My Way - Coleman Vision
Transcription
My Way - Coleman Vision
CHECK OUT OUR DIGITAL edition PREMIUM PRACTICE March 2012 TODAY Volume 3, No. 3 MY WAY The secret to my success. BY ROCHELLE NATALONI, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Section Editor: Shareef Mahdavi Pleasanton, California Editorial Advisors: Matt Jensen Sioux Falls, South Dakota For more online and interactive Premium Practice Today content, see throughout the article. James D. Dawes Sarasota, Florida Premium Practice Today is a monthly feature section in CRSToday providing articles and resources to assist surgeons and their staff in the pursuit of premium practice development to facilitate exceptional experiences for patients and business success. PREMIUM PRA PREMIUM PRACTICE TODAY My Way: Surgeon Profiles The secret to my success. BY ROCHELLE NATALONI, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Success in a medical practice, as in life, is the result of doing many things well and learning from one’s mistakes. Premium Practice Today devotes this month to the perspectives on success of six surgeons who represent a diversity of focus and styles in their practices. What is common among them is that they take patient-centricity to a new level that includes taking care of customers’ needs in addition to patients’ needs. Listening skills, convenience for customers, and teamwork are shared concepts in their advice and are evidence of the need to “walk the talk” on a daily basis. Far from being buzzwords, these ideas are the ingredients essential to the premium practice going forward. —Section Editor Shareef Mahdavi L ike a successful surgical plan, a winning strategy for practice management depends on the special something supplied by the lead surgeon. Call it the “surgeon factor” or the “X factor.” Either way, it is the element that makes one practice prosper while another suffers from its lack. In this month’s edition of Premium Practice Today, several surgeons share the steps they took to bring their practices to the top of the heap. Their discourse includes comments on diversification strategies, ACTICE TODA PREMIUM PRACTICE TODAY conversion rates, and patients’ demographics, but it is clear that their down-to-earth, patientfocused, common sense tactics are what make these practices tick. STEPHEN COLEMAN, MD COLEMAN VISION INSTITUTE The secrets to success for Stephen Coleman, MD, are altitude and attitude. Coleman Vision. “I moved to New Mexico after completing my training in New York City, primarily due to a brief conversation that I had with Steven Trokel, MD, broadly considered to be the inventor of laser vision correction,” explains Dr. Coleman. “He was the chairman at Columbia, and he encouraged me to move to a location at high altitude, because due to the relative hypoxia, people would be less tolerant of HOW TO SUCCEED 101 Cataract and refractive surgeons fresh out of training are unencumbered by past-practice baggage. They have the benefit of learning the latest techniques with the newest technology and using them to create their own success story one case at a time. Robert Melendez, MD, MBA, chairman of the AAO’s Young Ophthalmologist Committee AAO and partner at Eye Associates of New Mexico in Albuquerque, offers the following suggestions to newbie surgeons: s )FYOUAREGOINGTOOFFERPREMIUMSERVICESOFFERPREmium surgery. These patients have extremely high expectations. s %XUDECONFIDENCE4HEPATIENTNEEDSTOSEEIT s 4RAINYOURENTIRESTAFFFROMEVERYPOINTOFCONTACTTO be prepared for premium patients. s %NSURETHATEVERYPERSONWITHWHOMTHEPATIENT comes into contact at your practice is knowledgeable about what is available. This reinforces the patient’s confidence. By the time the patient makes contact with you, he or she will have few questions, and you can focus on what is best for that patient. s )NSTEADOFFOCUSINGONCONVERTINGPATIENTSTO PREMIUM)/,SFOCUSONIDENTIFYINGTHEBESTOPTIONFOR each individual. s $ONOTGETTOOCOMFORTABLE,EAVEYOUREGOATTHE door. s 2EMEMBERTHATONTHEFIRSTDAYINTHE/2EVERYTHING is a variable. Convert variables to constants.* This will enable you to feel more comfortable while you are honing your surgical technique. *By converting many of your variables into constants, you can add new variables into your surgical repertoire with minimal disruption. This confidence in your surgical technique will translate to the clinic and enhance patients’ perceptions of you. Variables include a new surgery center, new hospital, new phaco machine, new instruments, visitors in the OR, new staff, vitreous loss, new IOLs, and new surgical techniques. Robert Melendez, MD, MBA, may be reached at (505) 892-3434; [email protected]. PREMIUM PRA PREMIUM PRACTICE TODAY contact lenses and likely become early adopters of laser technology as an alternative. He was right. My clinic is at 5,000 feet, and right off the bat, I had a rapt audience.” Dr. Coleman’s attitude is equally impressive. “I see our role at Coleman Vision primarily as educators, just informing patients what the best options are for their particular situation,” he says. “If the best option doesn’t include us, that’s fine. We keep the patients’ best interest at the center of the conversation.” Dr. Coleman’s practice development strategy is based on the antithesis of diversification. He says he does one thing and does it very well: “I only offer laser vision correction. I don’t have an eyeglass dispensary, I don’t fit contact lenses, and as of today, I have not incorporated IOL procedures into my practice. I do, however, think the impact of this particular avenue of vision correction is, and will continue to be, enormous. Referring a patient out for a lensbased procedure is actually very gratifying, because it typically comes as such a surprise to prospective patients. They genuinely appreciate the honesty. I never developed a general practice and therefore never truly did cataract surgery. I fell in love with lasers and never looked back. I really think that this technology, even in its early stages, was remarkable—both precise and accurate—and it was the single thing that kept me in ophthalmology.” Dr. Coleman points out that he has never had a partner, “just a fleet of amazing technicians and a referral network of optometrists with whom ACTICE TODA PREMIUM PRACTICE TODAY I would trust my family.” Because New Mexico is so large and rural, comanaging patients is critical, he says. It is not uncommon for people to drive great distances to see a particular doctor. He is bullish on the future. “The baby boomers drove the initial spike in LASIK volumes, with a roughly 78 million-person demographic,” he notes. “We are currently muddling through Generation X, which totals only 46 million people. Those of us dedicated exclusively to laser vision correction are about to be confronted by Generation Y—individuals roughly 21 years of age and older—which numbers 76 million, similar to the boomers. Despite the current economic climate, the sheer size of this demographic is daunting. When you combine the enormous advances in technology with the inherent familiarity with technology that this group of patients has, the future of LASIK is very bright.” Dr. Coleman’s advice to young ophthalmologists is go to meetings. “Despite the time and expense, there is no substitute for actually sitting in a room listening to smart people,” he says. “Get board certified and maintain it. Don’t be afraid to be patient and concentrate on a specific area and become a specialist or subspecialist. There is a tremendous push currently towards generalists, but be mindful of the approaching demographics [of patients] and their needs.” His advice to all ophthalmologists is as follows: “Listen way more than you talk and do your very best to leave every person knowing at least a little bit more about their eyes than when they walked into your office.” PREMIUM PRA PREMIUM PRACTICE TODAY A. JAMES KHODABAKHSH, MD BEVERLY HILLS VISION INSTITUTE For James Khodabakhsh, MD, technology and time compose a two-pronged approach to building and maintaining a successful practice, Beverly Hills Vision. He has an unwavering commitment to investing in the newest technology and a willingness to offer each and every patient the tender loving care he or she deserves. “I think the most important strategy to keeping a practice strong over the near and distant future is to keep up with the latest technology,” he says. “Although this may seem expensive and at times unnecessary, we must make the most advanced modalities of surgery available to our patients. For example, our practice recently invested in a femtosecond laser for cataract surgery, and we were one of the first in the country to have it delivered.” By the same token, Dr. Khodabakhsh says that, no matter how advanced one’s surgical armamentarium, “If one is not willing to be kind and listen to [his or her] patients’ needs, then one will not be able to build a tremendous practice.” Dr. Khodabakhsh has been in practice for a dozen years, with the past 7 in solo practice in Beverly Hills, California. “When I opened my practice in Beverly Hills, there were 134 practicing ophthalmologists within a 10-mile radius,” he comments. “This is one of the most saturated areas in the country. I decided early on that I wanted to concentrate on the ACTICE TODA PREMIUM PRACTICE TODAY growing needs of the baby boomers. I knew that LASIK volumes were going to decrease over the next few years, and I concentrated on getting as much experience with [presbyopia-correcting] implants as possible. I took every course and spoke to my peers about these lenses. I implanted every single one of them in their early stages of development, with varying degrees of success. I started with the Crystalens [Bausch + Lomb], then went to the ReZoom [Abbott Medical Optics Inc.], then the AcrySof Restor SN6AD3 [Alcon Laboratories, Inc.], back to the Crystalens, then to the AcrySof Restor SN6AD1, and back to the Crystalens and the Tecnis Multifocal [Abbott Medical Optics Inc.]. I became known for being the ‘lens guy’ in the area.” Surgeons now routinely refer their difficult cases to him. “My practice is moving increasingly away from general ophthalmology and concentrating on the premium lens market,” he says. “I also network with many optometrists, so I don’t dispense glasses or contacts.” One thing that distinguishes Dr. Khodabakhsh’s practice from some others is that he aims to spend as much time with his patients as possible. “This is the best way to continue to build a practice and increase conversion rates,” he explains. “It also allows me to teach my patients about emerging technology, especially in the field of lens-based surgery. I get to show them my confidence in the technology. It goes a long way in getting more referrals but also in converting patients to premium lenses—if not now, then in the future.” His advice for up-and-coming surgeons who want to build a solid practice PREMIUM PRA PREMIUM PRACTICE TODAY and reputation: “Tweak your technique and get back into refractive cataract surgery. It is the wave of the future and here to stay. If you don’t want to do lens surgery, then hire someone in your practice with the personality to do it. It will truly pay off in the long run.” JACQUELINE D. GRIFFITHS, MD NEWVIEW LASER EYE CENTER Jacqueline Griffiths, MD, has the good fortune to own a practice in one of the areas of highest per capita income in the country— Reston, Virginia, outside Washington, DC NewView Laser Eye Center. Even situated as she is among the moneyed and sophisticated Capitol Hill crowd, she has taken smart steps to remain a winner in a highly competitive market. Dr. Griffiths has relied on diversification and a pleasant demeanor to distinguish herself and her practice. She says that patients appreciate that they can get everything in one place. She practices with an optometrist and an optician and offers oculoplastic and aesthetic procedures in addition to refractive and cataract surgery. When her older cataract patients comment that their eyelids are sagging, she mentions that she offers blepharoplasty. Dr. Griffiths adds that she can diminish their fine facial lines and wrinkles with Botox (Allergan, Inc.) or fillers, and she says patients are comfortable taking that leap, because they are being taken care of by a surgeon they already know and trust. “I made a creative, focused effort at the very beginning to provide ACTICE TODA PREMIUM PRACTICE TODAY full-service, personalized attention in a doctor-owned and run practice, as opposed to some of the corporate-owned laser centers that put all their eggs in one basket,” Dr. Griffith says. “Because I chose to diversify my practice from the very beginning, I think that it has helped me to maintain revenue and, in fact, increase my revenue over the years, even in the lean times. When one aspect of my practice was down, another was up.” In recent years, she added an optical dispensary when she noticed that more people were opting to stay in their glasses because of economic reasons. “That has been an excellent financial decision for us,” she says. The optician now accepts vision plans, which allows those patients to stay within her practice. “We were losing some of our optical patients because they had vision plans, so they would get the prescription from us and go to an outside optical. By accepting these vision plans, we maintain them for the optical, and then, we also have the opportunity to later on convert a lot of those patients to laser vision correction and other services that we offer.” The economic driver here is revenue per patient or getting as much as possible out of each patient by filling a wide range of his or her potential needs. “The patients really appreciate the one-stop shopping that we provide in our practice and the personalized attention that we give,” she comments. Dr. Griffiths says her attitude, her personality, and even her gender have played a role in growing and diversifying her practice. “Sometimes, men can be a bit uncomfortable talking about Botox or fillers,” she explains. “As a woman, I have no problem saying, ‘Hey, did you see that we do some of the PREMIUM PRA PREMIUM PRACTICE TODAY fun stuff here with the Botox?’ I think … my easy demeanor and the rapport that I build with [patients] … makes it easy to bring the subject up.” LISA BROTHERS ARBISSER, MD, AND AMIR ARBISSER, MD EYE SURGEONS ASSOCIATES The husband and wife team of Drs. Lisa Brothers and Amir Arbisser has a burgeoning multispecialty ophthalmic practice with several locations throughout Iowa and Illinois Eye Surgeons PC. Lisa handles a cataract caseload of 50 per week, while Amir provides postoperative care for up to 70 patients per day in addition to being what his wife describes as “the brains behind the business.” “My husband and I started Eye Surgeon Associates nearly 30 years ago, and we’ve built a 20-doctor multisubspecialty group with five locations,” Lisa says. “I think the fact that we aren’t entirely dependent on Medicare and cataract surgery alone is huge. We began the group as a mom and pop operation. Today, we offer everything—except for neuro-ophthalmology— and I think that’s why we’re prospering.” She points out that the practice has always been at the forefront from a managerial perspective, and it has worked well for them. “We were the first people in our area to have a capitated contract some years ago,” she notes. “We’ve definitely experimented in being on the forward edge of various types of delivery.” Amir says their practice model is one of economic efficiency. “This doesn’t necessarily mean the doctors earn less money,” he says. “It means that their ACTICE TODA PREMIUM PRACTICE TODAY skills are more appropriately employed. [For instance,] years ago, there were three of us in the group who did cataract surgery, and we would rotate the cases. However, over a period of time, I noticed that our growth curve flatlined. When I analyzed it, I found that one of the three [surgeons] was not getting predictable outcomes. After I realized this, if someone requested that doctor, he was assigned the case. Otherwise, it was decided that to continue to give him cataract patients on a rotational basis was actually harming the practice. So, we are thinking about the patient’s best interest, and we are thinking about the practice as a practice, not as a bunch of individual doctors’ individual practices.” Amir continues, “The most important philosophical thing that we did more than 20 years ago was that we developed a new compensation structure within the group. The traditional way of compensating professionals is what I call ‘jungle mentality,’ where you eat what you kill. Typically, if a surgeon provides a service, then they see the revenue generated from that as their money. However, if you’re in a group, when you behave that way, it ultimately creates conflict within the group, because it basically puts partners in competition economically. Surgeons tend to want to perform the ‘big ticket’ procedures whether it’s their strong suit or not.” The compensation structure that they implemented turned that behavior on its head and allowed the practice to function as a group. “You can’t completely take away economic incentive as a behavioral driver for people, but you can reduce it to such a degree that people realize they can actually make more money doing the right thing, taking care of patients with skills that they have PREMIUM PRA PREMIUM PRACTICE TODAY that might be better than some of their colleagues’ and partners’,” he says. This, he argues, drives patients to a surgeon who can do something the most efficiently, in the most skilled manner, using the fewest resources, achieving the fewest complications, and having the fewest reoperations, which is a win-win for patients and doctors. With all of the changes afoot for health care in general, Amir says he has an advantage over many of his counterparts. “I have a more positive attitude about the future than a lot of people,” he comments. “The concept of change is not frightening, because it’s really all about the perception of control or the fear of losing control, and from my perspective, we have control.” Q Stephen Coleman, MD, may be reached at (505) 821-8880; [email protected]. A. James Khodabakhsh MD, may be reached at (310) 550-7888; [email protected]. Jacqueline D. Griffiths, MD, may be reached at (703) 834-9777; [email protected]. Lisa Brothers Arbisser, MD, and Amir Arbisser, MD, may be reached at (563) 343-8896; [email protected].