In the Media Archives - Page 2 of 2

How to Prevent Unmet Patient Expectations

Written by Envision Eyecare on August 15, 2013. Posted in About Envision Eyecare, Asheville, Education, Eye Care & Eye Health, Eyewear, In the Media, Uncategorized. No Comments on How to Prevent Unmet Patient Expectations

We all have expectations; and when our expectations are not met, we can tend to become unhappy. At Envision Eyecare, we believe strongly in meeting our patients expectations and pride ourselves in taking certain precautions to prevent unmet patient expectations. Something as simple as checking benefits before a patient arrives puts our patients mind at ease, allowing them to know their comprehensive visit is covered. Letting patients know when there is going to be a wait, is another way to alleviate confusion and set the expectation that they will be in the office a little bit longer than expected. The following article was written by Dr. Golson on how to prevent unmet patient expectations and create an environment that is welcoming and organized.

Understanding the triggers of patient anger and dissatisfaction is the first step to preventing these irritants from occurring in the first place.

Does this sound familiar? The patient who comes in to pick up her glasses only to find they are not ready? How about the patient who comes in on time for an appointment that ends up waiting in the reception area for over 30 minutes? There are many reasons a patient could become upset with your office, so it is important to be proactive and avoid disappointment before it surfaces. My team and I intentionally imagine possible scenarios where patients can become dissatisfied and plan carefully to prevent the annoyances from ever happening. The Golden Rule at our office: “Anticipate needs. Do unto others as they would have done unto themselves.” Here are a few of the common causes of patient dissatisfaction we have identified and steps we take to prevent patient dis-ease.

Unmet Expectations

Patient dissatisfaction usually involves unmet assumptions that were not delivered on. Even if you never discuss it with patients, most have preconceived ideas about things like how long they should be expected to wait for the doctor after checking in for their appointment, how long they should have to wait for their eyeglasses to be ready for pickup, how much they should have to pay for their eyewear and how helpful your staff should be for them to take advantage of vision plan and insurance benefits. The best way we dispel unrealistic expectations, is to inform the patient of what to expect before they even ask.

Apologize and Let Patients Know the Reason for the Wait

When all pistons are firing in our office, it rarely happens that a patient has to wait an inordinate amount of time to be taken back for their appointment. Our goal is to never let the patient wait more than 10-15 minutes. However, we all know the unforeseen happens at times, and if it looks like we will keep patients waiting in the reception area for longer than expected, my Patient Experience Coordinator apologizes and explains the situation to patients. We then ask if we can do anything to make the patient more comfortable (a cup of coffee or tea, a magazine or an IPAD) and give the patient the choice to use the time to show the patient around the optical dispensary. We find that this one step diffuses most patients that otherwise would begin to grow impatient or think we’d forgotten about them.

Check Insurance Availability Ahead of Arrival at Office

To prepare patients for how much they will be expected to pay, we check on insurance eligibility prior to the patient’s appointment. We give them a call ahead of their arrival in the office if it looks like their insurance will not cover their exam and/or eyewear and contact lens purchase. That way they can decide whether they want to try to work out the issue with their insurance provider or pay-out-of-pocket for the visit. Either way, the good part of checking on insurance eligibility before the patient ever gets to the office is these patient decisions won’t have to be made after the patient has already taken time away from their schedule and traveled to your office. Having that lead time to plan appropriately helps offset the anger that would occur if the patient had gone through the exam and selected eyewear and then found out–surprise!–that their exam and products would not be covered. We let all patients know (as the insurance companies kindly inform us every time we check on a patient’s benefits) that coverage does not guarantee payment by their insurance. Although it creates more work for us on the front end, it prevents a good amount of unhappy patients that would have otherwise been surprised with a bill for a service that wasn’t covered.

Warn Patients of Fees for Testing

We discuss fees with patients before services are rendered for all non-covered services. Let’s say you see from a patient’s exam that they are at risk of developing glaucoma but insurance won’t pay for further testing. As per standard of care, you need to take retinal images but there will be an $89 fee for doing so that may not be covered by the patient’s insurance. Do you tell them before taking the pictures? Yes! The patient deserves the choice to opt-in or opt-out and since we are in a service industry where there are many options for eye care, it makes sense to be as up front and graceful as possible. A member of my team or the doctor will say, “Rob, I see from your medical history that you are at high-risk of developing glaucoma. This is a serious condition that can potentially result in loss of sight and we need to take images of the inside of your eyes. These images will give me a sense of the baseline health of your eyes so I can better detect signs of glaucoma and follow your eye health over time. I want to let you know that the fee for these images is $89 and since we are advocates for your best eye health, it’s very important for us to have this information. How does that sound to you?”

Set an Appointment for Dispensing Eyeglasses

Rather than just telling patients the glasses should be ready in 10 business days, I prefer to have our team set an appointment with patients to come back to the office on a particular date and time. We always under-promise and over-deliver in the dates we give patients to come back for the glasses. For instance, if we are fairly certain the glasses will be ready in five days, we will set the appointment for them to come back in seven or eight days. We also let the patient know that if the glasses will take longer than expected, we will call them ahead of time so we can reset this appointment. Doing this avoids the patient having to call to see what’s taking so long with their glasses, or, worse yet, showing up at the point when you told them their glasses would be ready only to find they are still not done.

Control Expectations for New Glasses

Since many first-time prescription spectacle wearers will experience some distortion or oddness in their vision when they put on their new glasses, it is important to warn patients of this: “Susan, I want to let you know that the glasses may make you feel odd initially–your vision may seem a little strange at first. Don’t worry! This isn’t permanent and it’s common for our patients with your amount of prescription change for this to occur. Your vision needs time to adjust to the prescription and everything will seem normal and much better than the vision with current glasses within a week or two. We will call you in two weeks to check in with you, and if the glasses still don’t seem right, you can come back and we will see how we can adjust the prescription to make you comfortable.” Patients want to know above all that we care about them and that we will take care of them, ensuring their overall satisfaction.

Let Patients Know to Speak Up If Dissatisfied

It is important you and your staff let patients know you genuinely care about them and that they leave your office satisfied with the services and products they receive from you: “Tom, if there is anything about your glasses or the frames that you have questions or concerns about, don’t hesitate to call or drop by. You’re never just stuck with glasses or contacts we provide at our office for whatever reason. We will always work with you to find a solution.” Not only does this set a patient that may be unsure if their prescription is right at ease, it also builds trust between the patient and your practice.

Use the Optometric “Golden Rule”

A good exercise is to put yourself in your patient’s shoes. For instance, try sitting in your reception area for 10 minutes or so. Take a look around and take in how everything looks and feels. Would you be happy to sit in that environment for longer than a few minutes? You should do that for all the different places in your office that the patient would sit or be exposed to and take steps to make your patient’s experience impeccable. Then consider the different circumstances your patient might find herself in such as being left with boxes of contact lenses she doesn’t like or a pair of glasses that she can’t see well in. If you were the patient you undoubtedly would want the doctor to step up and provide a product you could be happy with–so do the same for your patients and reap the rewards of an exceedingly loyal patient base.

Related ROB Articles

http://www.reviewob.com/doctor-patient-communication-starters-keys-to-stellar-service.aspx

http://www.reviewob.com/show-patients-the-added-value-your-practice-provides-.aspx

http://www.reviewob.com/make-the-call-build-a-relationship-with-patients-built-on-trust.aspx

Larry Golson, OD, is the owner of Envision Eye Care Optometry & Eyewear, an independent optometric practice in Asheville, NC. To contact him: [email protected].

Set Your Office Environment for Your Patients

Written by Envision Eyecare on June 12, 2013. Posted in About Envision Eyecare, Asheville, Education, Eyewear, In the Media, Uncategorized. No Comments on Set Your Office Environment for Your Patients

When you walk into Envision Eyecare you have the feeling of being at home, or at a close friend’s house. Not only by the interior design, but by each team member’s gracious demeanor. Dr. Larry Golson has developed a strong, confident environment in his office, that helps patients feel at ease.

Take a look at this article written by Dr. Golson on how setting your office environment will in return change the way patients view your establishment.

Set Your Office Environment for Your Patients

By Larry Golson, OD

A well-thought-out office environment makes patients feel comfortable and cared about—and it also can foster long-term practice loyalty.

When you walk into a good friend’s home, a friend you’ve always felt a connection with, you get a certain feeling. When I opened my practice five years ago, that’s the feeling I tried to capture. I wanted patients to feel like they would in a friend’s home. I wanted the environment to be professional and instill a sense of confidence, but I didn’t want it to be cold or intimidating. Here are the ways I create an office environment that welcomes patients, and by treating them like a valued friend, encourages them to build long-term loyalty to my practice.

Find Your Office Environment Role Model

One morning as I got a cup of coffee at Starbucks, I had a realization: this is close to the exact mood I have in mind for my practice. I liked the way the environment at Starbucks appeals to all of your senses. There’s the smell and taste of the coffee, the aesthetic of interior design (sight), good, consistent customer service (feel), comfortable seating (touch) and the music playing is what most would consider upbeat and pleasant (hearing). I also liked that as comfortable and pleasant as it is, there also is a sense of openness–few would be too intimidated to open the door. In addition, I thought the Starbucks model would serve as a good guide since has a great company culture with a commitment to being a part of the local community.

Right Environment Comes at a Price

Having an ideal office environment came with some work and financial investment. For eight years prior to our arrival, the space was inhabited by a veterinary clinic. The floor was peeling and the space was sectioned off into many different small rooms with no wide open space like we currently have. Our landlord was eager for us to improve the space, so he chipped in $20,000 to help us remodel it.

Think: Professional Living Room

When you walk into the office, you find an open space with chairs arranged as they would be in a living room; grouped together and facing each other to facilitate interaction. I wanted to avoid the old fashioned doctor’s office first impression of chairs lined up against one wall beside a registration window that opens and closes. There is a flat-screen television with Eyemagination videos playing and to the left of the seating area is the optical dispensary and to the right, a marble-countered registration desk with drop-down lighting.

Most of your friends probably have technological devices lying around their living room–some of which, like their computer or iPad, they might offer up for you to use. We do the same at our office. We have an iPad that has a screen saver that says: “Hi, please pick me up and look us up on Facebook and Twitter.” We also provide free wireless internet for our patients.

Patients sometimes tell us they just want to come over and hang out and have a cup of coffee even when they don’t need an exam. And that happens sometimes. It is not unusual for a patient to be in the neighborhood and pop in just to say hello.

Immediate Greeting

When you walk into a friend’s home, you usually wouldn’t just wander in and be ignored for the first minute. My thought about our office environment is no different. Just as a good host greets guests as soon as they arrive, our team members immediately greet patients before the front door closes behind them. My team has been trained to immediately say hello, ask how the patient prefers to be addressed while in the office (Mr./Mrs., full first name or a nickname), and offer a glass of water or a cup of coffee or tea.
The initial greeting is essential to perfect and make consistent. This primary interaction sets the tone for the entire patient experience, and can strengthen or weaken the developing relationship.

Delight Your Patient’s Ears, Too

Your patients are here to see you about their eyes, but that doesn’t mean you can neglect what your office sounds like. We wanted our patients to hear something more than exchanges between our team and other patients. We wanted them to feel relaxed and enjoy their experience. I came up with an iPod play list of different mixes of music for each day of the week. There is no specific tone for each day of the week, but creating mixes for each day ensures the music won’t become irritatingly repetitive. The music I chose for the office is low-key, cheerful jazz with no words. We wanted it to be pleasant and relaxing but not as dull as elevator music.

Let Patients Know Something About You

Along with comfort and visual appeal, the decor of your office should speak to who you as practice owner are. In my case, that means featuring my landscape photography professionally framed throughout the office. It also means dressing our space up with the bonsai plants that my father cultivates. These two elements serve as conversation starters with patients. It is not uncommon for a patient to ask about the photos and where they were taken. That often leads to a conversation about their own hobbies, which is perfect for any OD seeking to practice lifestyle dispensing. Sharing a little of who you are encourages patients to share a little of who they are, and sometimes what you learn can help you better serve them. At the very least, the conversation creates a connection between doctor and patient.

Is it Allergy or Dry Eye?

Written by Envision Eyecare on May 24, 2013. Posted in About Envision Eyecare, Asheville, Education, Eye Care & Eye Health, Eyewear, Fun and Games, In the Media. No Comments on Is it Allergy or Dry Eye?

It’s that time of year again, and our allergies are full force! Our eyes are greatly affected by pollen and other common allergens floating through the air. Sometimes it’s hard to determine if your suffering from allergies or symptoms of dry eye.

The following article was co-written by our associate doctor, Dr. Melanie Denton, O.D., F.A.A.O., with Dr. Scott Morris, O.D., F.A.A.O., explaining the common differences between these two conditions.

Orientation for New Personnel Hires

Written by Envision Eyecare on July 30, 2012. Posted in About Envision Eyecare, In the Media. No Comments on Orientation for New Personnel Hires

The following article was originally published in Review of Optometric Business June 14th, 2012

By Larry Golson, OD

Offer a thorough orientation for new hires. When your entire staff focuses on educating a new employee, it pays off long-term in service excellence.

When a new employee, or team member, joins our practice, it is an event–literally. This makes the critical difference in communicating our office’s culture to the new employee and delivering the best service to patients. Rather than just presenting the new team member with a binder and walking away, or asking the new hire to shadow an employee, we close down the office for a half-day and cater lunch for the entire team. During that time our six team members meet as a group to educate the new team member about our organizational culture and tell stories about positive (and negative) experiences with patients. We want this person to have an intimate knowledge of who Envision Eyecare is so that when he/she begins interacting with patients, he/she knows our culture and what is expected. Here is a summary of our typical new hire orientation program:

Introduction to Orientation Process–Why It is Important

With our front doors locked and phones forwarded to voicemail, we meet in one of the office’s back rooms, with the new employee first introduced to the concept of a new hire orientation. Many have never experienced a structured job orientation, so we feel it is important to explain not only what we are doing, but why it is important to us that the new team member understands our office thoroughly. He/she is about to join a team of experts that delivers top tier care and service, and it’s important that they own that even if they are new to the industry. Helping the new employee understand the new hire program prepares him/her for what lies ahead and is a sign that we are willing to devote the time to properly welcome the new hire into our practice.

Dr. Larry Golson is Chamber’s Small Business Leader of the Year

Written by Envision Eyecare on July 25, 2012. Posted in In the Media. No Comments on Dr. Larry Golson is Chamber’s Small Business Leader of the Year

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (June 2012) – Dr. Larry Golson, OD, owner of Envision Eyecare here, has been chosen Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business Leader of the Year. Golson, who was honored in the category of 15 or fewer employees, received his award at the Chamber’s recent annual meeting.

The Chamber award recognized Golson’s leadership in business and community affairs and service, along with Envision’s significant growth in revenue and staff since it opened in 2008. Additionally, Envision has been the recipient of numerous national optometric awards, including a 2011 Optometric Innovator award from Vision Monday magazine and three national growth awards from the Cleinman Performance Network. Golson was recently honored with a “40 Under 40” Award by the Young Professionals of Asheville.

Dr. Golson receives 40 Under 40’s Award!

Written by Envision Eyecare on June 18, 2012. Posted in In the Media, Uncategorized. No Comments on Dr. Golson receives 40 Under 40’s Award!

The Biltmore Beacon, a local publication in the Asheville area teamed up with the Young Professionals of Asheville to recognize 40 rising stars in the business community under the age of 40. The recipients of this designation were recoginzed at a gala at the Grove Park Inn on May 10th, 2012. We are proud to announce that Dr. Larry Golson, OD was honored as one of the 40 Under 40 for the Class of 2012! The following excerpt was taken from the Biltmore Beacon’s publication.

“Larry Golson tells budding entrepreneurs, “Put yourself out there and know at some level you are going to be successful. You have to want it.” Larry is a living example of that philosophy. His Envision Eyecare office can be likened to a Starbucks- ethically pleasing, good music, coffee, water and tea. Larry wants clients to feel like they are at a spa and, when they leave, feel like they’ve had the best experience they’ve ever had in health care –probably why 2,500 clients make the trip to Asheville from a 2 hour radius. Larry matriculated to the University of Georgia and Southern College of Optometry in Memphis. Born and raised in Atlanta, his love of the mountains made Asheville a natural when he was ready to have his own practice. His business has won countless awards for innovation. But Larry says his team of employees is what sets him apart. He has given back to the community through the downtown Rotary Club, Asheville Area Arts council, Big Brother, Asheville Green Works and Executive Associates of Greater Asheville.”

Congratulations to Dr. Golson for an amazing 4 years of excellent eye health care in Asheville!

Assess Personal Characteristics in Initial Hiring Interview

Written by Envision Eyecare on February 16, 2012. Posted in About Envision Eyecare, Education, Eye Care & Eye Health, In the Media. No Comments on Assess Personal Characteristics in Initial Hiring Interview

The following article was originally published in Review of Optometric Business on Dec 15, 2011

In an initial hiring interview, ask candidates questions that reveal the kind of person you may be adding to your practice’s team. Assess their social skills, temperament and ability to provide your patients with proper care.

If you agree that the individuals you select for your eyecare team are an integral ingredient to your practice’s success, read on. When I conduct job interviews I’m doing more than assessing whether the applicant has what it takes to perform the technical half of their work. It’s also crucial that the person will fit into my practice’s cultural environment, whether they will relate well to my other team members and, most significantly, how they will treat my patients. I’m not looking to hire employees. Rather my intention is to select team members who want to make this a career. The following are key characteristics I assess during job interviews and how I do it.

Resume
Is the applicant’s resume well organized? Are there any typos or grammatical errors in the body of the resume? Is the resume limited to one page (or two at the most)? The resume is the one document the applicant is putting forth into the world that reflects who they are as a person. If it’s well-designed with attention to detail, then there usually is a good chance the applicant’s work habits will follow suit.

Attitude
An employee who knows how to do his work but takes no joy in that work or in helping patients is not an employee I will want to keep. For that reason, I assess attitude during job interviews. I ask the prospective employee why the job role she has applied to interests her, and I note whether she gives a generic response like “it seems like a great opportunity with lots of room for growth,” or whether she says something like this (for the role of optician): “I love customer service–I found at my last couple of jobs that I have a knack for helping people find what suits them best–and I’m very interested in fashion. Getting to work with people to find the right eyewear would bring together the two things, professionally speaking, that I love the most.” Your applicants may not be that articulate, but reflect on the difference between a canned, generic response and a response that exhibits enthusiasm to the question of why apply to the job.

“Plays” Well With Others
No matter how gifted a salesperson or pre-testing technician an applicant is, I will not hire them if it is apparent that they will not get along with even one person on my team. I ask applicants questions about their work groups at previous jobs, including a story that illustrates their ability to collaborate with co-workers and to give an example of how he managed a conflict with a previous co-worker or employer. I might ask: “Shirley, I’m glad to hear you say that you enjoy collaborative work environments. Can you tell me a story from a previous job of how you successfully collaborated with co-workers to get a task done or make an improvement?” Few applicants are unintelligent and candid enough to tell you that they loathe working with others or still haven’t mastered the art of collaboration, so it is important to ask them to give you an example of how good they are at working with colleagues as well as how they managed a conflict, since there will be bumps along the road during any practice’s operation. The answers to these questions paint a picture of this individual and her emotional intelligence in a team environment.

Friendly, Open Personality
My employees don’t all have to be the life of the party, but I don’t want to hire anyone who is hard to talk to. Some employees may be better in one-on-one communication and others may excel at leading a trunk show, but they all need a friendly, upbeat personality. One of the tricks I’ve learned along the way is to watch the applicant’s response to the question, “Are you a habitual smiler?” Watch for him to smile during the job interview and give more than yes and no or one-line answers to questions. For example, I might ask: “Would you be open to learning other skills besides opticianry, like maybe doing some training to help out with our pre-testing or pitch in with some of our administrative tasks?” An answer of “Yes, that would be fine” is OK, but much better: “Sure, I would definitely be open to trying out different tasks. I really enjoy learning new skills and seeing what I’m good at. At my last job I was hired just to work at the check-out counter, but I ended up getting trained to be a personal shopper and found that I was very good at it.” Lastly, be aware of what your gut tells you. I’ve interviewed applicants that say everything I want to hear, but if I don’t get the intuition that she would meld well with my current team, she will not be hired.

Intelligent, Fast-Working Mind
Deliberation is great if you’re on a jury, but not so great if you have a handful of patients waiting to be served at the check-out desk or in the optical. It is not enough for the applicant to give intelligent answers; they also must show that their minds work fast. If it takes them a painful full minute before answering most of my questions, I might worry about their ability to work in a fast-paced environment. Applicants who quickly give shallow or insufficient answers don’t get any credit, but pay attention to how long it takes potential employees to respond who do end up giving great, detailed answers. A few moments of thought is understandable, but there should never be a long, awkward pause. If you sense awkward pauses during a job interview, a question is raised of whether the applicant will be able to converse in an intelligent way with ease with your patients.

Engaged and Attentive
I want applicants who make eye contact with me and give evidence that they are listening to what I say by nodding their heads and summing up or recapping what I just said, but I also want potential employees who are engaged enough to ask questions. Beware of the applicant who gives all the right answers to your questions but at the end of the interview has nothing further they would like to know. For example, the applicant could ask:

“What is a typical work day like for someone in the job role I am interviewing for?”

“What are some of the improvements you are in the process of making in the office that the person you hire for this position could help with?”

“If you were hired to the position I am interviewing for, doctor, what would you find most challenging?”

“How many employees will I be working with and what will be working on together?”

“How long have most of those employees been working here?”

Your applicants may not be quite that curious, but a few intelligent questions peppered here and there throughout the interview or at the end of the interview, is a good sign that the applicant is an engaged participant in conversations.

Proper Grammar, Sense of Humor
Does the applicant use “ain’t” instead of “isn’t,” refer to dollars as “bucks” or refer to her child as “my kid” instead of “my son” or “my daughter”? If the majority of your patients speak in a similar fashion, those tendencies might be a plus, but the majority of practices are best served by employees who can speak in a polished manner. Your employees shouldn’t sound pretentious but they should sound educated and intelligent. Your patients are relying on your team for guidance. Would you want to take the guidance of a person who doesn’t seem educated or smart? That polish has to be balanced with a sense of humor. How often (if at all) does the applicant laugh during the interview? If you said something on the humorous side, did the applicant at least give you a perfunctory social laugh? Think about how awful it is to be a patient facing an optician, technician or receptionist who presents a stone face to them during conversation. You want employees who have enough personality and confidence to communicate with intelligence as well as warmth and good humor.

I hope this article has stimulated thought on your personal approach to hiring. Over the course of the year, my patients will spend more time interacting with my team than they will with me. I’ve been told I am picky about who I hire. I take that as a compliment, because to me, the single most important aspect of my office is my team. Our employees represent our practice and our practice’s brand in our community. They have a tremendous effect on the success or failure of any practice as well as the doctor’s level of stress and ability to delegate. Being selective about who I hire has paid off in spades! Happy Hunting 😉

Dr. Golson and Envision Eyecare in the Citizen Times!

Written by Envision Eyecare on September 7, 2011. Posted in About Envision Eyecare, Asheville, In the Media. No Comments on Dr. Golson and Envision Eyecare in the Citizen Times!

Envision Eyecare was excited to receive a mention in the Asheville Citizen Times for our most recent recognition from Review of Optometric Business and Vision Monday magazines. While we are proud of this accomplishment, what makes us most proud are happy, healthy patients. Without you and your trust in our care, we wouldn’t be here! For that we are grateful, and would like to extend our thanks for making what we do here at Envision Eyecare possible! In case you missed the original article, you can find the full text below.

Dr. Larry Golson, owner of Envision Eyecare, was selected as a “2011 Optometric Business Innovator” by Review of Optometric Business and Vision Monday magazines. The practice was cited for creative marketing, digital media, business management and patient experience approaches.

Envision Eyecare in the News!

Written by Envision Eyecare on July 28, 2011. Posted in About Envision Eyecare, Asheville, In the Media. No Comments on Envision Eyecare in the News!

We’re proud to report that Envision Eyecare was featured in the Asheville Citizen Times in April! The article is quoted here:

“Envision Eyecare, 180 Charlotte St, won three national awards at the Cleinman Performance Partners Meeting in Dallas, Texas. The locally owned optometry practice headed by Dr. Larry Golson won awards for Best Practice “Pearl,” best growth in collections and Highest Growth in the Foresight Group of optometry practices. Visit myenvisioneyecare.com or call 254-6757.”

We are both humbled and proud (is it possible to be both simultaneously? 😉