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Patricia Galassini is this Issue’s “LES Community Contributor.” Ms. Galassini is a motivated professional with the utmost passion for the eye care industry. She’s “grown up” in this field!
The Local Eye Site Team hopes you enjoy Ms. Glassini’s piece on how she created a “Technician Training Program” for her Denver, CO practice.
By: Patricia Galassini, C.O.T., Coordinator of Patient Support at Vision Care Specialists, Inc.
Last year, after 23 years as a JCAPHO Certified Ophthalmic Technician and 15 years with my current employer, I was given a promotion, to “Coordinator of Patient Support.” This new role and title has been a satisfying culmination of 15 years of expanding and sharing my tech skills and experiences with the other back office assistants in each of our 5 locations in the Denver Metro area. My CEO expressed confidence in my ability to continue growing into areas not previously assigned to anyone within our practice, and because of my long history with Vision Care Specialists (an employee owned practice), this promotion allowed me the time to extend my reach and have a larger circle of influence in our ESOP! I went from being a C.O.T. full time, to retaining two days in patient care, and expanding my tech background into various internal and external marketing projects, transitioning to a new Laser Center and all the marketing material production and training that went with that change, and the “tech certification” project! It was my desire to provide assistance to my fellow technicians, backed by the CEO’s commitment to require the non certified staff to become certified in their area of specialty that drove this project. It has been such a rewarding year, to see 13 unique individuals gain the self confidence, skills and knowledge to serve our patients at a higher level of competency.
For many years, I saw the limited training success our practice historically had with trying to make technicians out of whomever wanted to “try it;” pushing buttons on instruments but not understanding the scope of knowledge and skill it took to “be a tech.” For me, to “be a tech” one needed to be committed to have a complete understanding and ability to explain each of those tests to every patient, presenting electronically all the detailed patient history and information accurately, and to efficiently assist the doctor with all the preliminary testing and information gathering needed in the care of those patients. Since financially it was understandable that a practice might be resistant to hiring certified technicians to begin with, I felt there must be some middle ground. I took it upon myself to create a complete Technician Training Program that could be accessed from our 4 locations at that time via the computer that linked us together. I broke down all I had learned on my own as I navigated the COA/COT levels of JCAPHO certification. I detailed each of the things a beginner eye technician would need to understand: the basic structure of the eye, the “how” and “why” of each test our technicians were required to perform, an explanation of how they interrelate with each other, the complete medical and eye history of a patient, etc.
This Technician Training Program did give each of our assistants a more complete understanding of what it meant to be an effective, skilled assistant in an eye practice. They gained the basic knowledge and skills that took VCS to a new level. Some really took that access to the knowledge and skill sets I created and ran with it. Within this last year, I encouraged our practice to require a basic level of official certification, either through the American Optometric Association, the Joint Commission of Allied Health Professionals, or the National Contact Lens Examiners, knowing these were all excellent sources of education and certification, as well as continuing education opportunities. But most importantly, this has given our technicians the ability to serve both our doctors and our patients with a higher level of competency. I see every day the enthusiasm each of these individuals possess in their newly gained status; a complement to each of their natural people skills.
There is nothing more a practice could ask for- we are so fortunate to have such a motivated group of health care providers at all levels!
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By: Annquinetta F. Dansby-Kelly RN, CRNO
ASORN President
The American Society of Ophthalmic Registered Nurses (ASORN) was founded in 1976 by Edna Ashy, RN. It is the only organization that has focused on training nurses in ophthalmology. ASORN is the blue print for professional development in ophthalmic care through education, training and resources.
ASORN’s mission is to foster excellence in ophthalmic patient care while supporting the ophthalmic team through individual development, education and evidence based practices. Its many publications, Insight journal and ophthalmic manuals, cultivates one’s thoughts to achieve any obtainable goal. ASORN is on the web and fosters communication via E-publications and tools such as BLINK, Listservs, and research initiatives.
ASORN collaborates with national and international healthcare partners, such as Local Eye Site, that support activities in the preservation of sight. Over the years, ASORN has included ophthalmic professionals such as technicians, photographers, pharmacist and more in its quest to provide quality patient care. ASORN provides venues for educational enrichment by sponsoring local, regional and national conferences.
Edna Ashy worked tirelessly to insure that Registered Nurses would have a unique and rewarding career in ophthalmic nursing until her health failed in 2007. Edna passed away in November 2009, but her legacy lives on. ASORN will continue to be ethically and professionally accountable for fostering and maintaining great educational opportunities in ophthalmic excellence for many years.
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By: Bill Mercier, Founder & CEO at OptiCall Inc.
Time Line for Call Trends:
2007 was a strong year for new patient refractive calls. At that time, simple messages like “call for your free DVD” or “call now to schedule a free consultation” were working. Phones were ringing and patients were ready to book appointments. All you needed to do was let them know that you were available to help them.
May 2008, the FDA 10 year report was released. Many practices felt that this was the turning point where patient interest started to decline. Ironically, at the same time, we had other major economic changes that had a much bigger affect than the FDA report. The housing and credit bubble burst. The affects were felt throughout the financial system and ultimately infected the entire economy. Gas prices soared. Discretionary funds dried up, and those with cash in the bank were keeping it in their pockets. The slowest call volume our center experienced for new patients interested in elective surgery occurred between May 2008 and September 2008.
In October 2008, gas prices started to ease up. The price per gallon dropped from almost $5 to $3. At the same time, the general population grew tired of the negative press of the economy. As the price of fuel went down, the number of calls started to increase again. Call volume for October and November increased 40% over previous months. Call volume remained at this higher level throughout the Spring of 2009. In April 2009, the stock market crashed. Call volume was hit again. The lowest call volume for our collective group was experienced in May 2009. Since the market was already depressed, we didn’t see the normal fall-off of call volume that we usually experience in the summer months.
The highest call volume we encountered in 2009 occurred during the months of September through December. In December alone, calls were 29% higher than in January 2009. Why the difference? Some practices started to market themselves again. I’ve heard so many practices complain about their refractive patient volume being down. Have these patients gone away? No. They may have merely gone away from that particular provider. Chances are, they went elsewhere!
Practices need to understand that the desire to make immediate cuts in their budgets and improve the bottom line comes at a cost. They may not feel the affects today, but they will definitely feel it in a few months. John DiJulius stated it perfectly in a recent newsletter. He said “we live in an “instant” society that demands immediate results. Marketing, sales promotion and cutting expenses provide immediate results that executives can see. However, many times those things do not have a lasting positive business impact”.
Where are we going in 2010? The call volume numbers are strong so far this January, more so for those practices who are advertising. There are plenty of patients willing to pay for quality services. Practices who are willing to take their destiny into their own hands and start reaching out to find patients through advertising efforts will do so. The marketing messages need to have a strong call to action. The days of “awareness” ads bringing in patients are over. Additionally, practices need to spend more time and resources in the area of customer service and phones. The average practice loses up to 30% of potential revenue due to poorly answered phone calls, automated systems and voicemail answering. If you are going to spend ANY money at all, you better make sure that the phones are being answered, and answered properly.
Food for thought…with cuts in reimbursement for managed care patients, many practices are scrambling to find ways to make up what they are losing. While managed care patients are the bread and butter for many practices, it’s the elective patient that is much more profitable, and in most cases, requires a lot less work.
Local Eye Site introduces Bill Mercier:
Bill Mercier, graduate of Rutgers University is the founder, President, and CEO at OptiCall Inc. Bill’s experience working for a mobile laser company through the late 90’s and the early part of 2000 gave him the inspiration to create systems that help the patient communication process. With the optimal patient customer experience in mind, OptiCall, Inc was founded
For over 8 years, OptiCall has been providing telephone support to refractive practices across the US, all with the goal of enhancing the patient experience. Our practices range from the single proprietor offering LASIK as an option for their patients to the “refractive only” center taking hundreds of new patient calls per month. Regardless of the circumstance, our goal is to provide outstanding customer service, schedule consultations, and capture leads for the practices we service.
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TJ McCue from All Business.com, a Dunn & Bradstreet company, recently posted an article about Local Eye Site. The LES team is very pleased with TJ’s assessment of our site and value proposition. All Business.com is one of the leading and most visited business websites in the world, so the LES team is excited and grateful for the exposure. Read the Local Eye Site article on All Business.com.
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Photo by Ardent
Does your eye care practice embrace a “sales” or a “marketing” recruiting style?
Unfortunately, traditional eye care recruiting has embraced a “sales” model. Classifieds or national job boards give you 30-60 days, or a weekend in the case of the classifieds, to introduce your practice to the pool of (mostly unqualified) candidates. This model calls for practices to wait until the need is acute, then scramble to find a handful of qualified candidates, and “sell” them on why they should come to work for you. The result is wasted time (sifting through too many unqualified candidates), less likelihood of finding the best candidate, and stress on the organization because of the acute need.
Local Eye Site makes a recruitment “marketing” model affordable, something large organizations invest tens or hundreds of thousands in annually. The model we have created consistently markets your practice as an employer of choice within a community of qualified eye care professionals and systematically builds your brand as a desirable career destination. The resulting candidate pipeline will prepare the practice for this inevitable employee turnover.
The LES model plays off of what we already know…that word of mouth is the most effective recruiting tool. We currently are conducting a survey about 2010 employment expectations at Local Eye Site http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WRB6XPM
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Ophthalmology recruitment pundits (like us at Local Eye Site) have been clamoring for quite some time about the looming labor crisis. Especially in the eye care business, it stands to reason that as the baby boom generation ages, the need for eye care professionals will substantially grow against a limited supply. But rather than address this daunting crevasse, I’d like to draw attention to a topic a little more manageable…New Year’s Resolutions. As you break for the holidays, it’s important to be prepared for what may be awaiting your return in January. You may be surprised.
So the question is, how many of your employees’ New Year’s Resolutions include the line item, “Get a new job?” The answer is probably, “more than you think.” Are you pipelining candidates now preparing for this inevitable New Year’s hangover?
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Over the course of the last four months during my conversations with Brad and the other partners at Local Eye Site about potentially joining them as a full time partner, I became increasingly skeptical. Not about the business model, not about the strength and experience of the leadership team, and not about the impressive rate of growth the business had enjoyed in its brief lifetime. I just wasn’t buying this “sense of community” Brad was passionately telling me he was building.
I mean, seriously Brad? Wink, wink. You mean a job board, right? Aren’t you saying that the term “Community” is the marketing jargon you’re using? Knowing the job board business, my interpretation of an online community is similar to a flea market. People come to buy stuff (find candidates) and people come to sell stuff (get a job). When the transaction is complete, that’s it. If hanging around the flea market before and after the buying and selling takes place is your idea of a “community,” well…I wasn’t so sure.
I was still all ears though because while I was employed at one of the major job boards, the one item I was sure about was the consistent erosion of market share in the US we saw as a result of niche job boards entering the fray; that a major issue had become the recruiters’ bandwidth as they sifted through hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of unqualified resumes to find the qualified. According to compete.com, Careerbuilder had 15 million unique visitors in October and Monster had 41 million! And that’s just their core US sites - not including the multitude of network sites they own and to which they push postings. That traffic may be super for Wal-Mart or Home Depot, but think about maelstrom that creates for the office administrator of an eye care practice with twenty employees needing to hire two Ophthalmic Techs and a Contact Lens Tech.
So back to community. You can see I bought into the business model, but the community idea? Fortunate to have family in the Ophthalmology field, I sought their counsel. “Different” “Needed” “Eileen is hilarious” and “It’s about time” were some of the responses I received. Brad then turned me on to the idea exchange, the search-for-candidates functionality, the community contributors featured in LES blogs and newsletters as well as the survey results on cataract surgery and post-op kits published on the site. Here’s a question we received on the site just this morning: “Can you tell me the parameters for re-sterilizing phaco tips and knives?” And in speaking with the administrator of a Pennsylvania practice just yesterday, we were reminded just how expensive and limiting the local newspapers and their online outlets are as practices pipeline candidates in advance of the expected increase in turnover seen every January, not to mention the labor shortage of allied healthcare workers.
So, with all that said, I have drunk the Kool-Aid. So much so, that I’ve had new business cards printed for our Founder, Brad McCorkle, with his new title: Community Organizer.
Bill Valdespino, Partner
Local Eye Site, LLC
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Bizarro Recruiting
Have you heard about the eye care practice in New York with the bizarre recruiting philosophy? Well, it seems that the administrator at this practice became so frustrated with trying to recruit a new doc and fill an immediate need for a technician for their practice, that she took a rather questionable step.
She hired several temps to spend 30 days in Times Square, Grand Central Station and walking the streets in front of NY unemployment offices wearing a sign, passing out flyers and shouting from a bull horn, “Our eye care practice is hiring!!! It’s a really terrific place to work, and we pay well, so if you are an experienced Technician or an Ophthalmologist, please call or fax your resume to XXX-XXX-XXXX.”
So, how do you think that worked out for them? You guessed it-not so well. Did the practice get candidates? You betcha. In fact, the practice experienced a deluge of calls and faxes from thousands of job-seeking individuals from all over the country actually. The fire-storm of activity was a huge distraction for the administrator. She found herself spending long hours after clinic, pouring through resumes, phone messages and faxes trying to find even a hand full of qualified candidates.
When asked about her unusual recruiting strategy, the administrator replied,” Hey, it’s hard to find good people, especially in a niche industry like eye care, so I thought we better cast a wide net in order to improve our odds. What better place than the unemployment offices or Times Square? That’s where you’ll find lots of people looking for jobs. I expected it to be distracting, but I figured no pain, no gain.”
The administrator did eventually hire an experienced Technician that picked up one of the flyers in Times Square. Unfortunately, that person only lasted about 60 days with the practice, and now the administrator is back to the drawing board. “Now I don’t know what to do. Ultimately my strategy worked, but boy was it painful, and expensive. I just don’t think I can go through that again.”
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Eye Care’s loveable mascot Eileen is back. In episode 3 of Local Eye Site’s Eileen the Eye Care Professional Extraordinaire, Eileen and the team welcome a new doctor to the Neighborhood Eye Care Center. The NECC’s doctors are serious healthcare professionals, but they have some fun in store for the new doctor.
Is it possible to be a serious healthcare provider, and bring a sense of humor to your work? You tell us.
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