The Official VisionWeb Blog

We're curious to see how far we've come in terms of the software eyecare practices use. It wasn't too long ago that every optometrist was using paper filing, faxing, and other manual data entry methods to manage their health records, orders, prescriptions, and patient communication.

As you can imagine, conducting business by hand could lead to errors and frustrations. We're going to examine how automation and digitization have transformed the everyday workflow for optometrists. Maybe you'll notice a process you could optimize with the help of new technology?

As we approach the halfway mark of 2019, it's time to evaluate if your optometry practice is on track financially. Has your actual spending matched or exceeded your budget? Have you experienced any unexpected expenses?

Although reducing expenses is very important, we also think the first step is developing good money habits and understand which areas of your practice needs more investment.

Even if you have an accountant or consultant, it's a good idea to do quarterly financial reports to make sure everything is in order and see any trends. Today, we'll go over how to get yourself on track and make space for emergencies and expansion.

With new patient growth comes the need to change and grow your practice in size, number of people, or budget.

It's hard to know when it's time to expand your practice, but we can spot a few tell-tale signs that you need to hire a new employee or associate. Usually, having a full patient schedule at least two weeks in advance is a good indicator that your practice could afford to hire more help. However, hiring another optometrist is a big leap to take financially and logistically.

Make sure hiring an associate OD is the best move for you by investigating your options.

Developing a 3 or 5 year plan for your practice can be stressful, but it's something every independent optometrist usually creates in alignment with their personal career goals. Why shouldn't you do the same for your optical staff?

When your employees have measurable targets, they are more motivated to stay on track to meet sales requirements, bring in new patients, and gain promotions. However, providing guidance and direction is difficult when you have a team of individuals with different skills, interests, and personal desires.

That's why we created a goal tracking sheet that can help keep your staff on track, organized, and productive. Keep reading to learn how to create SMART goals and meet your annual targets together.

We've found that staff turnover and other human resources issues can quickly stop the growth of your optometry practice. Starting with hiring the best people for your office culture, office managers and ODs can transform their staff with a few informed changes to their management style.

Evaluating your existing staff management processes, support policies, and organization is the first step to building an expert team. Our latest ebook, "Expert Staff Management in Eyecare", includes printable assets, management advice, and human resources tools that can support your eyecare staff.