“You can’t always get what you want, but if you try, sometimes you might find what you need.” – The rolling Stones

high value and low cost

I find using lyrics to well known songs often resonates with my audience when trying to make a point. This particular phrase goes hand in hand with ‘change’   in regards to integrating new services and keeping your team motivated. Our world of Ophthalmology has been rapidly taking an about face the last few years.

Advancements in Eyecare:

There has become a need, not desire, to offer advancements in eye care while continuing to differentiate the brand.  Like, the added and possibly ‘non covered’ services that can range anywhere from advanced vision correction options, dry eye diagnosis and treatment plans to aesthetics procedures, including plastic surgery. Consequently these additional services come with the challenge of finding  resources within your practice to execute a plan without compromising patient care and increasing doctor chair time. Wow! That is a lot for anyone to take in. Because of all this change the result is staff turnover, a decrease in morale and physicians learning how to wear multiple hats.

The Best Approach:

The best way to approach these challenges is to begin by realizing, “you cannot always get” the new toys you want.  A well executed plan and a solid infrastructure will be required. You may want to be a dry eye center of excellence or a premium cataract surgery provider,  but you need to  first look at your team.

• Do you have the right coach? Quite simply, do you have someone who has the ability to focus on improving performance in your current state?
• Do you have the right players on your team? The roles and job descriptions may need to change to fit your current needs. You cannot change the job description to suit the current staff.
• Do you have an accountability program with measuring and metrics in place? “What gets measured gets done.” There are many things to measure. Learning how to use those measurements and metrics will be critical in moving your practice forward toward continued success.

These are just a few of the things to be considered and our consultants are seasoned with these processes.

Things to Consider:

Next, it is important to consider your current state and how to work within your current resources. You can plan to grow and aspire to be a ‘center of excellence’ but it is important to consider a few things. It is unrealistic to think you can visit an office and go back to your own practice and simply replicate what you observed. There may be physical space challenges, staffing and training  needs, and marketing adjustments.  Most frequently -we see in multi surgeon practices, hospitals and academic institutions- that it takes a village to make a decision. Patience truly is a virtue.

Stay tuned to learn more about integrating new services and working with change with Aesthetics 360, Making Business Better in Ophthalmology and Aesthetics