28 Jan 10 Steps for Inspiring Better Performance in Your Eye Care Staff
The new year is the perfect time to celebrate what’s working in your eye care practice. It’s also a great time to look for areas that are ripe for growth. Have you been thinking about new systems and technology, like EHR software? Now is the time to take the steps toward making improvements for you and your staff.
Staff members are coming back rested and renewed from the winter holidays. It’s the perfect opportunity to remind them how much you value their contribution to the practice, which in turn will help motivate their continued success.
Whether you’re updating benefits or streamlining your practice with EHR systems, here are 10 steps for inspiring better performance in your eye care staff.
How to Inspire Your Eye Care Staff for Continued Success
Step 1: Provide discounted eyewear and complimentary exams
Complimentary eye exams and discounted eyewear are great benefits for your staff. Your staff will appreciate the value of regular eye exams and the ensuing health benefits. This perk will give them a personal experience they can share with your patients and increase their confidence in the services and eyewear products you offer.
Step 2: Actively solicit ideas from staff on potential inefficiencies
If you and your staff don’t have regular meetings, make it a goal to start this routine in the new year. Daily or weekly meetings are a great time to consult staff on potential inefficiencies and solve ongoing issues that are facing the practice.
Front-line staff may also have unique practice management solutions and ideas on how to attract new patients and retain existing patients.
Step 3: Encourage growth through continuing education
Thinking regularly about growth and opportunities for your staff will help to retain dedicated, talented employees. Every eye care practice is busy, but it’s important to take time out for continuing education to keep up with the latest techniques, research, and technologies.
Actively encourage your staff to keep their knowledge fresh by offering continuing education opportunities—like paid workshops on new technologies and conferences where they connect with industry leaders. Consider contributing to their optical society memberships or certification renewals.
Step 4: Clarify the chain of command
Within an eye care practice, any confusion or breakdown in the chain of command can cause problems. At the earliest opportunity, clarify the positions in your office and ensure your staff feels their current title reflects their roles and responsibilities.
Step 5: Improve your billing rejection and denial rate
It’s estimated that 25% of lost practice revenue comes from poor billing and revenue cycle management practices. Researching denied or unpaid claims make accounts receivable a real chore for staff. It’s all too easy to input duplicate claims, transpose Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) numbers, and use incorrect diagnosis or procedure codes.
EHR software allows you to sync information between the scheduling and billing departments, leading to fewer mistakes. An optometry billing service team like Fast Pay Health can help as well.
Step 6: Improve patient engagement with patient portals
Taking advantage of practice management and EHR software that offers a patient portal is a great way to improve engagement with patients, and empower your staff to perform with greater efficiency. Patients book appointments and pay their bills online. Your staff can easily send appointment reminders via secure text or email.
Step 7: Evaluate office productivity levels
Put some time into evaluating office efficiencies and productivity levels. This will ensure you’re hiring and scheduling the correct ratio of office management, front office, technicians, opticians, scribes, and medical staff. That way everyone feels motivated and supported, instead of tired and overworked.
Step 8: Add a specialty to help retain patients
Retaining patients is easier if you’re able to offer more options for specialized care. Consider the demographics of your area, then reach out to a specialist who has experience in a field such as specialty contact lenses or dry eye conditions.
By offering more eye care services in-house, your staff will not have to refer people to other providers. Instead, you can innovate and grow your eye care practice.
Step 9: Update your office equipment and ophthalmic tools
A common frustration among eye care staff is when management refuses to modernize. Updating technology may seem costly, but it’s worth it to ensure your patients receive the best care possible.
This year invest in updated technology like handheld instruments, digital refraction systems, ophthalmic image management systems, or move your practice management and EHR system to the cloud.
Updating your systems—especially your EHR system—will improve patient care and show your staff that you’re serious about giving them the tools they need to do excellent work.
Step 10: Express appreciation by working with your staff
As with any team, it’s easiest to motivate eye care professionals when they know their individual needs are being considered. If you don’t yet know how to express appreciation to your staff, feel free to ask them directly. One practice in Indiana even started a “kindness box”, where staff could anonymously express their appreciation for each other.
Motivated eye care staff are the key to an efficient, functional practice that takes care of every patient. By investing in practice management and EHR systems like MaximEyes EHR software, your staff will have more time to offer personalized care to patients and take part in opportunities that will improve their skills and benefit their future career.
Ready to take the right step forward in 2019? Learn how MaximEyes EHR will help your practice succeed.
