When you’re looking to make your eye care practice stand out from others in your community, oftentimes you may immediately think of making sure your practice offers the newest technologies to ensure patients are receiving top-notch exams. Or, perhaps you think of executing very targeted marketing strategies to attract and retain patients. However, in a recent two-part series of The Optometric Minute, April Jasper, OD, FAAO, and Katie Gilbert-Spear, OD, MPH, shared six ways you can distinguish your practice from the rest that go beyond providing the best technology.

1. Vision – Each practice needs a vision that sets the tone for what the practice should look like, the atmosphere it should have and an idea of where the practice is headed.
2. Atmosphere – From the moment a patient steps in your practice, a patient should feel welcomed and cared for. This atmosphere should let patients know that they can trust you with their vision care needs.
3. Service – Patients should be “wowed” by your practice’s level of service. Oftentimes, patients respond more positively when you give them a thorough description of your services, offer prompt responses to all feedback and show your patients you care about giving them a great experience. Practices of distinction should provide services of distinction.
4. Efficiency – Efficiencies are important because they let you know you can keep a certain level of customer service going. They should be intertwined throughout the office and can include electronic health records, a dedicated team working in billing and coding and even incorporating a pager system similar to that of a restaurant that will alert staff members to review a patient’s needs after they’ve seen the doctor.
5. Accuracy – Accuracy is a critical point of distinction. Put strategies and efficiencies in place to ensure patients receive an accurate exam they will be satisfied with. For example, electronic health records can cut out errors in communication between the exam room and an optical dispensary, while adding charts and print materials to an exam room can help demonstrate the accuracy your practice provides.
6. Empathy – The ability to express empathy can really set you apart from other doctors patients may have felt didn’t care about them in past experiences. Easy ways to express empathy include listening closely to your patients’ concerns and learning what is most important to them, as well as addressing “their most pressing concern” before the exam ends.

What do you do to distinguish your practice from others? Leave a comment below to share with us.

Accuracy matters not only in images captured in an exam and your ability to explain them, but also in communication between the exam room and your practice’s optical dispensary.

Optos can help you incorporate several of the points above into your practice. By adding our technology and devices to your practice, you can increase efficiencies by showing patients the results of their retinal imaging immediately. optomap® images are stored electronically, which means you can quickly send them to another practitioner or care provider when an issue needs further investigation. Contact us today to learn more!