Practice Building Blocks

What makes one practice thrive and another one not so much? Dr. Kaplan has many secrets to her success. The little things go a long way in making a difference for her patients and practice. First, she’s smart about booking exams. “An exam slot is our most important commodity that we can use to maximize our return,” she said. Dr. Kaplan typically sees three patients an hour, but that can vary based on the visit reason. “The key is to always be very flexible,” she suggested.

It helps that all her staff members are on the same page. She started putting two technicians on during busy summers.These employees are well trained and comfortable taking retinal photos, explaining fees and instructing new contact lens wearers. She said, “I try to have my technicians do as many things as possible as far as collecting data, which allows me to spend more time discussing results and making recommendations.” Even though she’s a lot busier than she was when she started at Costco 10 years ago, she still spends about the same amount of time with each patient.The staff members help keep patients moving through the office smoothly, without them feeling rushed.

To further accommodate her patients, Dr. Kaplan added coverage every other Sunday to accommodate the increase in patient flow. She pays her five associate doctors a percentage of their services provided, instead of an hourly or daily rate. “This makes it in their best interest to take walkin patients and align with my practice model of patient-scheduling,” she said. Her relationship with the optical managers keeps patients in the store, too. “I help them with product recommendations and taking walk-ins, and they help me by taking walk-ins and speaking highly about my practice,” she said. “Even though we are independent, it’s a synergistic relationship.” The optical department staff can share with Costco members that Dr. Kaplan has upgraded equipment and accepts medical insurance now, and this helps promote her business.

Dr. Kaplan also believes in investing in her practice. Recently, she hired a Medicare consultant to help build upon her and the associate doctors’ expertise in providing these services. Also, she has hired a marketing company to help her build a marketing strategy. “I feel that in this economy, you have to do something different to set yourself apart; otherwise, it just becomes a price war,” she said. In the end, it’s about hiring good people, managing them properly and staying ahead of the trends, she said.

Dr. Kaplan also serves as a mentor for optometry students looking for success in a corporate setting. At the Illinois College of Optometry,many students are very interested in working with Costco. “I want to be the bridge in the relationship,” she said. “Costco gives me the tools to build my practice, so I volunteer my time to give back.