From boosting a practice’s bottom line to mirroring its core values, Dr. Dave Anderson offers associates an owner-doctor’s view on how to get your efforts noticed.
By Dr. Dave Anderson, OD
This article is for associates only. If you own a practice or have part ownership, please ignore the follow message. Seriously…. look away, owners.
Now that those pesky owners are out of the way, I would like to share some practice management tips focused on you, the associate doctors who read these blogs. For all the years I have written articles and spoken to groups, the focus has always been around management ideas and tips for business owners.
I was recently told by my wife, a longtime associate at my practice, that she always loves my articles (she has to say that), but she isn’t always able to apply the ideas in them. She thinks like an owner and understands our business as well as I do, but she is right. Not all associates want to hear what metrics they should measure, or how switching to daily disposables helps the bottom line. For associates, that doesn’t necessarily move the needle.
So, here is an article focused on you, the associate who loves their practice and patients and just simply wants to be a great doctor but doesn’t care about the P&L and cashflow statements.
An Insider’s View on Owner Perceptions of Associates
Associate doctors in practice now far outnumber the owner-doctors in patient care.1,2 In fact, the owner-to-associate landscape has vastly changed in recent years as commercial practices continue to open and private equity and other large groups have now entered the field.2 As such, I am now committing my focus to both groups, hopefully matching the ratio of those now caring for patients.
So, what considerations come into play when owners think about how they value their associates? Those of you reading may think that owners only focus on your production when they measure your value. This metric is certainly important, just as is the productivity of any staff member. Since there needs to be a justification for the expense, production is a great benchmark to measure.
However, many factors play into how owner-doctors value their associates. I use my practice’s core values as one measuring tool. These core values include being patient-focused, dedicated, and compassionate, in addition to the ability to embrace change. Associate doctors can easily demonstrate these core values, which in turn provide great value to your practice and your owner.
For example, if an associate greets an extra walk-in patient or an emergency visit with open arms instead of grumbling behind the scenes, this fits within each core value listed above. When an associate takes it upon themselves to redo a brochure for myopia management, jumps in to help train technicians on a diagnostic testing technique, or stays late to coordinate the care of a patient with a retinal detachment, this fully supports each of my core values.
Get Your Efforts Noticed
In an upcoming article, I will make sure owner doctors will be better at helping associate doctors grow and recognizing them for their efforts. All kidding aside, I would recommend having a regular meeting set up with the owner to make sure your ideas are heard, your efforts are seen, and that the owner agrees you are focused in the right area.
Have an agenda driven by you, not the owner, and make sure you stay focused on what you want AND how this will help the owner and the practice. For example, if you want to grow your specialty contact lens part of the practice, take the initiative and come up with an outline and solutions specific to your practice on how you can make this work.
Additionally, make sure you look at supporting data. In the case of toric lenses, analyze the number of patients with astigmatism in your practice who wear spherical contact lenses, and the projected increased revenue that could follow. This change could increase the practice’s bottom line and make for happier patients with better vision.3-5 Any time an associate has an idea along with a plan to implement it, I am not only fully supportive, but I am all in to make it happen.
The more you are a regular focus of the owner, the more they will notice every aspect of how you help the practice.
For additional staff training, practice management, and clinical resources, visit CooperVision’s Online Success Center.
Dr. Dave Anderson practices at Miamisburg Vision Care in Ohio. He is a 2004 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Optometry. He is a past president of the Ohio Optometric Association (OOA) and continues to serve on many committees at the state and national levels. He is currently a preceptor for an Advanced Practice Extern site for OSU College of Optometry and has been an investigator in clinical trials for contact lenses and ocular pharmaceuticals.
1. Heath DA, Spangler JS, Wingert TA, et al. 2017 National Optometry Workforce Survey. Optom Vis Sci. 2021 May 1;98(5):500-511
2. Haseldine-Cole J. Optometry at Work: The How, When and Where of Who Delivers Care Review of Optometry. July 15 ,2021. https://www.reviewofoptometry.com/article/optometry-at-work-the-how-when-and-where-of-who-delivers-care.
3. Morgan PB, Efron SE, Efron N, Hill EA. Inefficacy of aspheric soft contact lenses for the correction of low levels of astigmatism. Optom Vis Sci. 2005 Sep;82(9):823-8.
4. Brujic M, Kading D. Is This the New Norm? Contact Lens Spectrum. March 1, 2019. https://www.clspectrum.com/issues/2019/march-2019/is-this-the-new-norm.
5. Sulley A, Young G, Lorenz KO, et al. Clinical evaluation of fitting toric soft contact lenses to current non-users. Ophthalmic & physiological optics: the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians 2013;33:94-103.
