Table Of Content2013 EDITION
A compendium of Preferred
Practice Patterns and practice
performance benchmarks
for independent optometrists
affiliated with Walmart and
Sam’s Club
A compendium of Preferred Practice Patterns
and practice performance benchmarks
for independent optometrists affiliated with
Walmart and Sam’s Club
2013 EDITION
PublishedbyPracticeAdvancementAssociates,
aunitofJobsonMedicalInformation,LLC,
onbehalfoftheOptometricBusinessAcademy™.
Visit:oba-ce.com
Foreword
Maximize Your Practice Potential is published exclusively for optometrists affiliated with
Walmart and Sam’s Club by the Optometric Business Academy™ (OBA). This ongoing profes-
sional education program isdesignedtosharethetechniquesusedbythemostsuccessfulaffili-
atedODs to build their practices.
TheWalmartHealthandWellnessDivisionunderstandsthatmutualsuccessdependsoncreating
anexceptionalpatientexperience,whichthiscompendiumisdesignedtohelpyoucreate.
Asthedatacontainedinthiscompendiummakesclear,yourpracticesettingoffersenormouspoten-
tialforprofessionalandfinancialsuccess.The“PreferredPracticePatterns”presentedherewere
compiledfromdiscussionswithmanyofyoursuccessfulcolleagues,aswellasleadingpracticeman-
agementconsultants,whohavestudiedthousandsofindependentpracticesacrossthecountry.
We encourage you to regularly visit www.oba-ce.com, for the latest ideas and information to
help you make your practice grow. The resources found there are also designed to assist you in
developing your practice.
Chad Overman, OD
Director Professional Relations
Health and Wellness
Walmart
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Table of Contents
Foreword ...................................................................................iii
Section1. IntroductionandObjectives........................................................1
Introduction .................................................................1
Objectives ...................................................................2
Section2. PracticingwithinWalmartandSam’sClub ...........................................3
Ahugepotentialpatientbase ....................................................3
HowdoWalmartVisionCenterpatientscomparetoprivatepracticepatients? ..............4
It’syourpractice ..............................................................5
WhatSamWaltontaughttheworld ...............................................6
Continuouslysearchforimprovementandexcellence | Makethecustomertheboss |
Paymeticulousattentiontonumbers | Doitnow | Leveragethepoweroftechnology |
Studythecompetition | RespectAssociates
KeyprioritiesforaffiliatedODs ..................................................8
F
FastandFreeCommunication ..................................................8
F
ChargeIt ..................................................................9
F
AReminderwithEveryCall ...................................................9
Keystosuccess ..............................................................10
PutAssociatestoworktobuildyourpractice .......................................10
YourVisionCentermanagerisyouron-siteco-manager...............................10
Yourmarketmanagercanhelp ..................................................11
Youshouldknowthenon-opticalAssociates .......................................12
Learnfromyouroptometricpeers................................................12
F
SurveysMakeWebSiteInteractive .............................................12
F
LetThemEatCake .........................................................13
PreferredPracticePatterns—InteractionwithAssociatesandcolleagues ...................13
Section3. OfficeProductivityMeasurement ..................................................17
Productivitybenchmarks .......................................................17
Grossprofessionalfeeincome | Grossfeeincomebyyearsofoperation |
Sourceoffeeincome | Feeincomeperexam | Patientvisits |
FeerevenueperODhour | ExamsperODhour |
Examsperformedasapercentageofpatientbase
PreferredPracticePatterns—Practiceproductivitymeasurement .........................23
Section4. PatientRecordsandOfficeManagementInformationSystems ........................25
Featuresandbenefitsofinformationsystems .......................................26
Patientdemographics | Recall/marketing | Patienteducation | Scheduling |
FinalRxinformation | Patientbilling | Ledger | Insurancebilling/electronicclaims |
Practiceproductivityreports | Electronicmedicalrecords
Considerationswhenselectingasoftwaresystem ....................................28
Systemcostsandreturnoninvestment ............................................28
Section5. ThePatientExperience...........................................................31
HealthySightCounseling—Redefiningoptometricroles ...............................31
Patientsatisfactionisaboutmorethanathoroughexam ..............................32
F
It’saHomeRun ...........................................................32
Patientswantpersonalized,caringattention ........................................33
Patientsvalue“caring”morethanefficiency........................................33
Somepatientsquestionthequalityofcaretheymayreceiveinacorporatesetting...........34
Tellingthebeststory ..........................................................36
YouandtheVisionCenterstaffcreatethepatientexperience ...........................36
TheWalmartOPTICALmodel ..................................................38
Officehours ................................................................40
Walk-insareanimportantsourceforgainingpatients ................................41
Studystoretrafficpatternstosetyourbusinesshours ................................42
PreferredPracticePatterns—Officehours ..........................................43
Examprocess ...............................................................44
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PreferredPracticePatterns—Eyeexamtests ........................................44
Influencepoints ..............................................................45
PreferredPracticePatterns—Appointmentmaking ...................................46
PreferredPracticePatterns—Reception ............................................47
PreferredPracticePatterns—Pre-testing............................................49
PreferredPracticePatterns—Eyeexam ............................................51
Showingpatientsyoucare......................................................53
PreferredPracticePatterns—TransitiontoVisionCenter ..............................54
Creatingaprofessionalimage ...................................................54
F
IceCreamMeansNoScreams .................................................55
F
AMarketingScoop .........................................................55
Itmattershowyouandthestafflook .............................................56
PreferredPracticePatterns—Creatingaprofessionalimage ............................57
Exceedingpatientexpectations ..................................................59
Handlingservicebreakdowns ...................................................60
F
It’sInsuranceRenewalTime ..................................................60
Frequentlyaskedpatientquestions ...............................................61
Medicalhistory/lifestylequestionnaire ............................................63
Fees .......................................................................63
PreferredPracticePatterns—Fees ................................................63
Section6. PracticeMarketing ..............................................................67
Creatingawarenessamongshoppersisyourprimarymarketingtask .....................68
Keymessagesshouldappearineverymarketingpiece ................................69
Internalmarketing............................................................69
PreferredPracticePatterns—Internalmarketing .....................................69
Encouragingword-of-mouthreferralsbyWalmartAssociates...........................70
F
WelcomeWagon ...........................................................72
PreferredPracticePatterns—Word-of-mouthreferralsfromAssociates ....................72
Patient-basemarketing ........................................................73
PreferredPracticePatterns—Patient-basemarketing ..................................73
Communityinvolvement .......................................................74
Externaladvertisingandmarketing...............................................74
Practicewebsites ............................................................74
F
PayItForwardPromotion ....................................................75
PreferredPracticePatterns—Externaladvertising ....................................76
Patientsatisfactionsurveys .....................................................76
TheUltimateQuestion ........................................................77
PreferredPracticePatterns—Patientsatisfactionsurveys ...............................79
Recalltechniques.............................................................80
PreferredPracticePatterns—Recall ...............................................81
Section7. ContactLensManagement .......................................................83
Contactlensesarevitaltopracticesuccess .........................................83
Selectingtherightcontactlens ..................................................84
Probingquestionstoclassifysphericallenspatients ..................................85
Thepowerofone—patientcompliancewithlensreplacementregimenmakesadifference ....85
Highervaluecontactlensescreatemoreloyalpatients ................................87
Themarketboomincontactlensesforpresbyopes...................................88
Contactlenspresentations
PreferredPracticePatterns—Contactlensmanagement................................90
Section8. SpectacleLensManagement .....................................................93
Patientswantprofessionalguidancetomakeinformedlenschoices ......................93
Evaluatepatients’needstodiscoverwhat’sbest .....................................94
Visionrequirementsarechanging ................................................95
Patientoccupationisthefirstconsiderationwhenrecommendingeyeweartoadults .........96
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Table of Contents
(continued)
Leisureactivitiesalsodefinevisionneeds ..........................................97
Mosteyeglasswearersuseasinglepair............................................98
Visionproblemsofeyeglasswearers ..............................................99
Disconnectsthatleadtosub-optimalspectaclelenschoices ...........................100
PreferredPracticePatterns—Spectaclelensmanagement..............................101
Section9. AdvancedManagementStrategies ...............................................109
Addingasecondexamlane....................................................109
Hiringstaff ................................................................109
HiringassociateODs ........................................................110
Acquiringadvanceddiagnosticinstruments .......................................111
RetinalCameras | GDx | Pachymeter
Section10. BusinessEntityTypes,AccountingMethods,BenefitOptions ........................113
Businessentitytypes .........................................................113
Soleproprietorship | Partnerships | Corporations
Accountingmethods .........................................................116
Employeebenefitoptions .....................................................116
Retirementplans | Healthinsurance
Conclusion ................................................................117
Section11. MedicalModelOptometry.......................................................119
“Gettingstarted”actionplan ..................................................121
Therapeuticpriorities ........................................................123
Allergy....................................................................124
Dryeye ...................................................................125
Punctalocclusion
Diabetes ..................................................................127
Glaucoma .................................................................129
Medicalvs.refractivebillings ..................................................130
PreferredPracticePatterns—Medicaleyecare......................................131
Section12. Wrap-Up ......................................................................133
Whatdothelargestaffiliatedpracticesdodifferently? ...............................134
Section13. AdditionalReading .............................................................137
Scatteredthroughoutthis2013editionofMaximizeYourPracticePotential,you’llfindaselect
numberofOBAMarketingDiamonds.Tolearnmoreaboutthese“winningideasfromyour
colleagues”andalloftheOBAMarketingDiamonds,visitoba-ce.com.Thereyoualsowillfind
archivedissuesofAcuityInBusiness,thequarterlypublicationoftheOptometricBusiness
AcademythatregularlyreportsonOBAMarketingDiamonds.
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S E C T I O N
1
Introduction and Objectives
Introduction
More than 4,000 optometrists in the U.S. practice full- or part-time within a Walmart or
Sam’s Club location, representing nearly 11 percent of all practicing optometrists. More than
7 percent of the eye exams performed in the U.S. are by Walmart- and Sam’s Club-affiliated
optometrists.
Because of the very high volume of consumers who shop at Walmart and Sam’s Club stores, an
independent optometric practice located there has a great opportunity to build a large and
highly profitable business. The gross fee income of well-established affiliated practices, with an
optometrist of eight years or more longevity at the location, averages more than $200,000
annually, yielding an average net income of more than $160,000. This is well above the medi-
an net income of $105,000 that the American Optometric Association (AOA) reported for all
optometrists for calendar 2006 and above the median net income of $140,000 for self-
employed ODs.
Like all other optometrists, those affiliated with the Walmart Health and Wellness Division
receive excellent training in the clinical management of patients. Like other optometrists, affili-
ated doctors also received little instruction in optometry school about business management,
which can be just as critical to financial success.
Success in a practice located at Walmart or Sam’s Club is not automatic. It comes only with
proactive effort and planning by affiliated ODs to:
• Build awareness among store shoppers
• Create an exceptional patient experience to foster loyalty with support from Vision
Center Associates
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MaximizeYourPracticePotential
• Institute effective recall systems to assure regular eye exams
• Recommend eyewear solutions that enhance patient satisfaction
Newly affiliated doctors have repeatedly asked for information on the best methods used by
their Walmart and Sam’s Club colleagues in the management areas identified above. This man-
ual responds to this frequently expressed information need. It is also designed to be used by
established practices that desire to improve performance.
The Preferred Practice Patterns outlined in the manual were developed from conversations
with some of the most successful doctors affiliated with Walmart and Sam’s Club, from leading
optometric practice management consultants and from other experts on business and service
quality management.
Objectives
The objectives of the compendium are to convey:
• Practical, easy-to-institute patient procedures and processes that will assure a high-
qualitypatientexperiencethatexceedsexpectationsandproducesstrongpatientloyalty
• Proven Preferred Practice Patterns that will increase professional fee revenue
• Business management techniques that will optimize practice productivity and
profitability
• Realistic benchmarks against which to compare your practice performance and to
guide goal-setting
As an independent optometrist affiliated with Walmart or Sam’s Club, it is your responsibility
to establish your own methods of patient care, consistent with the laws governing optometric
practice in your state. The ideas and standards proposed in this manual are presented in the
spirit of sharing the lessons learned by your successful colleagues, but in no way dictate how
you will practice.
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