing their performance against our network averages. So they can really take a look at how am I doing. What does good look like and what do I need to do next to get to that next level of excellence?

Kim Carson: 06:53

Yeah. Do you find that there’s ever some like correlation isn’t always causation in some of those numbers. And how do you kind of solve for that.

Meagan Staab: 07:06

Always.

Kim Carson: 07:07

Yeah I feel like yeah you can pull a number from anywhere and be like, look, you’re doing fantastic. And then you can look at 17 other numbers and be like, oh, actually we’re not. Yeah.

Meagan Staab: 07:18

Well I think that’s the point of the Cleinman Connect data set. We have 32 key performance indicators. I know there’s a lot of information out there. There are a lot of systems that already do this. But what Cleinman does differently is we keep it very high level and very to the point.

So you can look at one data point and say, yeah, I’m doing great there. But taking taking a look at the entire data set as a whole, you can really dig in to identify that, you know, maybe your collections per exam is a little bit lower than you want it to be, but you’re still doing better than average. So our clients have our network averages. So the baseline like what should a practice be be performing like. And then we also break out other different other data sets that identify better with practices that maybe are outperforming the network, the industry at large, because maybe they’ve become really efficient in terms of their optical revenue.

They have a really good optical boutique. Their their opticians are stellar salespeople, but maybe they aren’t really into the clinical side of things. So they’re really maximizing the retail side of things, but they haven’t really dug into the optical, the clinical side.

Kim Carson: 08:38

Yeah. Like medical niche.

Meagan Staab: 08:39

Right.

Kim Carson: 08:40

Sides or treatment sides. Yes. Yeah.

Meagan Staab: 08:42

So we do break out different data sets based on modality. And I do find that a lot of practices will first when they join, aim towards the CPN average as their goal set and then they’ll move through those. So we have a data set that best identifies with those optical practices that are generating the highest eyewear revenue per hour, and then we have our medical practices that are generating highest professional fees per hour. And then there are those practices that have maximized both the optical and medical revenue. And they have become really efficient in terms of OD efficiency.

So those are our top 10% practices. And those practices have been with us for years. And I would say we have meet we have seen them move through each of those data sets as goals, you know, just reaching for more every time. Just because you’re doing what the industry is doing doesn’t mean, you know, that’s it. There’s always more to do.

And I think the data set that Cleinman provides helps you really dig in to say, okay, I’m doing really well here in retail, but maybe your throughput isn’t as good as it could be. Or maybe, you know, your collections percentage is dropping a little bit, so you have to pay attention to your billing and coding practices. So there’s always something that can be improved on. And I think looking at the entire case study in one snapshot is what helps you connect the dots to really identify, like where are you doing well and what and where’s where are you lagging. Right.

Kim Carson: 10:11

Like what? What is next? What can you do better? Yes. Yeah.

So you look at a part to understand the whole. Yes. And then improve the parts. Yes. Okay.

Amazing. I am interested to know because you have worked with Cleinman for, oh, a few, several years. A handful of.

Meagan Staab: 10:29

Years.

Kim Carson: 10:29

I, I would say I.

Meagan Staab: 10:31

Grew up here.

Kim Carson: 10:32

Oh, that’s very sweet. So 12 years. And within this last year, Cleinman was acquired by a Canadian company. So I’m interested to know if you’re seeing now that we have a couple, maybe more Canadian clients then previous. Are there like massive differences that you’re noticing in some of these like this, this data that you’re getting input?

Yeah.

Meagan Staab: 10:59

So we have seen an increase. We’ve always had Canadian clients and they we just recently started breaking out like Canadian averages to the averages that we provide at whole, which is, you know, North America for all of our clients. And as we do bring on more Canadian clients, we do find that it’s probably necessary for us to continue to break those out so we can see the differences between the states and Canada. I think the major difference is that insurance aspect, you know, a Canadian practice is collecting 100% of what they’re billing out, whereas a practice in the States is collecting about 60 to to, you know, 72% of what they’re billing out. So it’s really the major.

Kim Carson: 11:45

Yeah. That was something that Myself not being in the eye care industry until I joined Cleinman. That I and then also being Canadian, I was like vision plans. Like what?

Meagan Staab: 12:01

I’m still learning too. I’m coming from a state and being like, what do you mean? You collect 100% of what you’re pulling out?

Kim Carson: 12:08

Like, what kind.

Meagan Staab: 12:09

Of scam is that? So it’s a you we’re all learning together. Well, I.

Kim Carson: 12:15

Think that maybe someone who’s very wise said that you should learn every day. Every day. And you should never stop learning. Yes, I agree. Well that’s fantastic.

I is there anything you want to, like, mention about? I feel like you have so much knowledge and someone who is very wise also said that we don’t know what we don’t know. So is there something that is like, very poignant that you love to see in all of these analytics that you look at, that you would like to to mention anyone listening?

Meagan Staab: 12:47

Yeah, I think that what I love to see is when a new client comes on and sometimes they come on and they’re, they they’re a high performer and they’re like, you know what? I’m already outperforming. You know what I’m seeing on the on the boards. But the growth that we’re able to find and the way the consultants are able to develop the practices in terms of leadership and the way that they’re thinking about their business, leads to significant growth. And I love to see that growth happen with those high level practices as well as somebody that comes on.

And maybe they just started and they’re like, I don’t know what I don’t know, and I need help. And I think that’s the first step. You know, I think that thinking about it is always a, you know, part of the process. And that’s probably where a lot of I doctors might get stuck. Like they’re thinking that they need help, but they don’t know where to start.

And I think Cleinman is a really good starting point for that because they have a team of professionals in all areas marketing, HR, overall business development that, you know, we’re we’re in your corner and we all use the same data set to analyze how they’re doing. And everyone’s on the same page. You know, working to better develop them as business owners. And really teaching them teaching them how to identify where the opportunity is. We’re not telling you what to do.

We’re teaching you how to do it for yourself so that you can, you know, be the child that goes off into the sunset with everything they need. And we’re so proud. That’s really what I love to see.

Kim Carson: 14:16

Like, yeah.

Meagan Staab: 14:17

The growth that happens. And it does happen pretty quickly. As long as they’re dedicated and they understand that it’s work, they have to put the work in.

Kim Carson: 14:25

Well, I like that. You said too, that when you start seeing that growth from practices, they kind of move through those steps. They move through, oh, I needed to focus on my accounts receivable because I have like a 300 day, like crazy amount of time before I’m getting paid. Yeah, I didn’t know it was something I should look at. So they kind of moved through these steps.

And am I wrong in thinking that those steps also correlate to where people are in their peer to peer groups when they’re at CPN?

Meagan Staab: 15:00

Absolutely. So I love the peer to peer environment because you have people from all different stages in their practice journey. So you might be experiencing something in one area and you bring that issue to the table and somebody has already gone through it and they’re, you know, they’re going to give you advice. They’re going to give you real life advice and resources that help them through it. It doesn’t necessarily mean you need to take it, but the fact that somebody has been there, done that and is giving you the knowledge that you need to equip you to move forward.

Kim Carson: 15:34

Yeah, they’ve already done the trial and error for you.

Meagan Staab: 15:37

Been there, done that. Let me tell you how it went.

Kim Carson: 15:39

Yeah.

Meagan Staab: 15:40

Don’t do that. Look over here instead.

Kim Carson: 15:43

Yeah. Well, speaking of CPN, perhaps I should also, since you so kindly said key performance indicator when you launch into that acronym. CPN is the Cleinman performance network. You have been with Cleinman for 12 years, so maybe math would dictate that you’ve gone to about 20 ish CPN events.

Meagan Staab: 16:03

Something like that.

Kim Carson: 16:04

Yeah. Amazing. Are there any like standouts to you in terms of issues that are brought up every single year in the peer to peer groups?

Meagan Staab: 16:18

I think HR is always an issue because people always present problems in different ways. So that’s definitely an issue that always comes up and it’s hard to it’s hard to manage people and deal with people because it’s such an emotional connection versus like a transaction. So it’s always difficult for a doctor to deal with. So teaching them and guiding them and how to best handle these situations or giving them the processes and systems that really enable them to be confident in how they’re handling it is key.

Kim Carson: 16:49

I’ve only been to two myself. I was lucky enough to sit in on some of the group sessions, and the very first issue that I heard about was an HR related one. And it was really nice to hear from all of the different people in the room about their kind of advice on how to solve. It was an issue related to hiring and needing. I think it was an office manager specifically, and just the advice on how to even make a proper job posting, which I think when you’re like, oh my gosh, I need to hire someone.

It’s the first step is to make a job posting, but it could be the last thing you think about because you’re thinking about who that person is. So they offered some excellent advice on even just that. Like, you know, if you’re teaching someone how to tie their shoe. You don’t start with tie a knot. You start with pick up the laces.

Right. So it was really nice to hear that. And I think that this doctor did have, you know, the tools after that meeting to go and hire. Yeah. With confidence.

An office manager for themselves.

Meagan Staab: 18:01

That’s definitely the power of the network is that you are getting. Our tagline is different perspective different results. So having the the different experiences, real life experiences in the room and feedback and it’s really a think tank is so powerful. Everybody walks away energized. Everyone walks away with so many different ideas that they take away from that meeting, and they begin to implement in their practices.

And we come back and we do it again. Like, how did you how did the last six months go for you? Did you do did you hire that manager? Did you were you successful? Did you take accountability?

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Their there. Here’s keeping them accountable.

Yeah. There’s so much power in that. I always said that. I want that for my personal life. Like, give me some give me a year group told me accountable.

Kim Carson: 18:54

I know.

Meagan Staab: 18:55

I think.

Kim Carson: 18:55

Maybe we need to we need to enlist Nancy Dewald and Amanda Van Voris and our.

Meagan Staab: 19:00

Absolutely.

Kim Carson: 19:01

In our on our speed dials.

Meagan Staab: 19:03

Facilitate our meetings. Yeah, exactly. Our lives.

Kim Carson: 19:07

Oh, I love that. Do you think that with the addition of in our peer to peer groups now we have the two in-person still, but for 2026, our plan is to have four virtual. Yes. So six meetings per year, two in-person for virtual. Do you think that will add for our members?

Meagan Staab: 19:31

Okay. So my mind immediately I did an analysis because I KPIs we have in the benchmarking system, people can submit their performance data monthly or quarterly. and we were really pushing for people to submit monthly. And I did an analysis comparing those that submitted monthly versus quarterly, and those that submitted monthly were outperforming those that submitted quarterly by 8%. So oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.

Kim Carson: 19:56

Could you say that again?

Meagan Staab: 19:57

Yeah.

Kim Carson: 19:57

Because I think that it might be nice for people to hear a second time. Let me bring it down. Yeah.

Meagan Staab: 20:01

So those that are submitting their performance metrics and reviewing them actually like digging in and analyzing and saying, what does this mean to me? And what does this mean to my practice, are outperforming those who reviewed them quarterly by 8% in terms of growth and collections? Wow. And I fully attribute that to the you know, you’re more agile. You can jump on a problem or an issue when you see it so much quicker.

So I think that incorporating those virtual sessions into these in-person peer, peer to peer sessions is going to have the yield the same results. Yeah, they’re going to be able to say, hey, I’ve been working on this job description, but I’m not getting any results like I’m not. Nobody’s biting. You know, so they can get that feedback and, and react to a lot faster than waiting for six months. So those check ins are definitely an add value to the network.

Keeping them accountable and then also bringing them closer as peers.

Kim Carson: 21:01

Yeah. Okay. Amazing. Oh my gosh, that 8% is crazy. Yes.

I thought yeah I mean.

Meagan Staab: 21:06

It makes.

Kim Carson: 21:06

Sense. I mean what you measure moves. Yes, exactly. Exactly. Wow.

Well, I love that kind of proof is in the pudding.

Meagan Staab: 21:14

Absolutely.

Kim Carson: 21:14

I’m so glad that you.

Meagan Staab: 21:15

You don’t know what you don’t know, right? If you’re not looking at it, you don’t know.

Kim Carson: 21:20

Well, amazing. Thank you so much for taking the time with me today. I really appreciate you sharing your expertise, sitting down with me and having this conversation. Is there anything that you would like to add for for our either our members that are listening or potential members that are listening.

Meagan Staab: 21:42

Reach out to Cleinman if you’re feeling stuck, if you know, if you’re looking at your practice and you’re not necessarily you don’t know where to start to begin growth or you’re stagnant, or maybe you’re looking to transition out. We are here for you. We have a whole team to support you.

Kim Carson: 21:58

Amazing. Thank you so much. So thank you, Meagan, for your time. That’s our show. If you want to hear more of the podcast, you certainly can at Cleinman.com and wherever you like to listen.

Thank you for joining us today. It was a pleasure. Thank you for listening.

Outro: 22:18

At Cleinman, we take pride in helping our partners unlock their full potential. Subscribe to get the newest episodes or visit us anytime at Cleinman.com.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

In this episode…

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Sponsor for this episode…

Episode Transcript

Office Hours

Follow us on Social Media!