It takes a lot of dedication to go to your optometric practice on a Saturday. And, this commitment can quickly turn sour when a patient is late to their appointment. Instead of getting angry about having to wait for a late patient, use the time to enhance your practice by doing things you normally put off. Below are 14 things you can do while you wait on your patients to arrive.
How to Benefit from Late Patients with These Optometric Practice Tips
Help Your Biller Blast Through Your Pile Of Claims
Is your biller drowning in claim rejections? Help them prioritize their work and offer to help them dig through the mountain of claims. Doing this will result in less stress for your biller, it will give you a refresher in claims management, and it could provide you with more money.
Catch Up On Industry Blogs
Has it been a while since you’ve had a chance to sit down and read about what’s going on in the industry? Take some time to catch up. Here are some of our most popular posts:
- 4 Ways to Bring In More Patients and More Money to Your Optometric Practice
- What’s the Hardest Part about Running Your Optometric Practice?
- 6 Steps to Prevent Employee Burn-out in Your Optometric Practice
- Keeping Up with HIPAA in Your Optometric Practice in 2017
Acknowledge Your Hard Working Staff Members
Don’t forget; your staff also has to wake up early to see these patients. And, they too have to wait around for the late ones to arrive. Use this time to thank your optometric staff members. Here are a few low-cost ways to reward your staff members.
Revisit Your Late Patient Policy
Still no patient? Maybe it’s time you revisit the penalty in your late patient or no-show policy.
Plan Out Your Optical Marketing Strategy
If you haven’t mapped out your optical marketing strategy for 2017, it’s not too late. Gather up your team to brainstorm how you’re going to increase your patient count and outperform the industry benchmarks.
While you’re at it, tell your social media community that you have an open appointment slot to reduce the effects of an empty chair.
Count To Ten
Breathe. Getting angry isn’t going to replace the time spent waiting for your patient. And, getting angry will project negativity throughout your practice, which will impact how you and your staff interact with your remaining patients.
Count to ten. Breathe. Repeat.
Redesign Your Frame Boards
Your frame boards need to be clean, modern, and inviting to help you improve your frame sales. If you haven’t had a chance to refresh your frame boards, take a look at these cool eyeglass racks for inspiration.
Make A Phone Call
Ever since you purchased that cloud-based EHR and practice management solution with embedded tools, you probably haven’t needed to call pharmacists or specialists like you used to when prescribing medication or making referrals.
Reach out to an old friend and pick up that phone!
Sell That Fax Machine
Do you remember the last time you sent or received a fax? If your fax machine is just taking up space, maybe it’s time to sell it. Place an ad on Craigslist or try pawning it off to an optometric practice that isn’t as modern as yours.
Check Your Inventory
Is your inventory feeling a bit old and outdated? Flip through your frame catalog and determine if it’s time to update your frame selection.
If your inventory is out of control, identify better ways to track and manage your catalog to improve your inventory turn rate.
Check Benefits Of The Day’s Patients
If you have the ability to check your patient’s benefits without calling the insurance payers, then you can get ahead of your day by checking the eligibility of the remaining patients on your schedule, or get ahead on tomorrow’s patients.
Time Your Office Workflow
Being able to push a patient through your office workflow quickly without decreasing patient care can help you grow your practice and give you the ability to see more patients throughout the day. Take the time to look at your workflow by making your way through your office as if you were a patient.
Identify any areas of concern or processes that are causing jams in the workflow.
Evaluate Your Practice’s Performance
If you have enough time, take a look at your practice’s numbers and see if you’re on target for meeting your goals for the year.
Read An eBook
Don’t know what metrics you need to look at? Take some time to read this eBook on the 8 benchmarks ODs need to monitor in their optometric practice.
